20.--A movement known as "The Church's Call" commenced in Norwich. A
simultaneous and united effort was made at all the churches in the city;
"all seemed resolved to cast aside minor differences, and High Churchmen,
Low Churchmen, and Broad Churchmen apparently vied with each other in
doing the work set before them."
23.--Died at Warham All Saints, Margaret Green, aged 100 years. "The
Thursford register testifies to her baptism in that parish on March 27th,
1769."
31.--At the Norwich Assizes, before Mr. Justice Byles, Robert Hardiment,
tanner and fellmonger, was charged on five counts with bribing voters at
the last General Election to vote for Sir H. J. Stracey. The
Attorney-General appeared for the prosecution, and the defendant was
found guilty. His lordship remarked that this was a very serious crime,
and, as he was desirous that sentence should be pronounced by the highest
judicature of the country, judgment was reserved. Another person, named
Banfather, charged with bribery at the same election, was acquitted. On
April 1st, at the same Court, John Hughes Hulme was found guilty of
bribery, and sentence was reserved. Edward Stracey, son of Sir Henry J.
Stracey, was next charged. The Attorney-General conducted the case for
the prosecution, and Mr. A. Staveley Hill, Q.C., was specially retained
for the defence. On April 2nd the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
"No sooner was the announcement made than deafening cheers were raised in
the Court, and it was in vain that the officers tried to suppress them."
The defendant Hardiment was indicted, before Mr. Justice Blackburn, on
various counts, for committing acts of bribery at the Eighth Ward
Municipal Election, on November 1st, 1869. On being found guilty, he was
sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Joseph Stanley, solicitor, was
charged with unlawfully conspiring with Robert Hardiment and others to
induce, by means of bribes, certain persons to vote for Edward Bennett
and George Gedge, candidates at the municipal election in question. The
jury acquitted the defendant. Anthony Freestone, baker, and Henry Ellis,
shoe manufacturer, were also indicted for conspiring to bribe at the
municipal election, and were acquitted. On April 8th Messrs. W. H.
Tillett and Co., solicitors, addressed a letter to the newspapers,
asserting that "the jury drew lots to decide what their verdict should be
in the cases of Freestone and Ellis." They added, "The verdict is, of
course, bad, and we shall feel it our duty to lay the facts before the
committee of gentlemen who instructed us in the prosecutions." No
further action was taken, however. In the Court of Queen's Bench, on May
10th, before the Lord Chief Justice and Justices Blackburn, Mellor, and
Hannen, Hardiment and Hulme were brought up for sentence. Mr. Bulwer,
Q.C., applied for mitigation of sentence in the case of Hardiment, on the
ground that he was then undergoing imprisonment for municipal bribery; in
the case of Hulme it was urged that imprisonment would be injurious to
his health. The Court passed sentence of ten months' imprisonment upon
the first-named defendant, to run concurrently with the six months he had
received for municipal bribery, two months of which he had already
served, to be classed as a second-class misdemeanant, and to be fined
100. Hulme was fined 100. Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., subsequently presented
to the Home Secretary a memorial, signed by 1,500 citizens, praying that
Hardiment should be classed as a first-class misdemeanant.