THAMES BOROUGH.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 4041, 10 December 1881, Page 2

THAMES BOROUGH.

Yesterday morning the committees of the two candidates—Messrs Sheehao^and Speight—were early astir, and were both preparing for the business of the day. At 9 o'clock the doors of the polling booths were opened, and immediately the Returning Officer (Harry Kenrick Esq) and his staff of assistants were busily engaged in accomodating the electors with ballot papers. The first batch were to all appearance supporters of Mr Sheeban, but it was not long before a great number of Mr Speight's friends fouud their way into the various booths.

The internal arrangements were most satisfactory, and great credit is due to Mr Keurick for hie able supervision of the proceedings. The amount of work this gentleman had to do may be guessed from the fact that be had to initial the ballot papers of 1090 elector^ besides often beiag required to assist illiterate voters in recording their srlection, and complyiug with the wish of the scrutineers in challenging votes of doubtful qualifications. The large majority of votes were polled during the forenoon, and that the poll clerks were kept hard at work is proved by the fact that by twelve o'clock over 600 votes had been recorded, of which 350 were put in between 9 and 10. There were three ballot boxes—one in each booth—and at the conclusion of the contest these were opened by the Returning Officer in the presence of two scrutineers. The numbers were as follows :—

No. 1 Booth— Sheehan 163 Speight 173 No. 2 Booth— Sheehan ... ... ... 184 Speight 189 The contest so far was so close at to lead to the expectation of a tie. The papers in the No. 3 booth, howerer, showed decidedly iv favor of Sheehan, as will be seen from the following numbers :— No. 2 Booth— Sheehan .. ... ... 199 Speight ... ... ... 1.67 The numbers of each candidate, when added up, were found to be— Sheehan ... 546 Speight) ... 529 Majority for Sheehan ... 17 Besides these, there were 17 roters who had rendered their votes invalid by improply filling up the ballot paper.

Some anxious to please all alike, had been unlavourable to both candidates, and had struck out both names, while others on the contrary were partial to both, and struck out neither name; and the remainder were disqualified on account of their being the records of men in the pay of the candidates. Precisely at 7 50, Mr Kenrick ordered the doors to be thrown open and announced the result, which was hailed with cheering from the victorious party, and with corresponding hisses and j, roans from those whom the ballot had placed hors dt cvmbat. The victors were so elated, that it required some hours for them to calm down. Hats flew into the air, and the atmosphere was rent with the victorious shouts of the multitude. A cab was immediately desj^lched for Mr Sheehan, who was in Shor<;!an;i. Several other cabs followed, loaded with the friends of the winning man, and at Mr Dodd's hotel soon a large concourse of people assembled. Mr Sheehan was taken almost by force, placed in a cab, and driven to Grahams town. Arriving at the Committee room he addressed a few words to the assembled people. He thanked the electors for his return, advised them to bury all differences of opinions now that, the contest was over, and called for cheers for his late opponent Mr Speight.

The assistants of Mr Kenrick were Messrs Burgess, Bailey, Kenyon, L. W. Parsous, W. H. Haasefc, W. Curtis, J. O. Lloyd, L. Jackson, Woodward, Le Manquais, W. B. Steward, H. J. Syms, and S. Alexander. The scrutineers for Mr Speight were Messrs F. Mason, C. Gentry, and W. Craig; those of the opposite faction, Messrs Albert Bruce, M. Landers, and L. Melhose.