Judgment was given in the Hartlepool election petition on Tuesday,
when it was decided that the election was void. Sir Christopher Furness has consequently lost his seat, but the Judges expressly stated that they absolved him personally from all responsibility for any discreditable conduct. On several of the counts on which the petition was based the Judges found that there was no cause for complaint; but they found that one act in particular on the part of Sir Christopher Furness 's supporters was fully proved and was palpably illegal. This was the introduction into the town of a band of miners who marched about the streets creating what can only be described as an atmosphere of intimidation. It was contended that the man who paid their fares and supplied them with refreshments was not an agent of Sir Christopher Furness, but the Judges ridiculed this argument.
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