149

H.—3

3182. How did you discover that?—By sending to the police. Some one was with her before she died, and she wanted them to send to this place to get the things sold for her. They told her that if she was not able to get up on the Monday they would get the things. On the Monday she died, and we sent for those things on the Tuesday. 3183. Do I understand you to say that her boxes and furniture were not in your house?—No ; they were at another house—at a Mrs. Jeffries's, in Elizabeth Street. 3184. Is she in Wellington ?—I do not know anything about her. 3185. Then, did you send for her things? —Yes. Mr. Morrison went with a cart and had them brought to my house. 3186. And then for the first time the boxes were opened, were they?— Yes. I was going to take an inventory, because I heard they would have to go to the Trust Office, and I did it more on account of the son. I commenced the inventory, and Mr. Morrison came up and said the things were to go down as they were, and I stopped. 3187. Then, you let the boxes and contents go to the Trust Office just as they were?— Yes, except that we took out the casket of jewellery. 3188. Do you remember the contents of that casket?— Yes. In the first place, a gold watch. She had two watches sewn up in the pocket of her petticoat, and there was a purse in a little handbag, with a ruby ring in it and £1. 3189. And do you remember a bracelet ? —Yes, I remember it. 3190. Was that bracelet a good bracelet ?—Yes, it wras a good bracelet. There were six links ; one was broken. I measured them round my wrist, and five links fitted tightly round it. 3191. Was it a heavy chain-bracelet ? —There were six medallions, with onyx in the centre —black stone with white across it. 3192. And it had five links and one broken one ?—Yes. They were about 1-^in. across and 1-Jio. long. 3193. You are sure that it was a heavy bracelet ? —Yes, very heavy. 3194. Would you know it again if you saw it ?—Yes. 3195. It wanted repairing ?—Yes. The old lady had been travelling about with an old lady, and I think she came in for her personal effects when she died. 3196. The jewellery was very good ? —Yes. 3197. You saw the ladies' watch?— Yes. 3198. Was that a good watch, in your estimation?— Yes ; a very good one—a little keyless one. 3199. A modem one ?—Yes. 3200. Nearly new ?—I could not say the amount of wear it had. She kept it very carefully wrapped up in leather. 3201. Did you see any lace among Mrs. Dallon's personal effects ?—Yes, I saw a piece of lace which was in the casket. 3202. There was a much larger quantity?— Yes, a quantity of loose lace, not like that at all, but different kinds of lace. 3203. Are you a judge of lace ? —Yes, a little judge of lace ; I have had a great deal to do with it at Home. I could not tell every kind of lace, but I know good lace when I see it. 3204. Is that lace [produced from smaller parcel] hand-made lace? —It is hand-made lace. I do not know whether it is Irish point, but it is hand-made lace, and Irish make too. 3205. In parts of Ireland—Limerick—they make that lace by hand ?—Yes. 3206. Would that be very costly to buy?—l should think very costly indeed. 3207. You have no idea what that would be a yard? —Quite £10 a yard. It might be more, but not under, I should think. 3208. How much is there?— About two yards. 3209. Is there any shop in Wellington that would give a fair idea of the value ? —I do not know. There are no lace-shops in Wellington. 3210. But there are shops that sell lace ?—Yes; but I do not suppose you would be able to buy the same quality of lace as that in Wellington. Ido not know any shop here where you could buy real lace. 3211. Was the other larger quantity of lace as good as that?— Yes; and there was a lot of underclothing—children's underclothing—trimmed with real lace too. This lace seems particularly heavy. It might be worth more than what I say, but Ido not think it would be under what I say. 3212. You value it at about £10 a yard, not less?— Yes, not less. 3213. You are quite sure from what you know of lace that you could not buy it under that ?— No ; and you could not buy lace like that in Wellington. 3214. How much lace was there in this larger quantity in the boxes?—l could not give any correct estimate, because there were so many pieces, but every piece was real lace. She had not a common piece of lace among her effects. 3215. Was it as wide as this piece ?—Some as wide, some narrower, but all real hand-made lace. 3216. You do not know what became of that lace?— No. On the day of the sale we all went to see where it was. We did not see it put out at all, and we concluded it was in some box ; but, as one could not tell what box it was in, and we might not get the box, we did not buy. There was no sale of the lace as lace. 3217. That is, any lace that was sold was not sold as lace—was not exposed at the sale?—No, not exposed at all. 3218. Do you remember a^ealskin jacket belonging to the deceased Mrs. Dallon ? —Yes. 3219. Was that a good jacket?— Yes. 3220. What was the value of that, in your opinion, if you had to buy such a jacket in a shop ? —I should think about £30, if bought new; but it had been worn.