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Was examining in the Police Court from the police report. And that shows that I could not have had the police report of Norman's evidence. Mr. Jellicoe : You examined in the Supreme Court from the depositions. Mr. Bell: You are probably right. The Chairman : Colonel Hume has informed me that there are a number of papers missing. Mr. Jellicoe : What Norman said is that he had given his statement to Benjamin. There is no evidence that the statement ever reached Mr. Bell. Mr. Bell: I was only giving the reasons why I was able to say that the paper never was in my possession. It is not usual to pay much attention to police reports after the trial has closed. But in this case the questions arose immediately afterwards, which may have caused me to preserve all papers. [List of Papers laid before the Committee by Mr. Bell. —l. Letter of 19th September, 1892, from the Under-Secretary of Justice, authorising him to use his own discretion in producing items of importance. Police report of 7th June, 1889, of evidence of Carroll, Webb, Healey, Carroll (on a second occasion), and Benjamin. 2. Police report of F. H. Morice, being statement made to him by Dr. Cahill on the 31st May. 3. Police report of the evidence of Malcolm McCallum, Donald McCallum, Charles Caplin, and W. Durrell. 4. Police report of evidence of Bolton. 5. Police report of evidence of Inspector Thomson. 6. Eeport of Mr. Tasker, dated 12th June. 7. Eeport of Mr. Tasker, dated 18th June. 8. Beport of Detective Campbell, dated 4th July, as to man seen by Joseph. 9. Eeport of evidence of Herbert Morris as to " miner's right," relating to discovery of " miner's right " on the ground. 10. Eeport of Mr. Skey. 11. Eeport of Detective Benjamin, of the 26th June, on evidence given by W. Bradford. 12. Eeport of Constable O'Farrell as to evidence given by John May.] Mr. Bell: There is one point I would like to mention. The reasons for suspecting Chemis do not appear in evidence. The evidence could not be given. The statements made by Mrs. Hawkings to Carroll could not be given as evidence, nor could the police state what they had acquired as evidence unless said in the presence of prisoner or by prisoner ; therefore the case is blank as to what it was that led the police to search Chemis's house; but it appears in the police report. Mr. Earnshaw : Has any reason been adduced to tell us why Hawkings's house was not searched ? Mr. Bell : No; I confess it certainly would not occur to me to search Hawkings's house. It never occurred to anybody as being a reasonable thing to do. I might say also that Hawkings was a man very well known. It must not be forgotten that he and his wife were very well known about Wellington. The Chairman : Was any suspicion raised as to the butchers near the spot ? Mr. Bell : No ; but ie way a matter that I caused very careful inquiries to be made about. The result of the inquiries satisfied me. No care was spared to examine every possible suspicion, so far as our minds were capable of forming an idea, of what might be a suspicion. Mr. Lake : Was there no suspicion attached to Bowles going down the hill just after he had found his employer murdered? Mr. Bell : No; I think it occurred to everybody that it was a reasonable thing for him to do. He went down to where he could get help. He met a boy, and he sent the boy back. It was never suggested that there was anything extraordinary about his conduct. It was the conduct, it seems to me, of a reasonable man, and what I would do under the same circumstances. Mr., Lak e: To go down a considerable distance and then to meet a boy with a horse, and send the boy back and wait for his return? Mr. Bell : That certainly does seem a little strange; but call Bowles before you. Mr. Jellicoe : I suggest that you call Chemis, and satisfy yourselves. Mr. Bell: You cannot judge a man unless you see him. Mrs. Hawkings was not informed on the night of the murder that her husband was dead. They told her that he had met with an accident, and that he had been taken into town to have his injuries attended to. Under these circumstances it was very natural for Bowles to keep out of her way. The Chairman : Was there ever any evidence as to where George Bowles was on that particular day? Mr. Bell: No ; he was never heard of in the matter until some months after the trial. Mr. Jellicoe : Yes ; on page 11 (H.-33), in Mrs. Hawkings's evidence. The Chairman : About some sheep. Mrs. Hawkings stated that Mr. Hawkings said that he would shoot George Bowles like a dog. Mr. Bell: Ido remember it. The Chairman : There was nothing before the Court in regard to him. Mr. Bell : I think he was in Wairarapa during May and June. The Chief Justice objected to my calling either Bowles or Lydden. We put the witnesses in ths box, and then Mr. Bunny did not cross-examine them. He was perfectly competent at that time. The Judge said that the matter was quite irrelevant, saying, " If Mr. Bunny makes a definite suggestion I will allow you to go into the matter at full length." The Chairman: My only reason for asking this was that if it had been proved at that time that he was in the Wairarapa, the Committee might disabuse their minds on that subject altogether at once. Mr. Bell : There was evidence; I had men down from Foxton to prove the alibi of Lydden, and I also ■ think I had men from the Wairarapa to prove Bowles's alibi. I can find out at the Police Office. There must be the record of my memorandum directing what should be done, and they must have some record of the men ordered to come down to prove the alibi, and there are almost certain to be some with regard to Bowles. I know I was able to prove an alibi for both. Mr. Jellicoe : I would like to ask whether the documents referred to by Mr. Eichardson have been found. I hear they are not able to find them, nor likely to be able to do so. 7—l. Iβ.