Page image
Page image

I.—lβ.

52

Mr. Smith : Is it usual for you, after reading the paper to tear it up, and put one portion in a drawer ?—No, Sir. I saw what they took away. Mr. Smith : Did you see them take a paper from the drawer ?—No. The Chairman : Did you not see them take paper from your husband's pocket ? —Yes ; from the coat behind the door. Inspector Thomson took it and put it into his coat pocket, not into an envelope, as he stated. The Chairman : Did Inspector Thomson or any policeman ask you for a pen and ink ?— No, Sir. The Chairman : Did you see them mark anything on an envelope in your house'? —No, Sir. Mr. Smith : You would have sworn positively in Court that there was no paper taken from a drawer in your house?— Yes, Sir. Mr. Moore : How long were you milking after your husband came home ? —I had the cows almost all milked. He leg-roped one for me. That was the last, and I was not a quarter of an hour milking her. I had finished about a quarter past 5, and went for tea about 6, either before or after. I did not go to the clock to see what time it was. It was getting dark. Mr. Moore: Then, from five o'clock until the time you had tea your husband was working outside ?—Yes ; he was not working in the house. He got the horse down from the paddock before he cut the mangolds. He got the horse in every night before it was dark. Mr. Jellicoe : At what time had he to start with the horse next morning ?—Generally about half-past 5. The Chairman : How long had you been married at that time ? —Nine years on the 16th of the month he was taken away. The Chairman: Did Mr, Chemis at any time to your knowledge have any severe quarrel with anybody?—No, Sir. The Chairman : What was his general behaviour ?—Very good. Mr. Jellicoe : Was he a man fond of his home ?—Yes, Sir. He was never away from home one night since we were married. Mr. Allen : You swear that no paper was taken from'the drawer. What day are you speaking of? —When the police were in the house. Mr. Allen: Were you in the bedroom when they took the drawer?—No, I was in the kitchen, though, when they took the contents out. Mr. Allen: Did they find any paper on the shelf?— Not on that day. On the sth, when he was arrested, they did. They took a quantity from the shelf. Mr. Allen: They did not find any on the shelf, then, the first day ?—No, Sir. The Chairman: Do you think it possible for your husband to have committed the murder without your knowing it? —No ; it would be impossible. Mr. Lahe: Among the police evidence there is a paper taken from the pocket of the trousers taken from behind the door?— No. I saw Inspector Thomson take a piece of paper from the coat on the Ist of June. Mr. Allen: Then on the Ist of June they took none from the shelf in the corner?—No; on the sth of June they did. Mr. Allen : From the parlour?—lt was on the sth of June. From the parlour and from the shelf in the kitchen. Mr. Smith : When the police took the papers did they say to you, " These are the papers we are going to take"? Did they show them to you —the papers they took from the shelf?—No, they did not show them to me. They gave them to Constable Healey, and he put them in a pouch. I saw them take the papers from the parlour and give them to Constable Healey. Mr. Lake : What was the coat behind the door ?—He generally wore it when he went to town to deliver the milk. The Chairman : Did your husband ever wear a sheath-knife ?—No, Sir. The Chairman : Nor a sheath on his belt ? —No, not since we were married, nor since I knew him. The Chairman (holding up the sheath-knife): Did you ever see this knife before ?—No. The Chairman: The question now is, whether the Committee wish to call anyone else to give evidence. Mr. Gully : I intend to produce to you points upon which I submit you might call evidence. (1) Will the Committee call in evidence Carroll and Healey, the two constables, as to the second search which was made in Chemis's house ? (2) Will they call some persons, supposing such persons can be found, to identify the shot-pouch and knife found by Low ? (3) Do the Committee think it necessary to call Tolly as to the shot in the pouch corresponding with the shot found in the wound ? (4) Do the Committee think it necessary to have steps taken to procure the attendance of Charles Bowles ? I will not suggest that the Committee should call these witnesses, for this reason : to some extent they cover more than the decision of this inquiry. For instance, if you are influenced by the suggestions which have been made with regard to Bowles —in point of fact, that he was the guilty man —then I think that you ought to call him. Ido not think you could consider you have enough evidence unless you called him. With regard to the evidence of the shot-pouch and knife, the same remark applies, I think. If you consider that it is relevant to call witnesses to connect the sheathknife and pouch with Chemis, then I think you ought to do so. With regard to the evidence of Carroll and Healey, I do not know whether there is any real suggestion to be made as to their having made a search a second time of the premises, or any of the circumstances under which it was made. I think they ought to be called. Mr. Jellicoe : With regard to the examination of Carroll and Healey, I have not a word to say. The same reasoning applies, I submit, equally with regard to calling of Chemis. My friend Mr. Bell very forcibly in his evidence, in reference to these men, said, " Call them ; have them here for

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert