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have to pay Haw kings as rental? —I could not say. I thought I would win the case through Hawkings letting the ground to another man. He let it to me as well as to Harlen. 19. What rent were you to pay Hawkings a year for the second piece of ground ?—I believe it was £1 a week. I could not say say exactly now—l do not remember; but I know it was near £1 a week. 20. Have you ever had any quarrels with any other people around the neighbourhood ?— Never. I never had a word with anybody. 21. Did you ever carry a sheath with a knife like that [produced] ?—I never did. I had a little knife —a penknife. Ido not know whether the police took it away that night. Benjamin took it out of my pocket that night. I never saw it since. 22. Did you never wear a sheath on your belt ?—Never, except it was to go pig-hunting, when I used to have to carry a knife. 22a. Had you a sheath at home?—No; no sheath at all. 23. Have you never seen that sheath-knife before ? —No ; not that I remember. 24. You say positively that sheath-knife never belonged to you ?—No. 25. Was never in your possession?—No, Sir. 26. Now, these wad-cutters [two produced]: do you ever recollect having one of these?—l had one, but Ido not know whether one of these is it. I ground mine. [Wad-cutters handed to witness.] This is the one if it is ground. I see it is ground. 27. You ground your wad-cutter?— Yes; after it was given to me I ground it. 28. Will you tell the Committee which of these belonged to you [powder-flask and shot-pouches produced]?— Mine was a soft one. Ido not know whether this is mine. It should be marked. There was some oil at the bottom of it. I cannot see mine there [examining shot-pouch]. 29. Do you think this was yours ? —lt might; mine was a soft one. It was wet then. 30. You remember the powder-flask you had ?—Yes, I remember a blacksmith putting a spring on it. I gave him a shilling for it, I remember. 81. Did you meet any of your children after leaving the road that evening, before you got home ? —Which evening ? 32. The evening of the murder, when you left the road to go home ; did you meet any of them before you got home? —Well, I could not say now whether I did or not. I do not remember. I think it was too late for them to be out at that hour of night. They used to go to school. They would be home hours before that. 33. Was it dark when you went home ? —Just getting dark ; it was just the beginning of winter. The children used to come to meet me, but it was so often that Ido not remember. They used to like to have a ride. In the morning or in the evening as I came home I would put two or three of them into the trap to give them a ride. 34. How long would it take a person to go from your house to the scene of the murder ?—I could not say. I went over there many times for the cows, but I never looked at it in that way, so that I cannot say. 35. Mr. Kelly.'] You could not say whether the ground was in the same state at the time of the murder as at the present time —whether there was any bush growing between you and Hawkings's ? Mr. Allen : He has not seen it since. Mr. Kelly : He might know what was there then. 36. Mr. Allen.] You have told the Committee that rumour said that Hawkings was killed by a cow. Who told you that ?—Gardiner. 37. Then another rumour that he was killed by the trap? —I do not remember who they were. I know hundreds of people by sight, but Ido not know their names. Everybody used to know me, and say " Hallo, Louis ! " lots of them, but I could not tell you their names. 38. Had you any money in the drawer ?—Yes, there should have been £3 or £4 in the house. 39. That was kept in this drawer?— Yes. 40. Where was it kept in the drawer? —It was kept in one of the tins. 41. What sort of tin? —Cocoa-tin. There was another tin as well with some powder in it. 42. Had you any dispute with Hawkings about a lease ?—Yes. 43. Did you ever speak to him about that dispute?—l went to him when I paid my rent. He got the notice on the evening I paid him the money. I used to pay him three months in advance. 1 paid him six months in advance for the place I have now. 44. Did you speak about this lease?—l told him I did not want this any more; that it would not pay me; that I would be losing by it. 45. The last time you saw him you did not speak about a lease, but onty about the children ?— Only about the children. The matter was in Court. 46. Was there a powder-flask in the drawer when these things were taken?— Yes; the same one that is there. 47. Were any gun-caps there ?—Yes. 48. Was there any newspaper there ?—No. 49. None whatever? —None. 50. Are you quite sure ?—Quite sure. 51. Did you see them search the drawer ?—Yes ; I saw them search the drawer. 52. You saw what they took out?— Yes. 53. Did they take it in a newspaper?— No. 54. Was no newspaper put into the handkerchief on the bed?—No newspaper, but bills and letters; the lease was there too. 55. Who else was there when search was made—when the drawer was searched ?—Myself, Campbell, and Benjamin. 56. Where was your wife ?—ln the kitchen. 57. Thomson was in the kitchen?— Yes ; in the kitchen.

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