F. H. DURBEIDGE.]

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I.—lα.

255. Mr. Burreil, in his evidence with regard to the man Bemnant, said that Durbridge was there when he (Burrell) spoke to Eemnant at the Postboy Hotel, if I remember rightly ?—Yes ; when Eemnant was thrashing his wife. 256. Mr. Maginnity.] In corroboration of what Mr. Burrell stated with reference to the complaint against him in regard to assaulting Eemnant, do you remember anything transpiring between Burrell and Eemnant ? —No, Ido not remember. I remember that on one night when I was on night duty Burrell was with me. We were down by the Postboy Hotel. We had been to see the train go out. When we were by the Postboy Hotel we saw this woman, who has been mentioned, about the hotel, going in and out, and I had some suspicion. So I stood in the dark and watched what was going on. Then I heard a smack, and the woman cried out, "You dirty coward ; you struck me." Then I saw a man pass across under the light. I walked up to him and said, " What is the matter here ? " He replied, " What has it got to do with you 1" I said, " I want to see who you are, and what you are. Come down into the light." I brought him into the light, and saw that it was Eemnant. I said, " You are a cowardly man to strike a poor woman like that." He denied having done so. I then said that I thought the best thing he could do would be to come up to the police-station with me. We went up the road, and I was taking him up the little lane by Kirkpatrick's factory when he laid down on the road. As he did so his wife came across and asked us to let her take him home, " for God's sake." She said that she was suffering from a miscarriage. Those are the words she used while the man was lying down. I asked whether he was her husband, to which she replied, "Yes, and knocks me about; but for God's sake do not lock him up." I asked her whether she could take him home, and she said " Yes," so I let him go. 25Y. Mr. Burrell told us that something was said about a confinement; you say that it was a miscarriage that was spoken of: which is correct ?—lt was a miscarriage that was mentioned. 258. It was something in regard to birth, at any rate?— Yes. Eemnant, I might state, is a really bad egg—a really bad man. On several occasions during my term, when on duty at night in Nelson, I have hunted him away from round a very immoral place there, at about 12 o'clock at night, he having beer in his bag. 259. You cautioned him away? —I cautioned him away, and told him to go about his business. 260. Where is he now?—He is working for Neal and Haddow, driving a trap. Mr. Maginnity : If you would permit me, Mr. Chairman, I would like to call attention to a remark made by Inspector Macdonell on page 216 of the correspondence, in regard to " Constables Burrell and Durbridge having two young women in the station at midnight." Inspector Macdonell puts in parentheses, after the words "two young women," the words "and not of the best repute." What I want to emphasize is that at the time one of those young women was the fiancee of the present witness, and has since been married to him. 261. The Chairman.] What is the general tone of the Postboy Hotel, Mr. Durbridge :is it a well-conducted and well-kept house ?—I have never heard otherwise of the place. 262. You would say that it was a respectable house ?—Yes. 263. Fit for anybody to stay in?— Fit for any man. 264. Or woman ?—Yes, or woman. 265. I mean at this particular time when you saw Eemnant striking his wife?— Yes; the house was then run on the best of lines, to the best of my knowledge. 266. Mr. Golvin.] It was owned by Mr. Wemyss ? —Yes; and managed by a woman of the name of Mrs. Le Foe. 267. The Chairman.'] Did you know that Eemnant went to the police-station and complained? ■ —I heard that he had been there complaining. 268. Was his complaint about this particular occasion ?—I could not say if it was about that or not. I heard the sergeant say that Eemnant had been there complaining about some of us young fellows, but he said that Eemnant was in such a state of semi-drunkenness that he told him to go away and come back when he was sober. 269. Do you know Stapp, Blincoe, Eemnant, and Eeed ? —Yes. 270. What sort of men would you say they were?—Stapp and Blincoe are slightly better characters than either of the others, but they are not what you would call the respectable community at all. 271. Are they men who get drunk?— Yes; you always find them about the hotels—l mean Blincoe and Stapp. 272. Are they young or old men? —Blincoe is, I suppose, about twenty-two or twenty-three, and Stapp nineteen or twenty, I should think. 273. Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones.] In this Eemnant case did you see the blow struck? —No. 274. You only heard the remark?— That is all. I should have locked Eemnant up had his wife not been there with him. 275. The Chairman.] Burrell was there at the time referred to, was he not?— Yes. 276. Do you think he was in a position to say whether Eemnant struck his wife or not ?—No, he was not, because we were standing away, and there was not sufficient light to see. All we could judge by was the sound of the blow and the remark by the woman. 277. Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones.] I think you said that Eemnant was lying on the road when his wife came over : how did he come to be there ?—He threw himself down ; he was stubborn, and would not go. 278. You used no violence ?—No. 279. The Chairman.] Is it true that you, with other single constables, whilst in the Force, were constantly in the habit of assaulting or being rough to people whom you had nothing to do with ?—No, it is not true.