35

I.—IB

T. H. .JOHNSTON.

13. Did he know that you had been in the Auckland Hospital?—l had said so. 14. You had told him before that? —I told him at that time that when I went to the Auckland Hospital I had abdominal cramp and a strain of the muscles of the heart. 15. Did you tell the story of your experience in the Auckland Hospital to Dr. Craig? —I did not. 16. Did you tell it to Dr. Galligan ?—I did not. 17. They had never heard of it before then, presumably?— Not as far as I knoxv. 18. And you did not tell it to Sergeant Wohlmann ? —No, 1 did not. 19. When you were examined did you tell Dr. Craig or Dr. Galligan the details of the incident with your wife, about the shooting business?—l did not. 20. You swear that you told neither Dr. Craig nor Dr. Galligan?—Yes, I swear it. 21. Did you tell Sergeant Wohlmann?—l did not. 22. Did you tell anybody about the shooting? —Must I answer that? The Chairman: You must answer the question. 23. Hon. Mr. Fisher.] I want to know if you told anybody else: whom did you tell?—lf I answer that question 24. It is not incriminating. It does not incriminate you in the slightest. I want to find out how this information got out?—-As honourable gentlemen I will answer you, if it is not incriminating. I mentioned that in a private and confidential conversation with Sergeant Cooney, within closed doors. 25. Was that before the doctors examined you?— Certainly. 26. Do you suggest that the knowledge of the shooting incident came out through that 3ergeant. or because you spoke when you were unconscious in the hospital?—l suggest that all that came out after 1 had the chloroform in the hospital. 27. What makes you think that?— Because I can remember clearly when I came out of that chloroform. I came out of it, I suppose, for a second. I just remember that there were three women standing over, and one of them said, "He is coming to now." Then I remembered no more for a while. Preceding that and after that it was like one horrible nightmare. 28. You heard them discussing what you had said under chloroform?—l did not hear them discussing xvhat I bad said under chloroform. That was all I heard. It was only a couple of seconds, 1 suppose, that I became conscious. But I will tell you xvhat I did hear in the hospital : I heard one of the nurses and a patient talking about the Melbourne Cup and something else which I had said in that dream. 29. You heard the nurse and another patient discussing that ? Yes. It was not then. It was a couple of days after, when I awoke in the morning. 30. You related the whole of the circumstances of the shooting business to Detective-Sergeant Cooney, did you not?— Yes. 31. Why did you tell him?— Being a man that never had a father since the age of eight; being a man who has studied his mother; who was always honourable right through; did all I could for the younger members of the family and right on, and also always did things as regards my own family in the manner which I considered to be right and the most honourable and faithful. And I consider also that I have not only been a father to my children, but I have also been a mother to them. On many other points also I spoke to Sergeant Cooney in a confidential manner, and wanted advice. It was only on that understanding that I spoke to Sergeant Cooney and that Sergeant Cooney spoke to me, and knowing also, as I mentioned once before here, that the police in Waihi and the arbitrationists mixed together and spoke to one another in such a sociable manner, as the miners in the mine at the present time do not do. I considered that Sergeant Cooney would be a suitable man with wordly experience to thoroughly advise me as to the course which I should pursue, and also as I had been notified that I would be the main xvitness in Barfoot's case. I would have declined to be a witness in Barfoot's case only that I wanted to get at the truth of the matter. Before Igo any further I will tell you that "about all the events in Waihi the truth has never come out, and probably will not come out. No one knows the information on all points in such a-manner as I do. There has not been a more honourable man in Waihi than I myself. I fought that battle cleanly-: 1 never did any mortal thing in Waihi that I was ashamed of. 32. I want to find out how this information became public. You told Sergeant Coonev the whole of the circumstances?— Yes. 33. Y r ou ultimately told Dr. Craig?—l did not tell Dr. Craig. 34. Did you tell Dr. Galligan ?—I did not. 35. Did you tell Dr. Will?— No. 36. Did you tell the policeman who took you in the train?— No. 37. Did you ever make a statement to Dr. Craig, Dr. Galligan, Dr. Will, Dr Beattie or Dr. Kinder that you had epilepsy in your family?—l did not at any time tell any of those doctors that there was epilepsy in my family. I will take one of them. Dr. Beattie asked me the first Friday that I was in the Avondale Asylum whether there was any epilepsy in my family, and I said " No." Dr. Beattie also asked me if my father was an invalid, and I told'him practically what Dr. J. P. Ryan, of Melbourne, said, as far as I could remember. The next question was " Did you ever have a fit, Johnston? " I said "No." "Did you ever have any semblance of a fit?" I said "No." "Did you ever have a fit?" he asked. I said "No." I said "I will tell you this "; and I told Dr. Craig, in Waihi, that when I have worked double shifts for a considerable length of time I have suddenly felt my strength going and have had to knock off work, feeling exceedingly weak. That was about the severest cross-examination I had on the epileptic point.