THE SEDDON-TAYLOR SLANDER CASE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8146, 19 December 1904, Page 3

THE SEDDON-TAYLOR SLANDER CASE.

PLAINTIFFS CASE CLOSED.

OPENING OF THE DEFENCE.

[PRXSS ASSOCIATION.] CHBJBTCHUBCH, Dec. 18. ; The Seddon-Taylor slander case was continued in the Supreme Court on Saturday. N 1 Lionel Stencil, a member of the Seventh Contingent, and Hector Cameron, lieutenant of the Seventh Contingent, gave i evidence corroborative of that of the other military witnesses, to the effect i that Captain Seddon had handled his men satisfactorily, and that the retirement hao been orderly. This concluded the case for the pla;ntuf. . The following amendments in the statement of claim were asked for and were consented to by the defendant— Thvi first amendment was the words used by John Duthie : "I said to Mr Taylor, 'You*remarks, were rather strong in the House. He replied, 'Yes, but it is all true. I can make them good.' I said, 1 suppose you referred to Captain Seddon,' and he nodded his head in an affirmative manner." The second was to delete Herd- ! man's name and taking the following I words used by Laurenson at the end of his j < evidence : "After his speech in ° the i House Mr Taylor stated without reserva tion to those of us who were there that the reference to a military court in South Africa referred to Captain Seddon." Mr Taylor, in his opening address, saii he proposed to call a number of men who had been in different parts of the engage ment. He would bring men who had been in the main body and men who had done some of the fighting that day, who knew where they had been and what they had done, and would tell to the best of their ability what happened in the course of the day's proceedings. His work had been somewhat lightened by the fact that the : plaintiff had admitted some of the facts that he would otherwise have had to prove. Captain Seddon admitted that he ' had received three messages from Lieut. Dillon asking for assistance. Defendant believed that Dillon had sent in more, but the three were admitted. The first had been an ambiguous one, if the memory of the plaintiff could be relied' upon, and had asked for supports because Dillon had come into touch with the cattle. Tho next -message had asked for supports be cause the scouts were in touch with th» Boers and were in a "tight corner," an»l finally the third had urged that supports were needed as the scouts were surround cd. The jury had been told that the officer commanding the main body did not believe any one of the messages," and did not take any steps, or any effective steps, to rectify them. He did not talk to the messengers, and that had struck defendant as a most startling statement, in view of the fact that the officer did not know thi exact position of the scouts. He called John Graham Shera, a member .of the Seventh Contingent, who stated that ha had been second in command of the scouts during the Blessbok Spruit engagement^ When the scouts came in touch with the cattle four men were sent out to draw

tue fire of a possible enemy. The movement succeeded in drawing fire, and Lieut. Dillon at once wrote a message *n his despatch book to Captain Seddon to say he was in touch witb the enemy and tha cattle were there. The message sent bac'i was written on Dillon's despatch. That message was from Captain Seddon, and was to the effect: "Cannot send supports*, retire at once." Dillon swore quietly when he received it. They held on to the position for a time, considering how they were to get out of the tight cornei they were in. They ultimately started to retire, but to do so had to split up int> two parties of ten each*. One ten held the position while the other ten retired, and then the retirers took up a fresh position and covered the retreat of the second ten. At this time they had come j into touch with only about twenty Boers. I After a few retiring for some distance, they picked up with a portion of Captain Seddon's party. Witness said that the scouts, with the portion of Seddon's men they had picked up, continued to retire, and had to fight their own retirement in the same way as they had done when out with the catle. They received no sup port from the main body except from the first line of supports. No other detach ment joined them, but a few men dribbled in. Saxby's men never came back to their support. They could see the mail body galloping away. The main bod/ never walked. He made written record of what occurred three days afterwards, in 4 letter to his mother. He estimated that there were never more than 80 Boers en gaged during the day. The estimate of 200 to 300 Boers was a gross exaggera tion. The scouts were not in a position to retire easily and safely when they first sighted the Boers. Before they reached the spruit several messengers had come to the supports for ammunition, but wee refused. Witness wm one of the messengers, and did not see any officers. Cou'd not find any; saw some men, having to gallop to catch them, but they would not Eve any ammunition. Dillon made his st atfnd at a position about 200 yardj from the spruit. We sent to the supports, who were galloping away, and tola them to come back and cover our retirement, but those messengers did not return. Witness crossed the spruit after Dillon- was wounded to ask for the doctor's assistance, and he there met the first officer of the supports he had seen that day. Witness asked him if he would cover the retirement of the party where Lockett am Quintall were. The officer said "No; it' too hot. 1 * He went back and told the men to retire, as they had been left. They 'went up the slope at a gallop. After they had galloped some time they found ths supports at the top of the slope, over a mile from the spruit. Witness had absolutely no doubt at all that, with the exception of the few men they fell in with, CAptftia Seddon and his men ran off the field. The main body galloped away eight or nine miles. When he found Capta : n Seddon be was in a place of safety. It would have taken a pom-pom (a have reached the spot. Cross-examined by Dr Findlay, witness said he did not agree with Major-General Babington that it was the duty of a party to keep in touch with its supports. The drill-book and the practice in South Africa were opposed to socfa » principle. Asked if his views would be shaken by the fact that Colonel Bauchop apeciany agreed with General Babington on these twp points, witness said no, for he had been taught different when he passed his Volunteer examinations. Continuing, witness stated that after getting Captain Seddon's order to retire they waited 10 minutes. He did not think it wss 20 minutes. There were no Boers between them and their supports. They all got back without a scratch. When they reached the supports they would be seven or eight miles from the spruit. The first casualty to any of the scouts was at the edge of the spruit, after they had travelled seven of eight miles. When- the scouts reached the first supports the main body was moving away 1000 yards and at a hand canter. It was not correct that there were 41 men in the rearguard when the scouts joined it. There had not been 67 men fighting in the rearguard action. The movement of the main oody towards the spruit was not conducted in an ordinary manner. It was not true that the Boers were about 900 yards behind. When he joined the sixteen men of the rearguard the Boers were on a ridge a mile behind. Saxby's evidence generally was incorrect. Asked if he knew Captain Seddon, witness Sve an affirmative answer, and to a furer question said he thought Seddon "had acted the part of a coward on that. day." The charge did not necessarily involve other officers and men, as they were under Seddon's orders. They might have thought they were galloping back to hold a position. By the time they got to the position he expected them to take up they were in such a condition as regarded their position tfa*t it was impossible for them to form up and hold the place. The retirement was practically » stampede. Witneat overtook them about four or five ran* from the spruit. Dr ffadlayt You said the rearguard waf «even times from the spruit and the supports had .ow 1000 yards start; they were cantering; you occupied half-anhour in retreating .two mfles, and then, overtook the ©awards who were fleeing; you found them fe*v or five miles from the snrnit. What figures «re you going to *Herf Witness : I said about four or fiv.e flujw. Dr Ftodlayt AM#mfy tip supports did not m»v« at ftllf Witness: TUy f»v» mao aupaort. it they did halt they did not halp «■, Witness' was left under croea-«x»mi»a. tion when the Court adjourned.

CHBISTCHURCH, Dec. 19. The hearing of the Seddon-Taylor slander ctfle wm reramed thip morning. , Sher», further cross-examined, denied thi»t the main body retired at a waUone pace. Witness said he had claimed £100 from the Government and railway fare to Aotoroa. H« **d had correspondence with therOoverniMfti , r#g*rding a transfer to the militia from the oontujgent, which was not granted, thodgh h« * oommiuion in the volunteers without examination. Beasamlned, witness said a number of go*** who l»d given c^dencewe*© nrobibly wttfc tiie rapports, Lieut. Dillon hayWSSNSimm »W horse, to retire.

AFTBB TWENTY YBABi. Mr H. Hoßen, Cheviot, writ*; "Vfc Roeamo hu done my wifo •g&U*m£& of good. 6h« got no good tiim *hej^ met Springs, having foffma trom«woni« rtwomMilo* twaniir j-H. Iwilrf' fering from the kidneys, «nd took tome Bheomo. Ii lelierea me very qnickly. I lur* raoommtnded H to Mreral people,