THE INQUEST AT WAIHI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15168, 6 December 1912, Page 8

THE INQUEST AT WAIHI.

A WOMAN'S EVIDENCE.

DENIES EVANS FIRED A SHOT.

SAW NO STRIKERS ARMED.

ALLEGED ASSAULT UPON

DECEASED.

ATTEMPT TO PROVE RIOT

PLANNED.

fni- TELEGttAI'n.—OWN COBRESI>OHDEN"r.]

Waihi, Thursday, fm; inquest touching the death of Frederick G- Evans, the striker who died from injuries sustained on November 12, was continued at the Courthouse to-day, before Mr. W. M. Wallnut, district Coronor, and a jury of six (Mr. G. JLawlor foreman). Mr. S. Mays appeared for tho police, while Mr. J- R. London watched proceedings on behalf of the relatives of deceased and of the Federation of Labour. >

James Delaney. recalled for crossexamination, repeated his evidence in chief. He also stated that he had not carried firearms on the Tuesday morning, in fact he never carried firearms at any time. He was not aware that any of the other workers carried firearms on the Tuesday. Witness had seen Evans turn his head when running and fire at the constable. Harvey was near witness, who did not see anything in his hand, and had not known him to have firearms in his possession at any time. The notices served by the arbitrationists upon the strikers, instructing them to quit Waihi, had been delivered after the shooting on the Tuesday morning.

To Mr. Mays : Ho was quite certain that Constable Wad© did not rush the hall until shots had been fired. The notices to quit had been served because the strikers had used firearms. The notices were not part of, or in conjunction with, any prearranged scheme. Saw No Firearms in the Hall. Mrs. Helen R. Sorrensen, placed in tho box by Mr. Mays, at Mr. Lundon's request, stated that she waß in the Union Hall on the morning of November 12. When in the readingroom, she saw one of the strikers pick up an iron bar, but did not see any of the men inside with firearms. Witness heard a shot fired when she was in the building, but was under the impression that it was fired from outside, because sho had seen no firearms inside. The smoke from the firing hung about the door, and there was smoke inside tho passage.

The Shooting Described. After that there was some commotion outside the front door. Then there was a sound of hammering, and witness, with others, went out through the back door. Evans was ahead of her when she got through the fence. She then saw a policeman hit Evans on the back of tho head. She was sure that no shot was fired before the constable' struck Evans. The policeman then ran about four or five yards past Evans and appeared to etop. A shot was fired after Evans fell, and the constable then put his hands to his abdomen and said, " I'm hit," or words to that effect. She did not know in which direction Bar- j foot, Waddell, Jones, and Southey j (strikers) had gone. She stood behind Evans. A Man Who Used a Eaton. The shot which wounded the constable was fired from behind. The constable had turned round before ho was shot, in consequence of witness and others calling out the workers wero hitting an insensible man. The workers struck Evans while ho was lying insensible on the ground, but she could not identify any of those who delivered the blows. One man hit him with a baton, but she could not tell how old or who he was. She did not take that much notice. She did not know what kind of clothes the man with the baton wore and did not think about identifying tho men. Unable to Identify Anybody. Reverting to the incidents in the hall, witness eaid she ran away because she thought the shots wero coming from outside. When the shot was fired in the paddock she was about 4yds away from the constable and Evans, but could not tell who fired the shot. She did not see tho workers with any revolvers. Witness was a staunch supporter of the federation since her husband had been sent to gaol. She had taken part in the recent demonstrations against the workers, and had called out "scab." She could not identify a single man out of those present" at tho shooting of the constable excepting Evans and Sergeant Wohlman. Sho could not explain why other people in as good a position as she was in, gave a different account of tho affair. She remembered Sergeant Wohlman coming up, but sho did nob Kay to him that one of the police had shot Wade. She told him that one of the workers had shot him. Both she and Mrs. Cottie made this statement to the sergeant. Kicking at Deceased Alleged. To Mr. Mays: In addition to seeing Evans struck by a baton, she had seen some of the workers gather about deceased. They appeared to be tinning him over and searching him, and some of them seemed to be kicking at him, but witness could not say that any of the kicks reached deceased. At this stage, in the course of argument between counsel as to tho relevance of certain statements appearing in a document before the Court, Mr. Lundon said that it was sought by the strikers to show that the doings of the workers on November 11 and 12 were part of a preconcerted scheme on the other side to bring the strike to an end, and that instructions had been previously issued to the arbitrationists with 'a view to accomplishing that end. Wade's Action Said to bo Unprovoked. To Mr. Lundon: Witness had not heard anybody belonging to the federation side, either inside or outside tho hall, say anything to cause the procession of workers to stop on the morning of November 12. She saw the men inside close the door, and assumed that it was closed to avert trouble. If Evans received a blow oil the nose when he ran away, the blow must have been delivered after deceased had fallen when struck by Hie constable's baton. Any blow on the eye must also have been delivered after deceased was on the ground. She had not seen any revolver in Evans's hand, as he ran from the Union Hall, and deceased had not turned or fired while running away. There had been nothing, as far as she could see to aggravate or cause the blow delivered to deceased by the constable. The workers who followed in the wake of the constable more or less assaulted deceased as he was lying on the ground, and the police made no attempt to stop them. In conversation after the affair with Sergeant Wohlman, Mrs. Cottie, who was with witness, said that the shot which struck the constablo had not been fired by Evans. Witness Stands by Her Statements. To Mr. Mays (re-examined) : Witness would swear that Constable Wade ran on some pees in tho direction of Dr. Craig's house after Evans fell. She would adhereto this statement even should six or seven other witnesses, including the constablo, have sworn that Wade had not gone past

deceased. Witness would swear that Mrs. Cottio had told Sergeant Wohlman that it was one of the workers who had shot Constable Wade, and, further, that on November 11 she • was assaulted by Mr. M. •B. Rudd and told to go home. If Rudd denied it he was telling a lie. She could not say how it was that she had not seen firearms in the possession of strikers in the hall on the Tuesday morning, although three or four others who wero in the hall had sworn that the men were armed. Witness did not see who fired the shot at Constable Wade, but had Been smoke come from where the workers wero, and concluded that the person who fired was a worker. When Evans was on tho ground the workers around him appeared to be searching. From, tho manner in which Evans fell after being struck (face downwards), it was possible that ho had injured his face in falling, but she could say nothing on that point, as she had not seen tho man's face after ho fell.

The Court then adjourned until tomorrow morning.