THE EVANS INQUEST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15169, 7 December 1912, Page 8

THE EVANS INQUEST.

ANOTHER WOMAN IN THE BOX.

DECEASED'S FALL DESCRIBED.

BEFORE SHOT WAS FIRED.

FIRST STRUCK WHEN DOWN

TWO OTHER ACCOUNTS.

FURTHER MEDICAL EVIDENCE

[BY XKI.ECRA.rH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Waihi. Friday. Tun inquest ' touching the death of Frederick G. Evans, the striker who suecumbed to injuries sustained during the riot at Waihi on November 12, was continued to-day before the District Coroner (Mr.W. M. Wallnutt), Mr. S. Mays represented the police and Mr. J. R. London ! tho relative* of deceased and the federa- j tion of Labour. New Version of the Shooting. j The first witness examined was Catherine Hislop, who was in the Minors' Union Hall oh tile Tuesday morning when the procession of workers passed. Sho hoard somebody banging at the front; door and was almost immediately afterwards told to leave the hall by the back door. She Tan across the section behind Evans, who was about 10 yards, ahead. As she came out of the building "a. mob of the workers came round the sides of the building, and before she reached tho fence a shot was fired and Evans fell. At the time witness thought deceased had tripped. She saw a. policeman strike-Evans with a baton hen the latter was on the ground, after which deceased was again struck. by a worker with a baton., A mob of arbitrationists gathered round and appeared to be kicking Evans. At thus time Mrs. Sorrensen and Mrs Cottie were in advance of Evans standing by a wooden shed on the far sido of the paddock. After striking Evans the constable went on past him and she saw no more of the officer. She had not seen any firearms and did not hear a shot fired before she left the hall.

A Spectator of the Whole Incident. ... To Mr. Lundon : She had not heard insults from tS-o strikers to the workers to cause the latter to bang at the door. Evans could not have fired a shot without her seeing him do so, as she had not lost sight of deceased from the time they left the back of the hall until after Evans was assaulted.

Re-examined by Mr. Mays : la making a statement to a detective at Waihi after the riot on November 12 she had said that a worker had struck Evans with a baton. If this did not appear in the statement the omission must, have been due to an oversight on the part of the detective. Witness would not swear that any of the workers kicked Evans when he was down, but saw their feet moving. The shot fired j in the section at the back of the hall camo from her Tight side, and at that time deceased was directly in front of her.

A Young Gill Who was Present. Caroline Hislop (aged 14 years) said that when" inside the hall, she heard a shot I (which appeared to come from outside) fired. Shortly afterwards witness and others made their way out from the back of the hall where another shot was fired, t She did not know who fired the shot, or 1 who: was hit by the bullet, but on arrival r on the scene she saw a policeman being a carried away. Two constables also lifted r up another man, whom she did not then t know, but now understood to be deceased. To Mr. London : She had not heard anything said to .annoy or irritate the work- * ere. ° Witness thought the shooting came J from outside, because she saw no revolvers J or smoke inside the building. ■ ■ * To tho Coroner: Witness did not know J whether Evans had fired a shot. ' A Woman Who Saw Firearms. 1 The sworn statement of Mary Cottio (at ] present in Auckland) was read. In it she ; said that she had seen "a revolver in the , hand of ono of the strikers in the hall on the morning of November 12. She had heard shot*? fired both before and after the strikers and others left the building, but did not see or . know who had done the shooting. Dr. Craig Re-called. j Dr. Craig,' re-called by Mr. Lundoii, said that he saw Evans in the police cell on ' tho. morning of November _ 12, and ordered his removal to the hospital. This was about 9 o'clock in the morning, and las examination of deceased, who was lying on the floor, satisfied witness that the man's condition was sufficiently serious to necessitate his being sent to the hospital. The man was suffering from concussion oil the brain, and it was obvious to a skilled observer that his condition was such as to call for his removal. There was discoloration of the left eye, and a slight abrasion on the back of the head behind the Tight ear. ' Minor Injuries to Deceased. Witness held a post mortem examination - of the body on November 14, and then : saw bruises. on the eyelids, that on the left ' being larger that the bruise on tho right. ! Some form of violence had caused the r bruising, but he did not think that it had - been caused by a kick, as this would have > caused more ." extensive bruising. The i marks were probably caused by falling ' forward face downwards upon uneven * ground, probably stony, after having been t struck by a baton. From his knowledge 0 of the spot where deceased fell he would i say it was quite possible that the injuries 1 to" the face' were due to the fall. There ■ was a dislocation of tho cartilage of the e nose, which might have been caused by n the man falling forward on to the ground, 0 or by a blow. The examination also dis- '" closed two contusions on the back of the * head. These contusions might have been caused by the one blow. It was the blow c on the back of the head that had caused 0 death.

Thri.Court then adjourned until Saturday morning..