PUBLIC MEETING.

Wanganui Herald, Volume II, Issue 280, 25 April 1868, Page 2

PUBLIC MEETING.

The adjourned public meeting to receivcthe report of the committee, upon the alleged discovery of gold at the Waitotara, was held last evening at the Odd Fellow's Hall. Mr Finnimore -was called to the chair, and the following report was read :— "Mr Chairman and Gentlemen — Your committee have, in accordance with your resolution, held several meetings for the purpose of receiving evidence hearing upon the alleged discovery of gold at the Waitotara. The persons, through whose hands the specimens are known to have passed, have appeared before the committee, and answered

such questions as were thought necessary by the committee to enable it to place before this meeting all the material facts connected with the supposed discovery. " The evidence having appeared in th c public papers, the committee do not think it ] necessary to reproduce it in this report ; and ! as each particle of evidence is important in j tending to elucidate some point, the committee can make no comment further than raising upon the evidence three hypotheses. Ist. That Mr Eussell really found gold in the gully. 2nd. That he has been most cruelly deceived by some person or persons unknown, who had obtained access to the specimen in the paper, previous to his seeing it at Mr Myers'; and 3rd. That he, himself, has deceived the public. " The committee unanimously reject the last hypothesis, and think the weight of the evidence points to the second ; but here they must stop, as they cannot refer to any particular person and say, he is the man who tampered with the clay contained in the paper. " The committee refer the meeting to the printed evidence, which contains everything they considered important, or were able to elicit. "A. McDonald, " Chairman of Committee." Mr Morgan asked where the gold was from the time it was brought in by Mr Eussell until it was first taken to Mr Myers. Mr Ballance said the sand containing the gold was brought in by Mr Russell on the Monday evening, and lay in the Bank, apparently untouched, till Wednesday, when it was given to Mr Powell who took it to Mr Myers. Mr McDonald explained that all the specks of gold were contained in the paper parcel, and the question was, how it came there. They had the word of Mr Russell that he got the paper parcel, and put the stuff, which, he ! thought, contained gold, into the paper, in the gully. The paper parcel came' out of the Bank, apparently in the same state as it was in when first made up. Mr Powell—This is the first opportunity I have had of addressing the public upon this j subject, and as my name has been singled out, ! for what reason I am at a loss to know, as having something to do with the hoax, it is necessary some explanation should be given. I should have been at the last meeting, and I waited in town for some time to attend it if called upon, but in consequence of sickness at I my father's house I had left the place appointed : to meet Mr McDonough if he should come for I me. My name has been mixed up with a hoax that took place at Major Dune's Creek. I have already shown that 1 was not here at the time. It is well known that a man named Moile put some pieces of gold in some of the holes, and afterwards confessed how lie had hoaxed them, and joked about it. This is the first time I have ever been accused of any underhand dealing. There has been a hoax somewhere, and I was as much astonished as anybody else.

A person in the meeting asked Mr Powell how long the gold was in his possession. Mr Powell—lt could not have been in my possession five minutes, as I showed'it two of the clerks in the bank, and took it straight to Mr Myers. The specimen iv the paper was different to that in the bag. ! Mr Williams asked what Mr Myers had | done with the gold in the chamois bag. The I gold in that bag was exactly the same as the specimen. Mr Robinson said that it was most unfair to impugn the character of anyone without the slightest evidence, and he deprecated the remarks of the last speaker. Mr A. McDonald said the knowledge of the chamois bag was brought to the notice of the j committee a few minutes i before the meeting commenced, and the committee considered, that there was nothing in it, as jewellers were very likely people to have gold in that form, and, besides, nothing was more natural than for Mr Myers to compare the newty discovered gold with w}iat he had previously (cheers). •The report was here put to the meeting and carried unanimously. Mr Howe said his private opinion was that Mr Myers had nothing whatever to do with the salting of the earth. Mr McDonnell, Mr Russell, and myself, went down into the gully and Mr Russell said the mica was precisely what he had obtained, so that he could not have been certain that the specimen in the paper was the same as he had obtained in the gully. Mr Chalmers, bellman of Wanganui, said there had been no intelligence as to who perpetrated the hoax. lie wanted to know whether gold and mundic were like each other. The speaker then asked with iteration — " Who is the person who did it ?" and received for answer, " Bones." " Bones," by the way, is an alias for a Mr McClaren. Mr Chalmers concluded an able and interesting speech by remarking that " lie thought he had spoken to the point." Mr Holloway proposed, and Mr McCuul seconded —" That this meeting is of opinion that the refusal of Mr Russell to attend before the committee, appointed at the meeting on Monday last, was an act of great impertinence towards the inhabitants of this town and district, who were largely represented on that occasion."

An amendment was proposed by Mr J. G-. Woon, and seconded by Mr G-. Beaven— " That this meeting acquits Mr Russell of any, impertinence in declining to attend the meeting of the Investigation Committee, believing that his position as Manager of a Bank precluded him from so doing." Mr Woon, in speaking to the amendment, thought if Mr Russell could have gone before the_ committee without compromising his position, he would have gone; it was not impertinence on the part of Mr Russell, who was influenced alone by private reasons. Mr Beaven said he reechoed the sentiments of Mr Woon. If the thing was a hoax, be it so ; he had confidence that what Mr Russell said was the truth (cheers). Mr Taylor here got up and made a long speech about Mr Russell saying it would be infra dig. to wait upon the committee. . Mr McDonnell corrected Mr Taylor, and said the impression conveyed to his mind by the use of the,term, was not that Mr Russell would consider it infra dig., but that his directors might consider it so. Mr Wilkius said he felt very strong upon this subject; he had seen Avhat rushes are, and he knew the consequences of a false rush, and whoever the vagabond was that perpetrated the present hoax, he deserved the strongest reprobation of the community (cheers). " Mr Morgan said he was very sorry to hear the character of Mr "Russell attacked. He believed that Mr Russell had been imposed upon, and that he would do anything in his power to solve the mystery (cheers). Votes of thanks to the committee and chairman brought the meeting, which was one of the largest and most orderly that ever met in the Odd Fellows' Hall, to a close.