WHO SENT THE SCOUTS?

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 792, 15 April 1910, Page 6

WHO SENT THE SCOUTS?

not the police department. .statement'by dr.- findlay. : ; , In'reply to' a : query. by a Dominion Teporter yesterday the Hon. Dr. Findlay (Minister for Justice) stated that the detachment of Dominion Scouts which was at present'at Palmerston North assist T ing in the search for Powelia- had,not heenVsent at the. instance of the Police Department As a matter of fact (Dr. Pindlay added) he did not know that the Beouts .were in Palmerston North until Trbrd-. to.: that 'effect came to hand from •that centre. -.;. j ■-...:'-: .-•-..

CAPTAIN DALRYMPLE EXPLAINS. .. ' -PREMIER CONSULTED. THE SCANDIA\ STREET INCIDENT. (Bj TeleeraDh.— Special GorresDonfleßi.l ' Palmerston; North, April 14. ;' There ,has been a' good deal of comment and some degree of soreness about the advent of. five members of the Dominion' Scouts from ■Wellington to take part 'in the. Powelka ■ 6earoh .as .special constables, though, the services of local corps were-iiot. permitted;-as members of/ corps, but merely as.private citizens. Captain Dalrymple and his men felt rather hurt af their reception here, and. think it is due to misunderstanding.: ,' '.'■ ' .' The Manawatu "Daily- Times representative to-night interviewed : Captain DalTymple,. Sergfc-Ma'jor:.Willis,, and Quai-termaster-Sergt.. Tester, who. with'i Troopers Nicholls; and Gatenby, consti■tnte the party. -- v-''."'---." ■■;■'■ ■Captain Dalrymple-said that having a knowledge of this 'district,, and; knowing that he had some useful men in the corps, ; with. South African, '.Australian, and Nijw Zealand experience, he telegraphed to the Defence Minister masking if the services of half, a .dozen -.picked rneii - to. assist the police-would ]» acceptable. Sir Joseph Ward replied .that he. appreciated the spirit of; the offer,, and (suggested that the men leave by. the train: on Tuesday by ;jhicb,_he .himself was travelling. ■ They did so, travelling in uniform so as: free, under the railway regulations; but doffing,;, their uniforms while at : work; here. Ohe -men are experienced ■-. bushmen, and he nunS- knew this .'district thoroughly,, as well as the Ruahiues,. and had- experience among other things in the, search for the Kelly gang. .'.'■.., , ~.. On coming" up they to the police, and found that the; inspectors kuGw\n.)thiug ~.f p lljtv asked what they could do, and Captain dalrymple, kn.xiug that .1 he old buUri, jngs down by. the river would be a likely place, asked if they h.d .'.teen, searched, $nd was told ■ they j had _ not. .Consequently, : they included them in their 6e jnst'as they were riding past at about 5 o'clock-they suddenly saw a mans head appear at the. t°P °f a ..boarded window ' and immediately disappear when he saw. them The glimpse served to show that te had a brown moustache, no hat, and a. blue shirt. His appearance and sudden disappearance under- such circumstances looked suspicious, and they asked_ a Manawatu Mounted Rifles : teen sent out with them,'whether tlere was anyone- living in the.place. Me said "No" The men were for rushing the place atonce, but he. (Captain Dalrymple) thought it wiEer to call the police in case there was any shooting, so; that there might be no legal complications. Meanwhile they would surround and-watch the place. This they did in the midst'of a storm. ■ .- - -. ; - . . - , One man was eent for the police, who came out in.a motor-car. Hβ , was said to have been greatly excited, but Captain Dali-ymple said he was the most inexcitable. of inen; but he did put on all poseible' speed. -, : ..'. .-, , Meantime Tester saw the man come out into the yard, look at them over the fence, and go in again. • . • n^ When the police came up it was found that he was a man who had gone in for shelter from the.storm, and he explained his; suspicious disappearance from the window by, saying that te etood : on a ledgo to see over f and the.ledge, gave way with lim" '.•''.

They considered that under • the circumstances they were justified wi the action they took, and there, was certainly no excitement. '■-.'■..[ •. "■■'•;;. ■ ,

Asked as.; to whether it;was' true that one, of them-lost a revolver, Captain Dalzymple said it was. It was tho- man's '. owd . revolver, and was hanging by a clip to his belt, and the clip carried;-away while he'iwas galloping." Since then they lad been doing patrol work to assist the police. ■ They had done a good deal of right work about the lower end of East .Street, whore there, was much cover, and searched among other places the empty houses along Puller's Line. i They did not set themselves up to know more than the police, or the ,local men, but to do their duty to their land. As for being allowed, to do so when the local men were not, if the local men had asked permission of Colonel Robin they would havo got it. It was simply that they were-not allowed to. do so without permission. . . .On.the nisht of the tjmber yard fire they, had been patrolling along those streets, and followed two men whom they regarded as suspicious, and required one man, whose actions it seemed necessary to investigate, to give an explanation. They_thoughf it rather hard when they were giving their best services night or day in useful work to liave reflections cast upon them. FUNERAL OF MICHAEL O.UIRKE. SERVICE IN TILE CHURCn. (By Telegraph-Press Association.) ■ " Pahiatua, Aprii 11. The funeral of Michael Quirke, victim of Monlay night's tragedy 'in Palmereton, took place this afternoon in drenching rain. A preliminary service in tho ****w> Catholic Church was conducted

by Fathers M'Konna and Hickson, the latter being a cousin of the deceased. Xnero was a , large congregation present, including Mr. Henry' Overton. The coffin, smothered with , wreaths, stood in front of ■ the high altar. Signs .of mourning were general in the town, and a large numo'er,' in carriages and traps, followed the hearse to the cemetery.'... <