THE WAIHI TRAGEDY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 94, 16 December 1912, Page 5

THE WAIHI TRAGEDY.

THE INQUEST ON EVANS. (Per Press Association.) Wellington, December 15. The first witness to-day was Mrs. Evans, widow of the deceased. She said that she saw her husband in the hospital on the morning he was struck. She said that his forehead was swollen to twice the ordinary size, and ho had wounds on the back of his head. She knew that her husband had a revolver. The weapon alleged td*have been used by her husband and taken from him was not his, but the revolver cover taken from her husband was his.

Thomas Franklin, secretary of the Miners’ Union, was the next witness. He was being examined by Mr. Lundon as to the events preceding the day’s shooting, when the Coroner said that he could not see what Saturday and Monday’s events had to do with the happenings of Tuesday.

Mr. Lundon contended that if continuity of action to take the hall by force could bo proved, and that the men had grounds to fear an attack, they were justified in carrying firearms.

The Coroner said that they could keep on for a month with such evidence.

Mr. Lundon said that it would not matter if they went on for a year if they could get the facts concerning Evans’ death.

The Coroner replied that he must have direct evidence. He would refuse to hear anything concerning events prior to Tuesday.

Mr. Lundon then related certain incidents at Waikino, and these were taken down by the Clerk of the Court

The foreman of the jury also protested against irrelevant evidence. The Coroner explained that ho wished to have the statement recorded, as it woilld show the irrelevancy of the evidence which Mr. Lundon proposed calling as regards the scope of the present enquiry.

The Coroner, in reviewing the evidence of the exhaustive enquiry, pointed out that the scope of a Coroner’s Court applied only to the manner and cause of death, and, unlike judicial proceedings, had no concern with the circumstances, apart from these material facts. He then traversed at length the voluminous evidence adduced, which went to show that there had been a preconcerted plan on the part of the workers to raid the Waihi Miners’ Union Hall on November 12, but that their action in so doing had followed bn the discharge of lethal j weapons from within. Although the statements were naturally conflicting, the weight of the evidence went to show that Constable Wade had, in the execution of his duty, pursued and struck down the deceased, who had previously fired upon him, and that he was justified in so doing because he had reason to believe that his own life and those of others were in danger. The Conorer then stated the legal position as to justifiable homicide, and after a retirement of 40 minutes a verdict was returned as follows:—“That the jury are of the unanimous opinion that the deceased, Frederick George Evans, met with his death as a result of a blow from a baton delivered by Constable Gerald Wade, on the morning of November 12, at the back of the Waihi Miners’ Union Hall, Waihi, whilst in the execution of his duty, and that he (Constable Wade) was fully justified in striking the deceased down. 5