THE CHEMIS CASE. Wellington, August 23.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 397, 28 August 1889, Page 4

THE CHEMIS CASE. Wellington, August 23.

At the R.M. Court yestorday the cross-ex-amination of Mrs Choinis was resumed. Witness said fchei'o woi'o nine bullets pub in an envelope by Inspector Thomson. She counted many times. Mr Bell endeavoured to ascortain how many times, without success, and his endeavouis led to a lively skirmish with Mr .Icllicoe, wbo objected to the way witnesss was boing treabod, and what ho called the '• ghastly smile " with which Mr 801 l glared on Mrs (Jhcmis. Witness resumed : On the morning of Juno Ist she went to tho drawer to place money in ib which her husband had received for milk. Mr 801 l wanted to know if she had the milk-book with her, and she said it was at home. Mr 801 l asked to have it produced. Mr Jollicoo objected to a "so called officer ot justico " visiting Mrs (Jhemis's house unless he or some member of tho family was present. Mr Bell said this was making a court; of justico a machine for slander. s Mr Jellicoe 1 said it would come outpve-1 sontly that articles had been tampered with 1 ' while in pos&ession of tho police. E\ontually ho agreed to lob his own dork go for the books. Wibnes3 said her husband never had more than ono stiletto ; sho must have known if ho had. When Benjamin looked into tho tin containing quail, neither she nor her husband dicw his atbontion to tho quail. She saw her husband bhoot quail from the back doorqn Wednesday, and two on Thursday morning. Each timo he killed the two with ono barrel, and did not firo the second. Mr Bell spent some time trying to extract from witness how long exactly she took to cook ths quail, but without success. He then appealed co the RM. to get an answer to bho question, but Mr Graham was also foiled. Mr Bell then accused witness of deliberately evading his questions, and got tho saaie answer which he had alieady hud a do/en times, namely, lhab it took her from about tho time tho man Greaves entered the house till dinner time. Witness con tin vied : Both she and her husband were on friendly terms with Mrs Hawkins. Her husband novov had a row with Mr 3 Hawkins. He had had reason to complain of the conduct of Hawkins childlen, who ■tviote a letter to him sometime after Christmas coca plaining of their beating her own chiMicn, bub it was not an offensive letter. The letter was produced and read. It accused the cluldien of learning their father's habits, and threatened to take them to court foi inberfciing with witness's children. Mis Chemis f^aid she did nob consider this offensive. On tho evening of Friday, May 31s>b (the day of the murder) it was her husband who turned out cows into the paddock. Before doing &o [he pulled some mangolds out of the gaiden and cut up a cask-full al&o. He also fetched in a hor&o before ho camo into tea, put it in the stable, cleaned and fed it. It would then be about six o'clock, so tar as she could remember, when hex husband camo home. Sho asked him what tune it was, and ho said after live. Mr 801 l asked what time ib took bo go from ho houpo to the foot of the road, and witness replied that .-he could not say, and persisted that she could not tell. Mr Bell again put it to her that she was deliberately lefusing to give an answer. In answer to further questions, witness said it was Mr Jellicoe who fust advised her to lay an information for perjury when he saw all the things. That was two days after the conviction. On June sth, whoa the police camo to arrest her bus-band, Benjamin asked her to come into tho bedroom and see what was done, bub, in spite ol that, his evidence as to the articles in the drawer was fal&e. MisJelhcoo deposed that the band-box produced was not iv tho same condition as when first brought to her husband's house. A piece had been cue off tho top which formerly was straight. Oiofs examined : She said she had net heard her husband say lie would have every policeman and deteetho out of Wellington. Mr Hankin, editor of the "Press," corrobotatcd the cvidenco as to the condition of the box. Ho said he had wiittcn a number of articles on tho subject of tho Ciiemis case, and had frequent, communications with Mr Jollicoe, but not with the prosecution. Tho information on which tho articles weie wiittcn was drawn from pub lie soiuce-. and what Mr Jellicoe had told him. Mr Jollicoe expressed his opinion to , witness before the information was laid that Benjamin's evidence with regard to the wad cutter, wads and caps was false, but said nothing about Thomson and Campbell. Mrs Chemis was recalled, and re examined by Mr Jellicoe. She said sho was responsible for this prosecution, and was paying tor it. Sho had told Benjamin &he would prosecute him if she had to sell the last stitch ot her clothes. A cask was produced and sworn to as one which her husband had lilled with mangolds on the evening of the minder. Her husband never left tho premises from the time he passed her ab tho cowshed till they went to tea, which was near six o'clock, ab any lato ncaier 6 than any other hour. The gun was hanging \n the bedioom all the timo. After tea her husband read tho papers. Jn answer to further questions the : witness s^aid she still swore that no fragments of newspaper were in tho handker ! chief handed to inspector Thomson on tho day tho police fiist camo to search. Ou Tuesday (this weok) Mrs Richardson, wife of the Minister of Lands, callod at her house with a noto-book mid pencil. iJhe said who «he wan. Augusta Richardson said sho was the wifo of O. Jb\ Richaitlson, Minister of Lands. On Tuesday afternoon she went to Mrs Chemis' house, accompanied by two of her daughleib. She went of her own accord. No one sont her. She talkod with Mrs Chomis about the newspapers found by the police in the houso, and wrote down two dates, June 1 and May 23, nothing moie. Witness' object was to inquire into Mrs Chemis' condition, and see if sho could help her in any way. It was hor usual practice to carry a notebook. She a&ked Mrs Chemis if she had paid any of her lawyer's bills. Tho two dates were those of two newspapers. Her conversation with Mrs Chemis was of a general nature. By Mr Bell : She was nob requested by any police oilicets to go out, but Colons! Hume know she was going out, and asked her to find out anything she could about evidence likely bo clear up the murder. Much amusemont was caused when in answer to Mr 801 l witness said she had taken an active parb in gobbing up a petition in favour of Chemis, and was in fact a member of what counsel described as the Chemis faction. She was greatly surprised to hear that she waa supposed to be on tho side of the police. Witness said she believed Chomis to be innocent, and it was not likoly bheroforo she would try and get evidence for tho police in bhis case. What she intended to do was in Chemis' interest, and not in that of the police. She was trying to prove his innocence. She was nob thinking of bhe police or bhe perjury case in any way. Did not know till now that sho had beon held up to oppro-

brium by counsel for >the prosecution as one who had tried to get evidence for the police. By the Court : Colonel Hume knew witness was a believer in Chemis' innocence. Evidence was next called as to the money in Hawkins possession on the day of Che murder, the object being understood from the remarks of counsel to show that the money alleged by Mrs Chemis to have been in the tin in the drawer could not havo been Hawkins'. Mr Bell said that on the day this search was made the police had a warrant to look for a pocket - book supposed to contain £6 or £7 in notes, 'and could not possibly have known at the time what came out atte* wards, as to Hawkins money being banked. John Daly corroborated Dyboll's ovidence as to tho purchase of a wad-cuttor for Chemis on April 13th, The Court thon adjourned until JNJonday moi ning.