INQUEST ON EVANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 20 November 1912, Page 5

INQUEST ON EVANS.

THE WAIHI T!i IO'KL'Y. INTEK KSTI N O li v ■1 • U.VCB. (1 y TetCb iivn~ . ■ mtwn.)

' WAIHJ, Luob Night. At the adjourned inquiry to-day into tho circumstances attending the doath of Frederick George Evans, Albert Ritchie, a worker, who was in the procession, said ho saw Evans through an open door actually discharge tho revolver. The bullet passed between Harvey and himself. Immediately .after Evans fired, Doyle fired two shots. Thomas Henry Johnson, who limped into tho witness box, said he was with tho procession of workers who piussed the Union Hall. When they got opposito the hall he heard ono of the strikers say, "Go on, yon soab! : This occasioned words between i the striker# and tfie jrorkers. Son of tho strikers wen: into tho hall and closed the door. He heard a report, but could not tell whether it was a revolver shot or not. Harvey, a worker, tried to get through the door. It was opened from within, and witness saw four or five men inside, three of wihom had revolvers pointing outwards at different angles. Directly witness saw a revolver he stopped, and called out, "Look out!" A-t the eame time he jumped on ono side. While in tho act of jumping he was struck in tho lee: with a bullet. Hewas under the impression that three shots were fired almost simultaneously but ho could not say positively | that more than one shot was fired. Tho worker« ,had not the slightest in--1 tention of interfering with anybody at the hall. They were going to work. | There had been no organised move to rush, the hall. James Alfred Delanev said he Was a contractor working for the Waihi , Company. He was a member of the I procession, and was proceeding to I work. He wait at its head. He had | passed tho hall about twenty paces, when he heard some altercation going on opposite the hall. He at once went hack and saw some scuffling. The Union door was shut a few secAfterwards the left-hand leaf of the cloor was opened by about a foot, and' at the same time a .shot was fired from within. At the same ) time he. saw EVans standing inside with a revolver in his hand. Directly the shot was fired the door was slammed. Kfe then paw Constable Wado endeavouring to open the door, and a second shot was fired. The constable -then got into the passageway of the building, and was followed by witness. At this stage a third shot whe fired. Witness l then, along with the eonstaJfle, went through the building, making their exit into; the bock yard. Ho saw Constable Wade following EvaJis. and ho (witness) followed a little distance behind. Ho saw Evans. wh«n Constable Wade was rapidly inrertalang fiinr, (half t

round and fire. Constable Wado wan then about five pace« behind Evans. Constable Wade then overtook him and struck him with his baton. He saw EvaJis fall to the ground, bnfc did not see him again, as his attention was taken up with tilie Constable. The latter half stumbled and wiid, "I'm done' I'm shot!' Witness 'naught hold of tho constable. { James Scott gave corroborative evidence a>s to tho incidents opposite tho miners' halt and at the .-rear of the building. Ho saw Doyle and Evans getting through a fence. They were followed by Constable Wade and Dolaney was pome li,ttlo distance behind the constable. When he (witness) got to the fence he heard a shot, and saw Evans pointing a revolver. When he got over the fence, he saw Constable Wade, stagger. Meanwhile, Evans was lying on the around, and Harvey was wresting the revolver from him. ,

Sydney .T. Foster gave similar evi-, denco to that of the previous witness regarding tho scene at the front and back of the Union, Hall. When Evans fired, witness was only half a dozen yards behind the constable. Directly the shot was fired, the constable bent forward' and while oovering the few yards between himself and Evans, he drew his baton. He *ttw Evans receive a blow on tho head and fall. Witness had evory reavson to believe that if the constable had not used his Iwton, Evans would have shot at him again, or at somebody else. '

Agnen Maiming said that the back of her house commanded a view of the paddock at the hack of ,the hall. She saw .men running- up the- paddock, and the constable closely following the man in tho lead. The latter put . his hand behind him, tho action being followed by. a report. Slip saw a flash and smoke from "a. revolver. She then saw the constable bend forward and catch up to the man- who had, fired, and drawing his baton from his clothing behind, struck him on the back of the head once or twice. To a Juror: Tt. was after the man had fired that the eoii.vta.ble drew his ibaton.

T>r Hyd'. l . medical vsuperintendent at the Waihi Hospital, stated that when admitted to the hospital on the 12th inst. the deceased (Evans) was in a very serious condition. He was

suffering from concussion and l'ncoration of the brain. The right upper eyelid was discoloured, and there were slight abrasions behind the ear. The post mortem examination disclosed a discolouration of both eyelids, a displacment of the cartilage of the nose and a post mortem discolouration of the back and .shoulder?. Upon \ removal of the skull cap an effusion J of/blood was found in the membrane, I and a laceration of the brain on the hack and right sides. The other organs were found to be in a healthy state, and in the opinion of witness the laceration of the brain, combined with the concussion, accounted for death. The condition of deceased could have been accounted for by a Wow from a baton. A very severe blow would have caused a fracture of the skull: but in this ease there was no fracture. When deceased was ."Emitted to the liosnital, the only visiblo wounds were those described, a discolouration of the eve and two abrasions, and they were slight. Tho post* mortem ■ discolouration to the back, of, the shoulders was ' tf "ch as. usually follows after death . The deceased's condition was not-consistent., with tho statement that he had been kicked and knocked about by a frenzied crowd. Witness knew Constable Wade, who, when admitted to tho hospital, was suffering from a wound on tho right side of the abdomen. The constable's condition was serious, and ho was not yet entirely out of danger. He also knew the man Johnston, who had been shot in the right leg. , The bullet produced in Court was -that extracted from the wound.

l)r Craig corroborated the evidence of the previous witness.

W. H. Hazard, gunsmith and importer of ammunition. of Auckland, stated, that lie had had 27 years' experience with firearms and ammunition of till kinds. He lm<l examined the revolver produced. Tt was of a Belgium make, erf a low power. Four of the .chambers had been recently' fired. The bullet which had been extracted from Johnston's leg, was produced. Witness said that the markings on it corresponded with the rifling of the revolver. Another bullet found in the passage of the Union Buildings wa.« similar to the bullets already flattened appearance was consistent with its having struck a look of the door. A second revolver produced was described, by witness aft being or American make, ff one of the bullets produced, which, had heen taken from an undischarged weapon in the possession of Doyle, had struck anybody at a short iwmgo, it would make a hole largo enough to put a hand in. The bullet in question had been criss-crossed by a sharp instrument. The practice was prohibited in civilised war. The Court was about to adjourn till to-morrow, when If. E. Holland, a prominent Socialist, applied, on bohalf of a relative, for an adjournment, to permit the Federation to obtain a legal representative and .witnesses. It ira« decided t# ta£a ifcEe police j ©defence to-morrow* i»s2 after that ad jo turn till 4tß £>eo®mEe», when it vas hoped Constable Wad« would be (sufficiently reenrwed to give evidence.