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43

H.—Kin

at the time. I did not enter the mess-room. I was aware when I called the sergeant that you were in the mess-room. I knew you were keeping company with Miss Smith, and that Miss Kitching was related to Miss Smith in some way. As far as lam aware, the two females are respectable. Constable Burrell left the station with you and the females. I am sure Constable Burrell proceeded along the roadway with you. lam not quite certain if you proceeded along St. John's Lane or along Harley Street. I went into the station immediately you left, and therefore I did not see what became of you. I remained on the station a few minutes only, and then went away on my beat. I took down a note of the occurrence while I was in the station on this occasion. I made a report of the matter when I got up about midday. The report I made with the intention of handing to the sergeant I kept until, I believe, the rooms in my house were papered, and it then got destroyed. The report I handed to Inspector Macdonell is a copy of the report, with the exception of the few lines at the bottom. The report handed to the Inspector was made out on the 18th July, and was handed to the Inspector last month. I retained this report until I handed it to the Inspector. Cross-examined by Constable Burrell.] I am positive it was 12.20 a.m. and not 1.40 a.m. when I saw you enter the police-station with the females. I am sure it was you and not Constable Durbridge that the sergeant called into the office. I did not see you enter the sleeping-room. [No re-eaxmination.] J. S. W. Questions by the Commissioner.] The original report I made on this matter has been lost; the one I handed to the Inspector was made on the 18th July, and was taken from the original, with the exception of the lower portion. I previously stated that the report handed the Inspector was the original report. When I made that statement I had forgotten about having made two reports. I made some other memoranda at the time. The memorandum I produced on the 15th instant, but which I cannot now find. I made an entry in my memorandum book during the early morning of the 18th July. The memorandum now produced is the one I made, down to the words, "The sergeant said, 'We will attend to this affair in the morning.' " The words after those named were entered after I had spoken to the sergeant again on the matter later on in the afternoon of the 18th July. The entry in the memorandum book immediately preceding the entry referred to is as follows: "C. Eemnant, driving for Neil and Haddow, Vanguard Street." I did not know C. Eemnant until the Inspector spoke to me about him about three weeks ago. lam unable to state when I made the entry about C. Eemnant. I made the entry which follows it on the 18th July last year. J. S. Williams. Defence. Constable Frederick Henry Durbridge states :— On 7th March last I made a report in answer to this charge. I submit that report as my answer. [Eeport annexed.] Third Offence. I respectfully state that I was escorting Miss Smith, a young lady to whom I am engaged, and her cousin home from a Catholic social, and when near the police-station we met Constable Burrell, who was going off duty. We exchanged a few words, and in a joking way one of us proposed that the girls should join us for supper, not thinking that they would accept the invitation ; but, to our surprise, the girls took us at our word and came in. While in the station Sergeant Mackay came in and called me into his office, and rebuked me for having the girls there. I explained to him how it had happened ; assured him that they had only been in a few minutes, and the like would never happen again Both girls bear the best of characters, and are well known in Nelson, and I regret that through my innocent indiscretion the names of two such respectable girls should be called into question. F. H. Durbridge, Constable, No. 942. I do not desire to call any witness.—F. H. D. Questioned by Commissioner.] As near as I can remember, it was 1.40 am., or thereabouts, when we reached the police-station on the morning in question. I had leave from the sergeant to attend the social. Constable Burrell did not leave the station with the young women and myself that morning. lam not aware that Constable Burrell went out on to the verandah with us when we left the station. I left him in the mess-room, to the best of my knowledge. The sergeant called me into his office, and not Constable Burrell. lam still keeping company with Miss Smith. F. H. Durbridge. Constable Arthur Burrell says : — I made a report on this matter on 6th instant. I desire the report which is now produced, and which is wrongly dated as being 6th February instead of 6th instant, put in as my defence. [Eeport annexed.] A. B. Police-station, Nelson, 6th February, 1902. Report of Constable A. Burrell, No. 912, re Attached Correspondence. Complaint No. 1 : I respectfully state that I was on night duty in the month of July last, and in consequence of my doing extra duty during the day—attending the reception of returning troopers from South Africa, also on duty at the theatre in the evening—l was allowed to come off duty on this occasion at 2 a.m. the following morning. It was when coming off duty on this particular morning that I met Constable Durbridge near the police-station. He was in company with Miss Smith, a young lady to whom he is engaged, and her cousin, a Miss Kitching. They were on their way home from a Catholic social. Constable Durbridge and I exchanged a few words. I remarked that I was going off duty, said I was hungry, and intended having supper before going to bed. It was then suggested that we would all have a cup of cocoa together. The young women took us at our word, and we walked into the station together. When having our cocoa Sergeant Mackay walked in, and severely censured us for allowing the young women to

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