H.—2l.

68

r ,T. J. MEIKLE.

275. Dr. Findlay.] The last words of the letter are, " I should like you to come and shear, as you promised." When was that promise made ? —The promise was made verbally. I could not tell you exactly when. I told him I was going to Dunedin. 276. When did you go to Dunedin ? —On the 19th October. It was before that. 277. How long ?—I could not say. It might have been on the Bth, when I was coming from the Road Board meeting from Mataura. 278. On the Bth October you asked him to come and shear the sheep as promised I—Well, he asked me if I would let him shear my sheep, and I said, "I do not care who shears them. I shall not be at home. Mrs. Meikle will pay for the shearing." 279. You ask him to come and shear the sheep " as promised "?—He promised then that if he could he would come. 280. Then you asked him to come and fulfil his promise ?—I was simply wanting him down to explain matters to him, and to frighten it out of him. That was my whole policy. 281. Why did you not ask him to come down and have a talk with you ?—That would never have done. There was a report circulated that I might shoot him. I was not going to shoot him. I would not shoot any one. 282. I want to know what is the meaning of this : " Constable Leece, I am afraid, will be in serious trouble"? —Yes, because Constable Leece, in his first information, made them fifty-nine sheep, and then fifty-four, and then when he came to the building he went straight to where the skins were taken out, and never looked at the sheep at all. When they got the skins he thought he had got the bird in the cage, and it was all right. 283. That is all you mean in-your letter to Lambert when you say that Constable Leece will be in serious trouble ?—Yes, because he was the man whom Lambert told me had got a letter from Cameron, from Cameron's Hotel in Mataura, that each of them was to get something. 284. Was Leece to get something too ?—I could not say, but that was Lambert's statement to me on one occasion. 285. What was it ?—That he was to get £50. 286. What about Leece ?—He was the man who witnessed the agreement. He told me this. and as soon as Lambert got me fixed he was to get £50. 287. Then Leece knew all about the conspiracy ?—He said so. 288. You knew this of Leece from Lambert himself I —Lambert told me. 289. Hence in a letter to Lambert you say, " I am afraid Constable Leece will be in considerable trouble "J—Yes, because, if his statement was correct that he witnessed such a thing, I reckoned he would be in serious trouble. 290. Mr. Justice Edwards.] No doubt if the Minister of Justice found that Leece was a party to such a conspiracy he would get into serious trouble, but the peculiar thing is that you say you addressed this letter to a fellow-conspirator of Leece. You say, " Come and shear my sheep." That does not look like a letter addressed to such a man who would do such things. Of course you may be able to explain it better ?—The only way I could get him to come down was by sending a plausible letter like that, I thought. 291. It seems to me silly ? —lt may be, your Honour, but that is how I looked at it. 292. Dr. Findlay.] I think I can give you the key to the letter ?—Very well. 293. Lambert had agreed to shear the sheep ?—There was nothing binding, or in writing. It was only verbal. 294. For the very good reason that when Lambert agreed to shear your sheep, the sheep he was to shear were sheep that were to be taken by you from the company's land ?—Does that letter say so. 295. I have a note at the bottom of the letter, which was made at the time of your trial for sheepstealing : " Some days before this letter was written Meikle told me he was going to take sheep on Friday the 18th, and he would like me to shear them on Tuesday "?—I was in Dunedin then. 296. " The sheep he was to shear were sheep which had been stolen from the company "?—Never. The thing is paltry. 297. Now, at the time you wrote this letter to Lambert you told me that you were absolutely satisfied yourself that he was the culprit who put the skins in your barn I —Yes, I was determined to find that out. 298. You told us before that when you wrote this letter you knew you were addressing the man who had put the skins in the barn I —That was my own belief, and I am still convinced of it to-day. 299. Is that the class of letter you would write to such a man ?—Yes, in order to get him to come down, and make him confess. 300. He did not give this evidence on previous occasion ? —No. 301. You did not know what he was going to say ? —No. 302. You still thought this man was going to keep his mouth shut ?—No, I want no man to shut his mouth. I want every witness to come here and honestly say what he knows, and tell the truth. 303. As to the incidents of this night of the Ist November, I want to get them in proper order. Lambert went to your place on the Ist November, 1887. To whom did he speak first ?—He came at about a quarter past 9, and I heard him sing out to Harvey. The hut door was open. He said, " Harvey, can I get the key ? " Harvey said, " No, my feet are sore, I have been sowing grass-seed and turnips, and my boots are off. The key is on the mantelpiece. You can ask Arthur for it." That was all I heard of it. 304. Did he ask Arthur ?—Yes. 305. Did you hear him ask Arthur ?—No, but I saw them go to the hut. I saw them from the window.