Royal Commission report day 47 page 11
The Royal Commission evidence for 31/8/1881
(see also introduction to day 47)
F. C. Standish giving evidence
16158 And they could not get you to speak on the Kelly business at all?— I used to go to the office every day, and speak with Mr. Sadleir and Mr. Hare, and never kept anything worth knowing from Mr. Sadleir.
16159 Those are very serious charges from your own immediate officers?— All I can say is there is no foundation for them.
16160 And they are not true in fact?— I say certainly not. Of course you can understand that if I had got a piece of secret and important information, which it would not do to let fly about until I had considered how it should be acted upon, I would keep that strictly to myself. If a man, directly he hears of anything, spreads it about, it will be known all over the town in ten minutes.
16161 It seems passing strange that they should be so unanimous. Mr. Hare states “ Mr. O'Connor never, when were on terms of friendship, said, ‘If Captain Standish had done so and so we would have got the Kellys.’ He used to remark to me the indifferent manner in which Captain Standish behaved from time to time when the subject of the Kellys was mentioned.” “What do you mean by indifferent —apathetic?— Yes, apathetic. He would change the subject to something else; and Mr. Sadleir has remarked the same.” Every officer under your command?— I positively deny I was ever apathetic, and I do not know when I was so worried mentally as while I was at Benalla; and as to saying I neglected the Kelly business, that is a wilful falsehood.
16162 One says you threw yourself on the sofa, one says you took a novel, and another says you would not give two minutes to speak?— You are aware that I used to go to the office and stay the greater part of the morning, and after that time I had nothing to do, and used to go back to the hotel. I deny that I ever neglected my duty. I do not suppose there is anybody who had so much mental strain and anxiety and worry upon him as I had at that time. Of course Mr. Hare qualifies it in the next two sentences. He says that he thinks you were not so, but his statement in that sentence is very definite.
Mr. Hare — May I be allowed to read questions 1327 and 1328:— “What do you mean by indifferent —apathetic?— Yes, apathetic. He would change the subject to something else; and Mr. Sadleir has remarked the same.” “Mr. O'Connor said you had several times remarked to him that Captain Standish was indifferent?— I do not deny Mr. O'Connor's statement. I dare say I may have said, ‘He does not take a great interest when you speak to him’; but when I have spoken to him he has always shown the utmost interest in the whole affair.” I wish to call attention to the whole of it.
16163 By the Commission (to the witness)— Can you explain in any way how it was you were altogether indifferent, and treated the subject of the capture of the Kellys with indifference when either Mr. Sadleir or Mr. O'Connor spoke to you?— There was a complimentary telegram sent to me from Lord Normanby, praising the officers and men, and I had a similar communication from Lord Augustus Loftus.
16164 That is no answer to the question. Those men charge you with directly pursuing a policy of non-interference, and would not speak to them on the subject except under great pressure; that they could not keep your attention up to it for two minutes together?— That is decidedly untrue. I tell you I was never so worried in my life as I was at Benalla with the mental anxiety I had there. I lost upwards of a stone weight.
16165 Mr. Nicolson also in his evidence says at question 597, “You did not carry on a correspondence with him while you were in Melbourne doing duty, telling him verbally or by official communication that you considered the system of riding after the Kellys would be inoperative?— You had better ask him, but I have no recollection of it. When I came down to town—when I was in town in charge of the department, on every occasion that Captain Standish was called down to town by the Government, and it was very often he would be in my office, and he was most remarkably reticent, and never would give me the slightest information—I would not ask him. At the same time I always asked him, ‘Do you wish me to go up, I am ready to go at any time?’ That was all that passed between us, and he would shake his head and say nothing, and I knew nothing from that time of what was going on in the country.” That is strange conduct towards every officer under you?— If I had nothing to tell him, how could I tell him anything?
16166 One would hardly think you would be without anything to speak of about the Kelly business at that time?— I had nothing to tell him when I came down, and if I had had any important information, I should have kept it strictly to myself.
16167 Why did not you keep it from Mr. Hare?— Mr. Hare was virtually in charge of the working part of the Kelly pursuit.
16168 No, it is upon both occasions he could get no information from you when in the office—you would not impart any to him?— What could be my object in doing so?
16169 When you were in the office together?— If I had nothing to tell him, how could I?
16170 Then in reality you consider that according to your evidence that you had a right to keep all the information to yourself and not let your officers know anything?— I had a perfect right......
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