Difference between revisions of "Royal Commission report day 15 page 20"

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The Royal Commission evidence for 4/5/1881

(see also introduction to day 15)

Constable Duross giving evidence

3989 Will you look at this plan. —[ The witness did so.] The tree was about here, was it not— [pointing to the plan]?— Yes.

3990 How far from the tree to the front door—you have called it 60 yards—can you say it was anything like 60 yards?— I could not say.

3991 I have measured it, and know it was under 30 yards. Which end did the priest go round?— I think the little end, at the north.

3992 Did you see him go in?— I think I did—I saw him coming out of the little gate.

3993 Was that after he had gone into the house?— That was after.

3994 When he approached the house, did you not see the police run in after him, on all sides, some trying to stop him?— Armstrong was singing out to him.

3995 Did you notice him making the sign of the cross on his face?— I noticed him hold up his hands.

3996 By the Commission. —Did you see Mr. O'Connor often during that day?— Yes.

3997 Where was he?— I saw him along with Mr. Sadleir, and I saw him giving the black trackers lunch.

3998 Where were they then?— The north side.

3999 They did not leave their positions to get lunch?— Yes, they did.

4000 Did they get under shelter?— They were running behind trees.

4001 Where were they getting lunch?— There was plenty of lunch at the station.

4002 Did they get it there?— Either them or Mr. O'Connor.

4003 Did you get your lunch at the station?— Yes.

4004 There is a little difficulty; you cannot fix the hour of the shooting. The point of the examination is when you discharged this repeating rifle of yours—after the people came out of the house or before. Did you give me to understand that you had shot prior to the coming out of the people. Subsequently you fixed the hour at or about one o'clock . Can you decide on that point?— Yes, because I had fired before Mr. Sadleir told me.

4005 What time did you get your lunch?— I could not fix the time. I went down to the station and had it.

4006 You felt hungry and went down?— Yes.

4007 Did the men say there was lunch down there?— Yes.

4008 It was a mere matter of time?— It would not take you ten minutes to run down.

4009 Did most of the men go?— I do not know; I saw one or two.

4010 Did you see the black trackers eat their lunch?— I saw Mr. O'Connor distributing it to them.

4011 Where?— At the north side of the hotel.

4012 Were they stationed there?— No.

4013 Did they come together for lunch?— Yes, they came all together for lunch to the north side of the house.

4014 Was Mr. O'Connor moving about and giving orders?— No, I saw him give orders to the trackers.

4015 What was he doing when you saw him first?— Standing under shelter of a tree with Mr. Sadleir at the north side of the house.

4015a Is what you call the north the back of the house?— No, the back I call the west.

4016 Beyond the station, as you go up the line, you call the north?— Yes.

4017 Can you take upon yourself, after this lapse of time, of your own knowledge, to say whether any firearms were discharged by the occupants of the house, the outlaws or any one else, after you came on the scene—discharged from Jones's residence?— Yes, on one occasion. I believe it to be Jack Sherritt; he was standing up near the back of the house, and I got up there, and he said, “Look out, old man, there has just been one come out of the back window.”

4018 Did you see him?— No, I saw something.

4019 He drew your attention to somebody at the window firing a shot?— Yes.....

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