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Story of the KellyGang - the Royal Commission evidence

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== The Royal Commission evidence for 15/6/1881 ==

''''''

=== full text ===

(see also introduction to [[Royal Commission report 15/6/1881|day 30]])

[[../../people/peQ_R/rawlinsC.html|'''Mr Charles C. Rawlins''']] '''giving evidence'''

[[#rc11713|11713]] Did you remain at the ground till after the hotel was burned?— Yes.

[[#rc11714|11714]] Did you hear him give any orders during the day?— No, I did not; I was not near him. I did not take any active part in it then, there were so many.

[[#rc11715|11715]] Are you sure you saw Mr. O'Connor at the railway station before his wife left in the train for Benalla?— Yes.

[[#rc11716|11716]] Can you fix about the time?— No, I could not do it.

[[#rc11717|11717]] You are certain that the train that took Mrs. O'Connor back to Benalla had not left the station before Mr. O'Connor returned to the station?— No, I am quite satisfied I saw him speak to his wife.

[[#rc11718|11718]] ''By Mr. O'Connor''— You stated you understood that I was a volunteer—from whom did you understand that?— I understood it from Mr. Knox, that you had left the force altogether.

[[#rc11719|11719]] Of your own knowledge you did not know what arrangements might have been made?— I heard you had actually gone to Queensland .

[[#rc11720|11720]] You never heard that I had not made arrangements to return on the same footing as I held before?— Well, I did in the train.

[[#rc11721|11721]] From whom?— The reporters. They said when you heard the Kellys had broken out you volunteered to come up to Glenrowan and do service there.

[[#rc11722|11722]] You must understand that the police in another colony may volunteer to do duty and still be the police?— Yes, no doubt about that.

[[#rc11723|11723]] You did not know positively that I was only a volunteer?— I merely believed so; I knew you had severed your connection with the police.

[[#rc11724|11724]] Is it not a fact that you, from subsequent knowledge, only knew that Mr. Hare did not return?— That is not a fair question to put. What I may have stated outside as being my impression is not evidence.

[[#rc11725|11725]] What you have heard since?— I cannot say. I have heard many things. I do not think that is a fair question. I am not going to say about what I thought. Whatever I may say of my impressions outside this building is a very different thing from giving evidence here.

[[#rc11726|11726]] Have you not heard?— I have heard a great many things. I am not going to say what I heard. For one thing, I heard that Mr. Hare was not there at all, that he was shot at the railway station.

''The Chairman ( to Mr. O' Connor)'' — I do not think that is a proper question. The witness is on his oath, and is simply bound to reply to what he knows himself.

[[#rc11727|11727]] ''By the Commission (to the witness)''— At the time Mr. Hare asked you for a horse, do you consider he was in a state to have ridden a horse safely to Benalla?— Oh no; I would not have let him get on a horse at all.

[[#rc11728|11728]] There could be no doubt that his retiring from Glenrowan was in consequence of the loss of blood he sustained from the shot?— The general shock to the system and loss of blood. I did not think so much of it at the time, as I could not tell exactly the extent of the wound. I was trying to stop the bleeding; it was bleeding very severely.

[[#rc11729|11729]] From what you saw at the time and what you knew after, was it from any feeling of cowardice that he was deserting the field at Glenrowan ?— No, I do not think so; I think it was from fear of fatal results if he did not get the bleeding stopped. He must have been in very great agony, because he said, “For God's sake, Rawlins, send me back to Benalla.” That was after I had been round with the ammunition.

[[#rc11730|11730]] You, of your own knowledge, are not in a position to state whether Mr. Hare did or did not return to the front after you first arrived with him at the station?— I could not say.

[[#rc11731|11731]] Was there sufficient time for him to have had his hand bound up at the station and have gone to the front and returned to the station before you saw him again?— I do not know really; I could not tell you. I know I tried to stop the bleeding with a towel, with a tourniquet; I suppose it took some minutes.

[[#rc11732|11732]] No one else tried to stop the bleeding before that?— No.

[[#rc11733|11733]] After your trying to stop the bleeding, you had in the meantime served out the ammunition before you again saw Mr. Hare?— Yes.

[[#rc11734|11734]] ''By Mr. O'Connor''— Mr. Hare, in his evidence, stated that upon being wounded he went back straight to the platform; you say you took him down to Stanistreet's house?— Yes, that is quite correct; we went back to the corner and we met the reporters who came out from the drain.

[[#rc11735|11735]] You went along the fence down to the station-master's house?— No, we did not. After Mr. Hare was wounded we went back through the gate, and he spoke to you, and we went down here— [''The witness indicated the various, positions on the plan''.]

[[#rc11736|11736]] ''By the Commission''— From the loss of blood and shock, might it not be possible that Mr. Hare might be a little mystified about what took place at that time?— Well, I think he was; he seemed completely knocked up.

[[#rc11737|11737]] You accompanied him from the place where he was wounded back to the station platform?— Yes.

[[#rc11738|11738]] Did you go back then by the same route that you took going?— Yes, exactly.

[[#rc11739|11739]] Did you not come through the wicket gate both in going towards Jones's and in coming back?— Yes, over the same ground exactly. There is one thing about the affair that I want particularly to say. A statement has been made that there was indiscriminate firing by the police into the building after the order was given to cease firing—that is not true. There were occasional shots fired, but there was not that indiscriminate firing that was represented by some witnesses. The police acted very well, I considered, right through. I saw the capture of Edward Kelly, if you want any evidence about that.

[[#rc11740|11740]] Were you present when [[Ned Kelly|Ned Kelly]] fell?— Yes, I was. I was on the station when the first shot or two was fired, and when I saw he was moving down towards the fence I moved up there.

[[#rc11741|11741]] Did you see which way he fell?— He fell with his head up rather, with the log on his left hand side.....

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