Royal Commission report day 29 page 6
The Royal Commission evidence for 14/6/1881
(see also introduction to day 29)
[[../../people/peN_P/oconnorPinsp.html|Insp Stanhope O'Connor]] 'giving evidence'
11526 Is not that in keeping with that letter of Captain Standish's to Mr. Nicolson—he asked for two to remain?— He said he had communicated with the Queensland Government, and they had eventually allowed him to keep Moses; but Captain Standish was in an official position, and knew it was an improper thing to take this man from me while I was doing service here. If he had said, “You are dispensed with, and we wish to keep this boy,” there would have been no harm in it. He kept us as a catspaw, and tried to take the whole lot of my men from me. That is the discourtesy.
11527 Is that borne out by the letters?— Certainly; he is telling Mr. Nicolson to go over and take the boy over at once. Of course there were rumours months before that we were going.
11528 It is an arrangement to take two men simply, apparently?— No; that was what my Government meant; the letter came at 11 o'clock and he was taken over into the Victorian force by 12.
11529 This is the letter:— “Re Mr. Palmer’s telegram to our Chief Secretary, desiring return of native police to Queensland , would you object to two of them being discharged if they consent to join our police. Moses was in our employ, but joined Queensland police on death of Sambo. It would be a great convenience to us to have two left”?— There ought to be another telegram in reply to that; I saw it myself when it was sent up to me. It was this:— “You can take over or retain the services of Moses.”
11530 Is there anything inconsistent in that telegram with the position that Captain Standish held with the Queensland Government in asking them to allow it to be conceded to him?— No; that is right enough, though he might have done it through me.
11531 You say it was in consequence of Captain Standish trying to get trackers other than those you brought that you wrote to the Queensland Government?— No; I had been writing a series of letters complaining of the way I was being treated, but this letter put the finishing touch, in my opinion, and I wrote after this boy was taken over, complaining of what was done, and asking for our immediate withdrawal, as I thought a great act of discourtesy had been done, and my Government said it was with the understanding of our withdrawal that this boy was taken over.
11532 You say that Captain Standish continually attempted to get some of those trackers away from your control. Now this letter of his to Mr. Nicolson sets out that the black trackers are to he relieved, and he has telegraphed asking that some may remain in the colony, and the only one dealt with is Moses; so there is nothing in that letter to say that Captain Standish wished to take the trackers from your control during the time you had charge of them?— Yes.
11533 As a matter of fact, did he take Moses from your control there and then?— He did, and at the same time retaining us as you can see; and on the 24th he told us we could go, and he took Moses over on the 19th, the date of that letter, and would have kept us for the month if he could, until he got his own men over from Queensland. It is not this one act of discourtesy, but I complain of a series of acts of discourtesy.
11534 This is one of considerable importance?— Yes.
11535 I want to ask you this: I have read Question No. 1203 over, where you lay particular stress on Mr. Hare's report of the Glenrowan affair; do you think there is any force in your objection to that portion of Mr. Hare's statement, under date of the 20th July 1880, after listening to all the witnesses examined in the Glenrowan affair?— I think that Mr. Hare's statement is the most improper one; he admits that my evidence is correct; he does not give my statement—he just puts two lines in.
11536 Mr. Hare states, on his return after being shot, he saw you running up the drain?— I say that is wrong; I will not say anything further.
11537 Listening to the whole of the witnesses examined, do you consider Mr. Hare was not justified in making that statement that he saw you in the drain?— It is false, because I was not in the drain when Mr. Hare was there. We have got it in evidence, from the man Reardon, that I was not in the drain, but in another position.
11538 Mr. Hare does not say any particular drain; he simply says after he was shot you retired, and he saw you in the drain?— He states in his evidence-in-chief it was not a drain, it was only a depression in the ground. When I asked him he said he did not mean the drain—there was a depression in the ground— [indicating on the plan]. I admit Mr. Hare has got several men who swear to his statement, but still I say his statement is not correct; that is all I can say.
11539 I am dealing simply with his report; the only thing he says about you there is that, after he was shot, he saw you running up the drain?— Mr. Hare never saw me in the drain, because I never was in it when he was on the ground.
11540 You will understand that the Commission urgently desire you to apply for those documents that have been mentioned, and request you to apply forthwith?— I will do so.
The witness withdrew.
Adjourned to to-morrow, at Eleven o'clock ....
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