Royal Commission report day 30 page 10
The Royal Commission evidence for 15/6/1881
(see also introduction to day 30)
[[../../people/peN_P/oconnorPinsp.html|'Insp Stanhope O'Connor]] ' giving evidence
11764 By the Commission— Do you purpose calling any more witnesses?— Yes, the Secretary knows of two witnesses in town, Mr. Sadleir and Mr. Nicolson; then there is Mr. Knox and Mr. McBain on one point only. The point is as to whether I was doing my work equally with Mr. Sadleir after he arrived. If the Commission feel justified in stating they have sufficient evidence on that point, I need not call them. Several witnesses stated they did not see me with Mr. Sadleir, but I think the other witnesses have stated that they did.
11765 The bulk of witnesses have stated that after ten o'clock, from that during pretty well the whole of the day, you were about where Mr. Sadleir was?— That is all I want those witnesses to prove, but Mr. Sadleir and Mr. Nicolson will be decidedly necessary for me to have.
11766 What point are you going to refer to now—we will continue with your evidence now. The last question was in relation to the report of Mr. Hare that you took exception to?— Yes, and I said I l considered it a most improper one.
11767 We will come to your own report— “A private quarrel occurred between Mr. Hare and myself.” You state in your report?— Yes.
11768 I think it will be necessary for you to state to the Commission the nature of the private quarrel?— I must decline stating what the actual quarrel was. But I can state it generally—it brings a lady's name in. This quarrel kind nothing at all to do with anything I have stated in the report.
11769 Does this quarrel affect the friendship between you and Mr. Hare after you had that quarrel?— No.
11770 The point is here. We find that each officer has quarrelled with every other officer, and they have all indicated that they have quarrelled; and it is the intention of the Commission, I think, to get to the very bottom of that quarrel, so far as it affects public business?— I can give an ex parte statement of what I know, if you wish it.
11771 You had a quarrel of a private nature, in which Captain Standish took sides with Mr. Hare?— Yes.
11772 The friendly relationship was revived between you and Mr. Hare?— Yes.
11773 And you would be on friendly terms in the office?— Yes.
11774 But that did not obtain as between Captain Standish and yourself?— No, we were never on terms of private friendship after.
11775 The statement is that “Captain Standish, who was not in any way concerned, took part against me, and carried it into official matters”?— Yes.
11776 “He made a series of communications to the Queensland Government, tending to depreciate me”—do you think those came out of a private quarrel?— No. Captain Standish's communications, from what I heard from my Commissioner, did not touch on what he viewed as my private character.
11777 You refer in that to correspondence carried on by Captain Standish behind your back?— Yes.
11778 “And to remove the men from my control and supervision”—that is the correspondence that we are now asking the Queensland Government for the papers of?— Yes.
11779 “Upon this Captain Standish had the man taken out of my party, and attached to his police, although he (Captain Standish) still required our services. For the discourteous manner in which this was done, my Government requested our immediate return.” Is there anything in the communications between you and your Government to lead you to believe that your Government took that view of it?— Certainly.
11780 And we may expect that in the papers that are to come?— Yes. I can tell you what I stated to the Government without the papers.
11781 Do you believe that correspondence would have been of the same nature had the same friendly feeling contained between you and Captain Standish?— Certainly not; because Captain Standish repeatedly pressed me to accept service in this colony, to have my station at Dandenong, and that I would have anything I liked, with my men, if I would accept service permanently in Victoria; and, after that, he offered me Kilmore—that is, the appointment would be made after the Kellys were taken.
11782 Was this all verbal?— Yes; and Mr. Hare himself has heard Captain Standish himself say this. I believe in my cross-examination of Mr. Sadleir he can state so; but I know Mr. Hare has repeatedly spoken to me in the same strain, telling me, “Eventually, O'Connor, you will get the depot, and lead just as jolly a life as I have led.” Those were the words. The moment this quarrel happened Captain Standish, instead of being “Hail fellow well met” with me, instead of giving me the run of the city, as he said he could and my men, ignored me completely.
11783 He was completely altered in his demeanour towards you?— Completely altered.
11784 You have nothing to add in connection with the search parties?— One thing. I want to point out this—you notice that I, from the very first, wished to work with a small party. Captain Standish would not allow me, and then he pleads that we were useless because we were so big. You can see that he states in his own evidence that I wanted only two men, but he would not allow me, and a few lines after that he says that they were perfectly useless because they were such a large party.
11785 You look upon that as depreciating your services, putting you in the wrong and then blaming you for it?— And then blaming me for it.
11786 You consider that Captain Standish did that without justification?— Which?
11787 That he made you take large parties, and then blamed you because you had to carry large parties about?— He has done that in his evidence.
11788 You think he was not justified in that?— Certainly not. When I offered to go out with two white men, that was all I wanted.
11789 You would have all your boys?— Yes, that would have made eight men.
11790 Did he not object to that previous to the quarrel?— Yes, from the very first; but he never made any objection before to us until this Commission, and then his first evidence is that we were utterly useless.....
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