I.—lb.

18

[W. G. WOHLMANN.

163. You consider, therefore, that it was quite a proper procedure for the police to detain a man at the police-station, bring in medical men, have him examined and certificates made out, and then ring up a couple of Justices and bring them in to sign the committal form? —It is the customary procedure in country districts. 164. You stated to Johnston when you detained him that you had some thought of sending him to a sanatorium : you did not mention a mental hospital?—My object was to get him as cool as possible; I did not want to upset him; so I did not tell him we were committing him as a lunatic. 165. Was there any particular reason why you did not wish to excite him?—No, but it is the usual thing, in dealing with a person of unsound mind, to get things along smoothly. You do not want to. get the man ruffled up. You have to do these things diplomatically. 166. Do you not think that if you get a man committed under that pretext, when he discovers what has actually happened to him there is a chance of very dangerous excitement on his part?— Then he is in a place where he can be properly looked after. If a man gets upset in an asylum he is in the best place to get upset in 167. In this case you did not succeed in concealing it from him. He knew before he left the station where he was going to ?—He knew quite well, I think. 168. How did he find out?—l told him he was going to a sanatorium where he would be looked after. I said, "Your mind is upset: you have had a big strain," and he was quite agreeable. 169. Did he pick up the committal form and read it? —Not that I saw. 170. Did you not leave the room for the purpose of ringing up a Justice of the Peace, and when you came back he told you where you were sending him, and you asked him if he had read the committal form? —I do not remember that. 171. Do you swear that it did not happen?—l will swear that to the best of my belief it did not happen. 172. Did you notify his wife where he was going? —Yes. 173. When? —As soon as he was committed, and it took a long time —at least, it was pretty late. I sent a man to tell her, and I believe she came down, and to the best of my belief she just missed the train. At any rate, she had very little time to see him, but she arrived at the station. As soon as we knew he was going to be committed we sent word. 174. At what time did you commence the examination of Johnston that forenoon? —3 or 4 o'clock, I think. It was pretty late in the afternoon. I know there was a great rush, and he said he had not had any tea, and I sent across and got some food for him, and he had to be hurried off. 175. Was it not before 12 noon?— Certainly not. 176. Did he not say to you that he had not had his lunch and wanted to go home for lunch? — He may have said he had not had lunch, but it was in the afternoon. It was after lunch when he was brought in. It was some time in the afternoon, because we had very little time to spare. 177. What time did the train leave? —At ten minutes past 6. 178. You would leave the station at about fifteen minutes before that?— Yes. 179. You say that you think his wife just missed the train? —That is my recollection. 1 think I was told she just about missed it. 180. If Johnston said that she arrived at the station just as the train was leaving and spoke to him from the window you would not contradict him? —I think that is probably quite right. 181. That was the only time he saw his wife from the time he left home in the morning?—l believe that would be so. We did our best to bring them together, but we had not much time. 182. You say you heard from Dr. Craig, prior to Sergeant's Cooney's statement to you about Johnston, that Johnston was mentally affected? —To the best of my belief it was before. 183. Did Dr. Craig say anything to you about statements that Johnston made under the anaesthetic? —No. He said he had been consulted by a man named Johnston as to his health, and from the conversation- with Johnston and his medical examination of him he concluded that the man needed looking after. 184. Mr. Isitt.] He made wild statements?— Yes, I think he told him something about his attempt on his wife. That is my impression. He said the man had made extraordinary statements to him, and he thought he ought to be sent to an asylum. 185. Mr. Robertson.] You knew that Dr. Craig took an active interest in affairs connected with the strike at Waihi? —No very prominent part. I think it was at his house that Barfoot was caught. He came in contact with the matter in that way. 186. You do not know any other way in which he came in contact with it?—l know that he had no time for the disorder and other unseemly things which happened there : he did not like it. 187. Did you of your own knowledge know that Dr. Craig was a member of the new union that was formed there?— Not to my knowledge. I have no knowledge of it. 188. When Johnston was in the hospital at Waihi Dr. Craig did not attend him there to your knowdedge? —No. 189. Did any one besides Dr. Craig say anything to you at all about Johnston having made any statement while under chloroform in the hospital?— No. 190. When did you hear that he made the statement under chloroform?—Johnston told me himself that he thought he had. 191. You had never heard anything about it till Johnston told you?— That is so. 192. Do you remember the man telling you that he believed others knew of it?—He did. He believed that some of the nurses may have overheard him.