Scathlan 2

Susan Gallagher on her arrival the following day. Mr. Russell instructed Mr. Guy: "I will consider you responsible that no one will see or influence this woman by word or sign till you lay her free and genuine statement before me". To Mr. Pryor he said: "Let this woman be met by some trustworthy person on landing and brought straight to you . Examine her and let us know on Thursday what she has to say. Give us your judgement as to her truthfulness and accuracy of recollection. I need not tell you how critical a decision will hang on the result". General Pryor reported on Thursday: Susan was in the saloon on · the occasion of the affray: O'Donnell had previously mentioned to her the rumour that Power was Carey, and said he would try to shake him off - how he would do so without a quarrel with him would~ he feared, be difficult. She said that Carey was a bully and always irritable. She was sea sick all the way out: got well in the calm of Capetown Harbour but got sick again when the Melrose put to sea for Port Elizabeth. She was sitting on the bench on the saloon, feeling ill and quite dazed and listless. She heard Carey tackle O'Donnell about something being the matter. He cross-questioned O'Donnell about something, went away and returned quickly afterwards. Her back or shoulders were towards them as, feeling sick and miserable with the sea, she was turned around sideways to the table, leaning her face on her hand, her elbow on the table. In her drowsy sickish state she recollected hearing a sudden burst of angry words and "bloody informer" with some stir of feet and a shot just over the back of her head. Scared for her life she sprang from her seat and rushed in terror to the end of the cabin. She did not know or think who was shot or who was shooting until she came back afterwards. She th~n told the general of her relations with O'Donnell; how they were travelling as brother and sister though in the married quarters. . "I say to Y<?U, si(', said the general at the meeting, "that this girl is telhng God Almighty s truth. I have had some experience of witnesses in criminal cases, and I tell you, sir, that she spoke the truth no more no less. She is so simple that you could not force her to mak~ up a sto;.y if you tried. She is utterly unsophisticated,. artless and truthful". "Did she see a pistol with Carey?" "She saw no firing at all." "Did she not look around?" "No, she is a scarey creature, even now. She seems to have bolted for the far end of the cabin". "What words did she hear?" "She seems to have been, as one sea sick often is, half oblivious of all things passing around. She recollects that instantly before the shot there was some violent burst of words between the two, and a stir of feet (\S if Carey had stepped towards O'Donnell: no more". "Saw no pistol?" "Saw nothing". There was a long pause. Mr. Russell shook his head. "I know how a London jury will regard this girl and her story. The things she does not say will be pressed against us and probably do us as much harm as what she does say will do us good". For two and a half hours we deliberated the question. ·Was she to be called for evidence or was she not? I decided to interview her further 54