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GOLD REWARDS COMMISSION. the
FRIDAY, SEPTiItBER 30. To
Beforo J. Whitefoord, Esq. (Chairman), Nir
Bernard Shaw, Esq. (Commissioner of Gold- wi)
fields), and H. T. A. Murray, Esq. (Police th
Magistrate).
The Chairman, upon taking his place, ex- kni
pressed his regret at having left the business, hrs
in which no many were interested, waiting so bal
long. gol
Messrs Miller, Dobson, and Collins congratu-. i(
lated air Whitefoord on his recovery from his pie
late illness. col
Slsi
R. J. RIiIiARDSON, DAVID PETRIW, LAWRENCE wil
QUINN, AND OIIARLES TRAILL'S CASE, Hi
Mr Collins, who appeared on behalf of the we
claimants, at sted that the application of Mrs cla
Julia Quinn, for whom Mr Miller appeared, gre
would be embodied with the applications of cae
Richardson and party. The Legislature, in fram- PeI
ing the Rewards Act, he (Mr Coillins) was of thi
opinion, lad for its object the inducement of an:
persons to go out and prospect land, so that gel
eventually a profitable goldfield might be for
developed. It was not intended the seward 1
should go to the first discoverer of a payable thi
goldfields in the sense many persons took it, at
but to the finder of a claim that afterwards was' pe
declared payable. In August, 186, Larry wi'
Quinn, David Petrie, and Charles Traill agreed iei
to prospect in the vicinity of Nine-Milo Springs, no,
and worked at Slaty Creek from September 121
of that year until January, 1870. That such 1
was the case he could bring independent Ri
testimony to prove. The very fact of the net Pe
being in force induced the party to go out and 181
prospect. He contended that Quinn was co- pr(
equal with Richards in any discovery he made thi
froni August, 1869, to January, 1870, as there gol
was an agreement between them to keep the a
knowledge of any finds that might be made gol
secret, and on condition this was done, the wi
former was to have a claim immediately next to sot
the latter. Regarding the application for the wi
rewards, which was sent to the Government in an
1870, and also touching theolaim, correspondence frc
was to hand between the members of the wi
Ministry and the claimants, dated 10th Decem- the
her. 1876, February, 1877, and 12th September, mn(
1881. pa
David Petrie deposed, he was residing in Sp
George Town in 1809; in Augst, 1869, in con- ho
junction with Quinn and Traill, lie proceeded rec
to Nine-Mile Springs to prospect for gold ; hit
could not remember the exact date; they ha
prospected on Slaty Creek, about one mile wi
fronm what was known as Larry's Track ; pros- as
pected from that spot to where a claim called
the Argyle was subsequently taken up; they Sp
went into an eastern branch of Slaty Creek, cot
where the Caledonian, Rob Roy, and Land a' gri
Oakes claims now were; was of opinion that Sb
formed part of the Springs goldfield; it was in we
Fereday's Gully they were working when they tb
gave some gold to Mr Richardson to take to err
Waterhouse; the gold forwarded to the Govern- ba
ment was obtained about Slaty Creek; found to
gold in very small quantities from the period kn
they commenced prospecting until they left off pa
in Fereday's Gully; their capital ran out, and ru
Mr Richardson lent them a sum to go on wviths ; pe
while at work on the Springs they were visited
by Messrs. Simpson, Warren, Henry, Darby, Q'
and others; did a large amount of prospecting no
from August until December, some of the party wi
being continuously engaged in the work; took tai
up a claim in conjunction with Quinn, [north of ]of
Richards; it was known as the northern kn
ground; was also interested in a claim to the Hi
south of the Shamrock; was connected with a Iri
number of men who were known as the !'Irish To
party," who came to Specimen Hill; Mr Rich- in¬
ardson originally brought them from Water. " '
house ; previous to this witness's party had tel
given Richardson some gold they had discovered prs
at the Springs ; the party was taken from siM
George Town to the Springs by witness ; at that
time Mr Richards and his party were at work cal
on Specimen Hill; James Ward and Byrne go:
ware not there then ; found Traill and Quinnt du
on the Springs when he got there; Quinn's hut res
was about two miles from Specimen Hill ; after ins
the arrival of witness's party at Specimen Hill,
miners and others continued to reach there To
daily; a large amount of money was expended Se
at Specimen Hill, but it was not a payable Fe
goldfield; witness ultimately became one of the afl
discoverers of the New Chum reef ; was always tin
paying into something connected with the gir
Springs since it started. wI
By Mr Dobson-What made witness go to Pe
prospect at the Springs was the discovery of a peg
piece of gold about 24 years ago by a man Ot
named Jones, who was with him and his party Fe
at the time; was not an experienced miner th
when he went out in 1869 ; helped his tar
party to send the application to the dii
Col. Secretary; the nearest place to the Native thi
Youth claim that witness found gold was in on
Fereday's Gully ; applied for the reward in eu
respect to the discovery of gold at Slaty Creek wi
and Fereday's Gully; never obtained payable 23
gold at either of those places, nor had they got wi
it when they sent over to WYaterhouse for the
party of Irishmen ; when they first arrived the nn
Irishmen did not prospect for gold either at G
Slaty Creek or Fereday'e Gully, but did so after- fo
wards; it was probable they thought there were pr
better prospects at Specimen Hill ; could not ot
say he over heard that Richards found gold at ne
Specimon Hill; Quinn told witness weeks be- hit
fore they came to Specimen Hill wheretRichards pr
was; the Irishmen got a little gold at Slaty at
Crock and Fereday's Gully, but not in payable of
quantities; never thought it worth while to tb
take up any land there. ge
By Mr Waldron-When witness and party S5
got to Specimen Hill they did not hear of any hi
others prospecting about there; was one of the as
party fined for having obstructed Mr Brown;
there were several parties working at a branch of It
Slaty Creek at present; there have of late
years been several companies formed to work
Fereday's Gully; those companies were of
recent formation ; there was a section taken up
by the Rev. Mr Fereday and others, called the
Nil Desperandum, in the early part of 1870,
and a good amountof workdone onit; arushtook
piece to the Excelsior, and some tine after that
to Specimen Hill; took Ward and Byrne out of
George Town to the Excelsior Gully, and left
them there ; they told witness they came from
the N. W. Coast.
By Mr Poseell-There were late of prospec
tors at Frorday's Gully all along; the Excelsior
Company paid one dividend of is, and made a
call the follawinug sseek of 1a Cd ; the Cowpnny
soon afterwarde collapsed, anid (lie machinsery,
ete,, fell into other haunds ; the discaverere of
the Native Youth hine of reef, to the beet of
witness'n helinf, seers 'Ward and Byrne an 1870;
did not know whlethser or not Richardd found t
quartz carrying gold an Specimen Hill ; then
first thing tlie Irishmen did on their arrivual
from 'Waterhiouse wan to try to jump Iticharde's
claim.
Dering thIse case (lie principal witneasnosscore
ordered out of (he Court.
Thomas Hunse Sanpossn depesed that lie seas
connected swlih the George Taswn rolica as
sergeant and actieg police clerk in 1800; lie r
seas afterwards Chief District Constable; the
entries in (ho book produced seere in wvitnsseoo'e
writing; it seas (lie polics duty bask ; an emitry
in the hook wesit as followes-" 20th Septembes,
1800, at 7 asas., Sergt. Simpson went to visit
Petrie's prospeeting liarty at Nine-Mile
Springs;" esew Trothi and Quinn whsesn lie first
visited the Sprisigs; Traill seas prospecting for
gold and putting slirt fross (lie creek through a
"lon tam ;" know IPetrie land been out pros
pectisig for some cansislorablo time previous to
wilnsacs visiting (lie Springs ; it might have been -
faur or five months; they seemed to he seorking
buna ~ffd for gold, anil showed seitness same
metal they had obtained; agaisn visited the place
in November, December, and Jansary ; osa the
last visit they had extended their camp to
Fereday Gully: took up a section naised the
Nil Desperandum ; it was (lie first or occosid
claim (chess up after the Shiassrock ; (lie vicini- I
ties knsowis as Lnrry'e Mist ansi Fereday's Golly
were both included in (lie Nine-Mile Sprisnge
diesurict.
Charles Treill stated that slurisig 186) Iso
joined a prasisectimig party weitli Larry Quinn and
1'etrie; commenced to prospect about one mile
dowen flinty Creek, near Larry's track; there
were twa hliss in (lie vicinity ; the Argyle claims
was abouit 200 or ;l00 yards fram Larry's hut;
prospected a brsnchi of flinty Cicek lksoavn as
Fereday's Cresrk; it seas also known as Fere
disy's Gully ; fesisd gold frois swhere they com
micd prospecting as fir asp an Feredny's
Glly, ini mainl qeamitities ; Quinmi 55as neurly
alsways in the locality; sunski holes earls aide of (iso
creek, put a dam in, ansI wseheil lie ttsif seiths
a "long toms" ; Luisl Riichsrdoon was onse of
the party, issd he took a quantity of golsi frans
the Springs to 'Waterliouse ; slusing (iho (hme
they were working their canij seas 'jilted
~s'Meses s~imphab, Warren, Jgckeon,
Henry, and Darby; remembered the Irish
party arriving at George Town; witness
had been informed by Quinn that Samuel
Richards was working at Specimen Hill
the Irish party reached George Town on
a Sunday, and witness met them at the Springs
on the next day ; Quinn and witness went to
Specimen Hill, and saw Samuel Richards on a
claim there ; Quinn told Richards that a party
of miners from Waterhouse intended to take
his ground from him ; Richards and Quinn then
had some conversation. and the former then
showed them where to peg out their claim
Richards asowed them where his peg was, but
witness was not certain whether he drove it in
on that day; when witness arrived on the
ground lie did not see Ward or Byrne there
an influx of diggers followed the arrival of the
Irishmen, and the goldfield was worked from
that time.
By Mr Dobson-It was talked of in George
Town that gold lied been found in the vicinity of
Nine-Mile Springs previous to the date that
witness set out to prospect; Petrie was carrying
on business as. a storekeeper at George Town at
the period he was out prospecting ; did not
know the reason Richardson went to Water
house, or why lie took the gold there ; he pro
bably took it to show somebody; no payable
gold had been discovered at the pilae when
Richardson induced the Irishmen to come; the
pIece was cansidered as worth prospecting
could not swear whether they came to prospect
Slaty Oreek or not ; Quinn, Richardson, and
witnesashowed the Irishmen the way to Specimen
Hill ; they went to see where Richards's pegs
were ; did not know they intended to jump the
claim, but warned Richards to prepare his
ground ; Quinn, Richardson, and witness be
came mates with the Irishmen after they had
pegged off the No. 1 ousth claim ; showed them
the way to Specimen Hill without having made
any agreement as to what reward they were to
get ; claimed the reward in respect to having
found gold at Slaty Creek and Fereduy's Gully.
By Mir Waldron-Up to the time of making
the application had not found anything payable
at Slaty Creek or Fereday's Gully ; to the
period of the discovery of the Excelsior reef
witness could not say whether there were ten
people engaged at either of those localities ; did
not see Byrne or Ward at Specimen Hill on the
12th January, 1870.
Richard James Richardson, alias Louis
Richaidson, asserted lie was connected with
Petrie, Quinn, and Traill in the latter part of
1860 ;, witness was to supply the capital and
provisions and they were to do the work;
they were to share equally what
gold was found : they were working at
a creek near Larry's hut; received some
gold from them as the result of their labour;
witness's partner, Barlow, brou'ht him also
some gold he said came from the Springs
witness showed the gold to six or seven men as
an inducement for them to go to the Springs
from Waterhouse; arrived in George Town
with a party of men on Sunday, and left for
the Springs on the Monday following ; the
men were afterwards known as the "Irish
party;" first went to Larry's but and then to
Specimen Hill; witness had heard at Water
house something that annoyed him ; he
reckoned Quinn, Traill, and Petric as mates of
his, and lie had learned at Waterhouse they
had joined in with another party ; proceeded
with Qumn to where they were at work; be,
as a matter of fact, thought his mates had been
"selling" him; there were several persons at
Specimen Hill when they arrived, but witness
could not say who they were; on the northern
ground very little work was done, but on the
Shamrock a battery was erected ; the battery
was first erected on the Shamrock; thought
that when the Shamrock battery started to
crush some small portions of the Excelsior
battery were on the wharf at George Town ; up
to the time of witness's arrival lie slid not
know of any persons, other than Petrie and
party, who were working there ; hl hld heard a
rumour at Waterhouse, but nothing definite;
people had prospected there years previously.
By Mr Dobson-Did not know whether
Quinn spent much of his time prospecting or
not while witness was away ; to the best of
witness's knowledge neither he nor his mates ob
tained payable gold at Slaty Creek; when ho
left the Springs for W~aterhouse he did not
know that Richards was engaged on Specimen
Hill ; witness was in partnership with the
Irishmen when ite brought them to George
Townv; Quinn and Traill knew nothing concern
ing the partnership ; he thought they had
"sold" him in the other arrangement, eo lie
told them nothing about it; witness was not
proceeded against with those whso obstructed
Mlr Brown at Specimen Hill.
By Mir Collins-Witness made out the appli
cation for reward, and forwarded a sample of
gold ; could not say whether or not that pro
duced in Court was identical; the gold witness
received from Petrie lie sent to the Govern
mont.
WYilliam Warren stated lie resided in George
Town in 1879: visited the Springs on the 16th
September. 1869, accompanied by the Rev. Mr
Fereday, Messrs Darby, Jaclcson, and Henry;
After roaming about the bush for some
time found Traill and party dig
ging ; lie noted it down in Isis diary,
which he produced ; Traill, Quinn, and
Petrie were there that day; they were pros
pecting for goldi; on the 15th November, 1869,
started from George Town with the Rev. Mr
Fereday for Launceston ; they met a party on
the road, of whili MIr Anderson wns one; lie
stated they hald been boaged, and asked to be
directed to the Springs ; MrFereday put them on
the way : witness afterwards visited the Springs
on the 18th January, 1870; Quinn and partylhad
sunk a shaft on the claim near Slaty Oreek, and
wvre working at it; went there again on the
23rd January and visited Specimen Hill; lie
was shown over the ground by Quinn.
Julia Evans asserted that her first husband's
name was Laurence Quinn ; he was a native of
Georgo Town. and witness lived there with him
for between 26 and 27 years; he first took to
prospecting some 17 years ego ; in comipany with
others he prospected at Slaty Greek ; there were
no other persons prospectingat the period besides
those connected with her latehusband; lie took to
prospecting by himself in 1868; then lhe worked
at it for '12 moithis 'off and on, snul sametimes
oistained good gold; lie llrospected for about
three quarters of' a mile up Slaty Greek, end
gave moat of this gold lie found awvay to rort
Sorell asad other paces ; in 1869 Iso diecovercil
be ceuld work no enger by himself, no lie weint
and saw Riehiardeon
This completed the evidence on behalf of
Richsardsan and party.
The Court edjourned until 11 a~m. te-day.
$