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Meing held on Friday, 12th June, 1896.
Present:-His Honour Mr. T. SERCOMBE SMITH, (Acting Puisne Judge), Chairman.
Hon. Commander W. C. H. HASTINGS, R.N., Acting Police Magistrate.
Dr. ATKINSON, Acting Colonial Surgeon.
Dr. MARQUES examined.
THE CHAIRMAN-You were surgeon at Victoria Gaol?
WITNESS-I was.
Q-When were you appointed?
A-1st September, 1887.
Q-When did you retire?
A--On the 31st May-on the 1st of this month I should say.
Q-How are floggings at the Gaol administered?
A-With a rattan.
Q-Will you describe the method?
A-The system has changed since Major DEMPSTER's time. Formerly a man who was sentenced by the Superintendent to receive no more than 12 strokes was flogged simply on a verbal certificate of the medical officer. Since Major DEMPSTER'S time- he established a system of paper-a small paper-for the medical officer to certify if the man is fit to be flogged, and the Superintendent states the number of strokes the prisoner is going to receive. Now, according to a system introduced by Captain LETHBRIDGE, the medical officer has to examine every man who is on morning report for breach of the Gaol discipline to see if he is fit for hard labour or some other kind of punishment, including flogging, and if he is sentenced to be flogged, the medical officer again certifies in a separate paper as to his fitness.
Q-You were present at the floggings, were you not?
A-Yes.
Q-And the floggings are administered with a rattan? A-With a rattan approved by the Colonial Surgeon.
Q-What is the weight of these rattans?
A-I do not know.
Q--How many sorts of rattan are there?
A-Three.
Q-Do they differ in weight?
A-Yes.
Q-You have served under different Superintendents, I believe?
A--Yes.
Q-Who were they?
A-General GORDON, Major DEMPSTER, and Major CHAYTOR, Mr. MAY, Mr. THOMSON, and Captain LETHBRIDGE.