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Mr. Potter-You will not allow me to pat forward this letter in reference to the questions put by your Lordship to Mr. Howell, who askod if Tatem had not by his industry worked up a good business for himself?
His Lordship--No. That was Tatem in 1896. Now you want to introduce Tatem in 1908. It is irrelevant.
Mr. Potter-I can't see how it is irrelevant. His Lordship-Hopelessly irrelevant.
Mr. Potter He was employed--
His Lordship-I can't allow it to waste the time of the Court.
Mr. Potter-But in cross-examination-
His Lordship--It is hopelessly irrelevant. I am astounded that anybody should dream of attempting such a thing.
Mr. Pottor-Your Lordship thinks I should not put this in cross-examination ?
His Lordship-Cortainly; it is utterly ir- relevant.
Mr. Potter (to witness)--You told my friend that you charged a cent a pound more than the other butcher shops?
You
His Lordship-This is quite different. ask leave to recall him on definite grounds. I imagined you were going to challenge him as to whether he got together this business. You cannot recall him on other grounds than you bave stated.
Mr. Potter-I will ask him a question on on that point. (To witness) Might I ask, was it not Mr. Howell who drafted the advertisement for the Hongkong Butchery and sent out the letters-They were on his suggestion.
Did he draft the letters for you to send to the Public Works Department?-No,
What?--No, sir.
Do you suggest Mr. Howell did not draft the letters P-We were both present. It was done between us.
You suggest you canrassed for customers. yourself P-I ocrtainly did,
Did you get them -Sometimes I was successful and sometimes I was not.
When did you cauvass for customers-Io 1896.
What time ?-I cannot tell the date.
You did not canvass before 1896 P-Possibly I might have done,
What did you do ?--I spoke to my friends in business and told them I should be pleased to have their support.
And that is all you did?—I did all that I could.
Re-examined by Mr. Slade:
Were you in a position to bring a good deal of business to the Butchery by being steward
of the Mt. Austin Hotel?-Yes.
And it was through your instrumentality that you got the custom of that hotel
Yes.
And as steward thers you were brought in contact with a good many residents?—Yes.
F. Fisher, Sanitary inspector, said that in 1895 he was bailiff in the Supreme Court, and during the first few months the Hongkong
2.
Butchery was in existence he assisted Mr. Howell in going throngh the books. He recalled a meeting held at Mr. Howell's house for the purpose of seeing how the business stood and he formed the impression then that it was a losing
concern,
Cross-examined by Mr. Blade:
I suggest that you memory is defective, and that you were never there at all P-0, yes, I wus there.
A. W. Hill, assistaut bailiff in the Supreme Court, said he remembered an interview which Mr. Tatem had with Mr. Howell at the Supreme Court on October 4th, 1904. Mr. Tatem said he wished to speak privately to Mr. Howell, aud the latter said he could
Say what ho had to say in the presence of witness. Tatem told Howell that the accounts
the latter hal given him were all right and the former asked Dowell to draw up a note which Tatein said he would sign. Howell replied: "You have your solicitor.
I will not go behind
his back. If you go to your solicitor and get him to sign it, then well and good." Cross-examined by Mr. Slade:
You are very positive, Mr. Hill?--Yes, I am You are Howell's brother-in-law ?-Yes, but I was not at that time.
Perhaps you were hoping to be ?---No, I never know about it at that time.
At that time you had no particular interest in Howell P-I had a certain interest. I knew a lot of things that were going on.
That was in 1904. We are now in 1911. You say positively that you remember that particular conversatiou ?--I do, because two or three days afterwards it was taken down and gone over for the other case in 1904.
His Lordship-What case ? Witness-Tatem z. Howell.
of that conversation.
I took notes
His Lordship--You made notes ? Witness - Yes,
Mr. Slade-I put it to you that the sugges
tion was that Howell asked Tatem to sign an acknowledgment?-No.
An offered if he would do so to pay half his solicitor's costs P-No auch suggestion was made at that time.
:
It was obviously to Howell's advantage to get
an acknowledgment Mr. Howell is very houest in his work and would not take advan tage in any way. Mr. Taten knows that. Mr. Tatem knows the facts of the case.
You are very indignant P-No, I am only speaking the truth and what I know to be the facts.
His Lordship-He did not promise to pay half the costs?
Witness-No.
Mr. Slade-It would have been to Howell's advantage to have got an acknowledgment at that time - YAS.
Because you and he knew the debt was statute barred-Yes, If Mr. Howell had got that note signed Tatera would have said that Howell had pressed him to sign it.