NOT BELIEVED

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 33, 9 February 1933, Page 9

NOT BELIEVED

TALE OF A HORSE

-A MADE-UP STORY.

Converting a horse" to his .own" UsS - but not.co as to.' be guilty of theft, wasti a, charge to wMci Thomas".Scholfiei-; pleaded not guilty in the 3_^strate'4V Court at Upper Hutt yesterday, but Mr^l XT. Gr. _' Hewitt, S.M.j convicted 'hitaj/ and placed him on probation __/twelyafmonths. The horse was valued; at rig 10^ and was the property: of 'Alfred.^ Southee. '.-■ '\ Southee gave evidence.ofthe loss at? the -horse and of its identification bvjr him four days later at Scholfield's campi't at Akatarawa, where, he also identified*? & bridle belonging to him.: /_ ..;.'. The evidence of Herbert/Smith.wa_'-'■ that on the same day as Southee losts} his. horse Scholfield asked him t o/ridef i a horse for him behind his lorry /frbines Upper Hntt, giving. no.explanation =_£ where the horse came from.' Smith rods': the horse out from Upper- Hutt, and!after some distance caught up to Schoi _ field waiting with the lorry. Si_ti_ then sat on the back of the lorry and!* led the horse by the reins until theyjt' met a third man named Doig, who was' riding a horse, and. to whom Scholfield' handed over the other, horsed Doig wentiofl with the two horses. Constable C. Joss said that Scholfieldj. '■'" when seen by Mm and Constable. C.-_i Stewart, denied all knowledge of that; horse which was found near his-campji except that it had followed one of his own horses home. '. . ; - Mr. J. A. Scott conducted Scholfield's.. defence. He -aid that Scholfield,;-V coming ont of an Upper Hutt hotel one'/ day and intending to go home, had seen.',' the horse galloping along the street to}' to the water trough. He thought haY recognised it as belonging to a stoekrfdealer friend >f his who often.rod-/ across, to Upper Hutt from near Wai«kanae,i where he lived} and who was at; that time, staying at Akatarawa. He;/ decided to return the* horse, so he go.V Smith to ride it out of Upper. Hutt behind his truck, and _ien he met I)oig> he told Doig to loose the animal "so thaC ■;, it could go home. Doig did this.; Dayslater Scholfield found a bridle on' theroad near his camp, and left it on sipost outside his hut, making no effort U to hide it. He did what he, thought' •' was a friendly turn to the stock dealer;to whom he thought the horse belonged, '-r and when it did turn up at his camp it was not worked by him. ':' In evidence Scholfield said he ..was*, certain in his own mind that the. horse) belonged to the stock, dealer.. Askedr by the Magistrate why he did.nottell?. the constables of this and of his effort to send the animal back to its supposed;.; owner, Scholfield explained that he was-" upset by the constable's threat to ai— rest him. • . * C V Mr. iHewitt: The fact of the matter is that you didn't think of this story-; till afterwards. '. ; /-*:. :/.-.'■. .;■ Mr. Scott: Are you suggesting,. yourj/ Worship, that the;man is committ_j|_ perjury? _ ,«....-■ Mr. Hewitt: I suggest it is a. madet^ up story. "' •"'.*; "'; William Doig Corroborated Scholfield's / statements. He said that he had "chased the horse up the Akatarawa hill"' road, and that the last he saw of it was: when.it was eating grass on the road-0 side. . ."-■'■>-• '- , ■'.' ! Senior Sergeant H. H. Butler, who* prosecuted, suggested to Doig that hoi.'".had been hiding from the police. Tt was* ' most extraordinary, said the Senior Ser-; geant, that Scholfield had been_ble to' ' bring him along that-morning when: thepolice had been unable to find any trace /-'■ of him. Doig denied that he wa» : * hiding from the police. Mr. Hewitt expressed his disbelief of-/ Scholfield's story, and said he certainly,., had converted the horse by leading it' ./** away. He probably had had:a drinK;. or two, and it was a silly thing to'do./ : It was no use fining a man if he had no ;- mpney, so, acting on the suggestion o_rV the senior sergeant, he con_ cted Schol- v field and placed him on probation' for-'.. twelve months. Witnesses' expenses.^ amounting to 16s had to be paid by theijf./ defendant. ' :"..

A platinum nugget weighing over thhy'i teen pounds has been found in _-__"_ Mountains.