WHOLESALE CATTLE-STEALING IN QUEENSLAND.

Evening Star, Issue 3166, 14 April 1873, Page 3

WHOLESALE CATTLE-STEAL-ING IN QUEENSLAND.

The A uslrnlasinn of March 8 has the following reference to a case we mentioned a few days ago as having been recently tried at Roma, Q eontdand :—Henry Rcdford was charged with having stolon 400 head of cattle from Bmvcn Downs in March, 1870. 'Die number missed from the station at the time was 1,000. One animal was a valuable bull. The witness who threw most light on the case was James M'Pherson. He was in company with Rcdford and three other men, named M'Kenzie, Doudncy, and Brooke, on B iwen Downs station, in the year 1870, in charge of drays and horses belonging to a man ranv’d Forrester. They all went 25 miles up the Thompson River, and there built cattle yards. When the yards were completed, he, with Hie others, mustered a large number ef the Bowen Downs cattle, and filled tho yards with them. The cattie were afterwards drafted off in mobs of 200 and 300 at a time to Forrester’s camp. Tho white bull outside the court was amongst the cattle taken at that time, the object being that he would keep tho c >ws and heifers quiet, of which there was a large number in the mob. Ultimately the whole of the cattle were driven off by Bedford, M'Kenzie, and Brooke towards the southern Colonies. The witness was not a very satisfactory one, it must be admitted. He had escaped from punishment himself because the jury thought him insane. He was sent to Brisbane, but broke out of the reception house. The authorities re-arrested him in New Bouth Wales, and gave him a free pardon, to induce him to furnish fair evidence in the present trial. But there was proof, independently of M'Pherson’s statement, that in the month of June Bedford sold the bull and two cows to a man named Allan Walke, in South Australia, at a place 1,000 miles from Bowen Downs. The bull was identified with readiness by the owners. ■ The jury acquitted prisoner. Much surprise was evinced at the verdict, in which th,e judge joined; and after having requested the foreman to repeat it, he saiff, “Thank God, gentlemen, that verdict is yours, not mine.” The costs of tho wi‘nesses in this case were over LOGO.