SERIOUS CHARGES OF ILLTREATING HORSES.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2610, 18 August 1882, Page 4

SERIOUS CHARGES OF ILLTREATING HORSES.

At the Kakaia B.M. Court yesterday, before O. Whitefoord, Esq, R.M., M, A’Harne was fined 40j ; H. Harper, 40i ; Stack, 20s j and W. Palmer, 20s— for cruelty to animals in working horses belonging to their era ployer, Nicholas Welsh, the hones haying very sore shoulders, and being altogether in a wretched condition. His Worship pointed out to accused that it was no excuse for them to say that they were only doing as they were bid, as they were not justified in committing an unlawful act because it waa the wish of their employer. . Nicholas Welsh was charged with ill- . treating twenty horses. Sergeant Felton sworn, said —I went to Welsh’s land near Ohertsey and found seven horses with harness on feeding. In the paddock there were six other horses unharnessed. Examined seventeen other horses, which all had very bad shoulders. The horses appeared to be badly oared for and badly fed. There was no feed in the paddock. I examined the collars which were being worn by the horses; they were in bad order, and had bags fastened on them that they might not hurt the sores. The sores of five horses were healing, but in two oases the old scabs had been rubbed ; one horse had five sores as largo os the palm of my hand. Constable Bouse, sworn, said —I went to Welsh’s. Saw five horses in his yard ; their shoulders were very sore, Welsh himself was ploughing; he waa “whipping” the horses. I stopped him and examined the horses’ shoulders. They were all very bad. A’Herne was ploughing with four horses, all with sore shoulders. Harper was working four horses, two of which _ were very bad. Palmer was harrowing with four horses. I had seven horses unharnessed and took away the collars. Welsh admitted it was a shame to woik the horses, but he had only thirty more acres to put in, and he wanted it finished. There wore twenty-three horses on the place at the time, and seventeen of them were very bad. Next day I went with Constable Hicks to Welsh s, Welsh was there. I brought away three horses. I had to leave two others behind, as they were not fit to travel to Kakaia, a distance of nine miles. The matter was oezing out of the back of one of them. One of the three I brought away ia now lying at Lake’s stables, and it is not able to rise. There was no grass anywhere on the place. All the collars were in a similar condition to the two produced. Q-. Shellock, poundkeeper, sworn, said—l went to Welsh’s on Monday. I took notice of the horses there. They had sore shoulders, were very poor, and not fit to be at work. I have seen the hortes outside the Court. They are a fair sample of the condition of the whole lot. Ido not know what is Welsh’s position. He says he has 1900 acres of crop in. By Welsh—l never saw a lot of horses so bed as yours. I may have S?en an odd one or so. Chai. Lake, sworn, said —I am a livery stable keeper at Kakaia. I received three horses from the police on Tuesday. Two are now outside the Court, and one ia down in my stable. It is not able to rise through starvation and weakness. It would be a charity to destroy it. In defence Welsh said —I have been six years in Kakaia, I have been a hardworking honest man, always paying my way. I entered into an undertaking in connection with the land I hold, and I could not get out of it. I am a saddler, and was obliged to give up my business to attend to my farming, as I had not money to carry on both. The three horses should not have been taken to Lake’s stable. Lake was no friend of his. With regard to the horse now down at Lake’s he asked hie Worship whether he had over heard of horses being drugged. His Worship reprimanded Welsh for insinuating such a thing, and told him ho was damaging his own esse by his remarks. M. A’Herne, H. Harper, Stack,'and Wm. Palmer, Welsh’s men, who had just bean fined for using the horses in question, gave evidence as to the quantity and quality of the food provided, and the work done by the horses. A’Herne said he always groomed his horses, and ho could not account for a wound nearly a foot in length under the thigh of one of the horses, never having seen it till it was pointed out by tho police; the wound was then running. This was all tho evidence. Accused made a statement to the effect that it waa all a conspiracy, and asked his Worship not to give judgment till next Court day, in the meantime to send any two gentleman ho might choose to inspect the horses on his land, when it would be seen that he had been painted blacker than ho really was. This was objected to by the police, as it was understood that several of the horses had been removed.

His Worship, in summing np, said he had grave doubts whether he would bo doing his duty by not sending accused to prison for six months with hard labor. He had the power to inflict a penalty of £5 for each horse so illnsed, which would make the amount £IOO, but he considered that imprisonment with bard labor would be the greater punishment in his case.

Accused begged not to be imprisoned, alleging that he bore a good character, as he could bring witnesses to prove. penalty of £2O was inflicted, Inch costs, £i to be paid within twenty-four hours, or distress to be levied on accused’s effects.

Nicholas Welsh was charged with obstructing the police in the execution of their dnty on Tuesday last in connection with the illused horses, also with using abnsive and threatening language towards Constable Bouse and his wife.

In defence, accused said he was drunk at the time, and did not remember anything of it. His Worship said had these two charges been heard before the former case he certainly would not have lot him escape imprisonment. He had told the Bench about his good character, bat it had been proved that he had a very bad character. He had behaved in a most revolting, unmanly way. He cautioned accused not to come before him. He would be fined £7 and costs.