RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, AHAURA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1078, 11 January 1872, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT, AHAURA.

Monday, January 8. (Before C. Whitefoord, Esq., R.M.) CIVIL CASES. Wm. Pothan v. John Reid. — A claim of L 5, the value of a milch cow, the property of the plaintiff, and last seen in the possession of the defendant ; and L 5 special damages for wrongful detention. The defendant did not deny that the cow was at one time among his cattle, but he could not prevent it. Some of his cattle were running near M'Kenna's Brewery, and on his attempting to round them up, the plaintiff's cow got among them, and he cut her out. ' She followed his cattle across the Grey River, and to his (the defendant's home paddock. He picked out the beast he wanted, and let the rest loose. They went, accompanied by the cow of the plaintiff, to their usual grazing ground in the river bed between Slaty Creek and Totara. The cow was there now. This evidence was corroborated by the defendant's boy, Robert Letcher. Robert Alcoru said he saw the cow running in the usual place last week. He had experience in driving cattle, and he knew how difficult it was to prevent stray cattle from joining regular droves, or to cut them out when they did get mixed together. The Magistrate held that it was the business of the defendant to drive Pothan's cow back to the place she followed him from, and gave a verdict for the plaintiff for Ll2 with costs. In the event of the cow being returned within fourteen days, the damages to be reduced to one shilling. Mr Staite for the plaintiff. Judgments with co^ts were given for the plaintiffs in the following cases : — Hayes v. Rowlinson, L 4 12s ; Pridgeon v. Braithwaite, L3 l4s 9£d ;R. W. Russell v. Braithwaite, L 7 os 9d ; Olarson v. Boyd, Ll7 6s 5d ; M'Laren v. Morgan, L 3; Lochhead v. Judge, Ll 8s; and Watson v. Man, LG.