SIMBA MYSTERY

Hokitika Guardian, 17 December 1931, Page 2

SIMBA MYSTERY

DISAPPEARANCE! INVESTIGATED

SYDNEY, December 4,

Simba, about whom quite a- mystery was woven when he was shipped to Australia from New Zealand six months ago, was stolen from stables in Hilos street, Alexandria, on the night of November 27th. Valued at £2OOO, the horse is believed to have been taken out of the State, but the owner, Mr George Guest, of 2, Richard Avenue, Bondi, is at a loss to understand why it was stolen.

Simba was quartered at stables occupied by Mr Sam Wallace, a wellknown carrier, and owned by Mr Frank Johnson, of Sussex street, city, and his disappearance was discovered on 1 a.m. on Saturday by an' employee of Mr Wallace. The door of the stables bad been broken open, but nobody seems to have beard the watchdogs bark. The stables were once used to house Frank Nowland’s horses, Stately and Puff, but Nowlnnd has gone to Gosford, and Stately is now trained by J. W, Cook, at llandwick. Stately, a New Zealand-bred mare which won races at Randwick, will be remembered as having performed a trial at Warwick Farm with Gagoola, which ran second in a race at Fleming* ton and subsequently vanished, Mr Wallace, seen by a “Sun” re* porter to-day, said lie knew nothing of the reported disappearance of Simba. He had not reported the matter to the police. Mr Johnson is out of town, but nsa daughter, who was in his office to-day, knew noth! nor of the matter.

STATUTORY DECLARATION. Mr Guest, when seen at his home, said lie had been away from Sydney for some days, and knew nothing of tile loss of Simba until he returned last night. ' The horse had been at the Alexandria stables since November oth. Mr Guest produced a. statutory <Te-'.-laratiou made by the New Zealand trainer, J. T. Jamieson, on November oth. reading: “I have this day, in company with Mr Pot tie, veterinary surgeon, inspected a brown gelding •at Mr Pottie’s yard, Redfern, and I say that the said gelding is the horse known as Simba, which I purchased in New Zealand for Mr George Guest, and I shipped to Mr J. Smith, Kensington.” Mr Guest said that beyond this lie could supply no information, except that S’irnba had been brought to Sydney with th© object of being registered with the racing authorities and being v placed in training. When vts leg was right (he had been blistered by Mr Pottie) he was to have started training. STILL NO CLUE. Since .Saturday Detective-Sergeant Parmenter and Constable Bushell (Redfern) have been investigating the ease. They haye interviewed several people interested in the horse since it come from New Zealand, but have been unable to obtain any clues as to its whereabouts, Simba was purchased in New Zealand on th© recommendation of Ammon Ra’s trainer, J. T. Jamieson, and shipped to Mr Guest. The ship’s consignment note showed that the horse was sent to J. Smith, of Kensington, but according to Mr Guest this was due to a misunderstanding. After his arrival here his new owner announced that he was to be spelled, and from enquiries made at the A.J.O. office to-day no steps have been taken to register him as yet. This has to be done before he can be raced in.. New South Wales. Simba. in his last start, finished second to Tenterden (now in training in Sydney) in the Hawkes Bay Stakes, a semi-classic six and a half furlong race in New Zealand.