Notes and Events.

Manawatu Herald, 30 May 1893, Page 3

Notes and Events.

,«., „ ..:. « ■ ; •. ■i'Thei' particulars of the alleged |h|e'^'. stealing case at Woodville JE^wiibw reckless men may become or how peculiarly men lose the run jolathe^j, flock. We jmm informed by one who bad suffered, that: there IB.a Jot Qt sheep stealing, going ; on around Palmerston. Our informant mentioned the loss of some twenty or tnjriy;£w& anasonie fifty lambs out of a amall.lbUn apaddqck, for wKich jfeherewere no bodies in or the paddock to account, for the loss,. He also mentioned a, settler who had Iwilbjee hundred., With the imjK>rtant oase- at - Hawera it would appear s'as5 'as though manywerej adoptIng*^ 1 in ' this colony the tricks' r.^counted of the, Australian cattle thievts.-. .., . •■-v.-.f; .. -..■, :.'■ People used certainly to make mistalus about earmarks on sheep in the old days. We have heard it men ltioned that a butcher who used to own a flock of sheep which grazed on the open country round about the town he lived in, had a most peculiar knack of having almost the same .^umber.of; sheep at shearing each though the flock was held to X9pply the shop. He had wonderful management, and wonderful luck, though his neighbors could- never manage such percentages. The trouble nearly came upon him one day. A neighbouring owner' rather abruptly entered the killing-yarfL one day, when. not exjsec^d, and, noticed that the heads of ajatQly slain sheep bore his earmark. This naturally " riled " the owner andhebega.n to use warm, words. 'Our outcher, believing^ that,, a soft word turneth away wrath, and was ftlflO'advisable-for-other purposes, regretted exceedingly if any accident |\^d really. taken place, and desired ,the owner to enter int'6 his parlor, itid v tfibt€f the very choicest ltq»o'r

that was kept therein. He did, and time, passed till the butcher waxed indignant at the suspicions so very forcibly expressed by the owner and advised him to clear out. The owner said he would and would also take the head of that sheep and lodge a complaint as to the stealing of it. The owner went out, but the sheep's head was gone. The owner chafed, the butcher laughed. Moral.— Do not talk about what you are going to do, but do it first, and talk, if necessary, afterwards. The owner however, found his percentage of increase to rise after that little occurrence.

We had an instance of sheep stealing in this neighbourhood a few years back which was really the work of a man who was half an imbicile. A settler kindly allowed the ungrateful wretch an old house for a dwelling, which was situated in ; a paddock away from his residence. In the paddock he had some very fine sheep running. To his surprise these diminished in numbers beyond his comprehension. It was accounted for at last by his discovering his tenant quietly boiling down one of the sheep in kerosene tins for tallow, which he sold to obtain supplies for his house. On the roof of the house .Were found some four or five sheepskins, with his landlord's brand, laid out to dry. The man did not seem much put out when taxed with the crime, and passed some time afterwards iri .a building of whioh the Queen was landlady.