Notes and Events.

Manawatu Herald, 23 September 1893, Page 2

Notes and Events.

It will be noticed elsewhere that the celebrated " Stockboy " case has been decided in plaintiff's favour. The case has brought to light a good deal of the tricks of the trade, but it would seem that Morris Lyons has suffered from the desire " to ow.i a horse that could win a maiden race, just so as to say that he did own a horse," and he has been disappointed and very nearly got disqualified for life A racehorse appears to be a very dangerous animal to own, unless you have bred him, and then he turns out very expensive.

Mr Lyons detailed in his evidence how he purchased the horse on the advice of friends. How, when he looked at the horse in the stable he thought it was more like a carthorse, and after he had purchased it he may have mentioned hi 3 intention to run him at Wellington. He promised the late owner should know " when she was going to have a go " so that he could put a pound on her !

A witness deposed that- having been directed by Mr Simpson to sell the horse he met " two or three horsey people " whom he asked whether he would get into trouble by selling the horse (Badger) as Stockboy They had told him he should not do so, as if he did he might get into trouble, but he could race the horse as Stockboy so long as he was not found out." The wisdom of Solomon has thus been almost equalled.

The defendant appears to have been a nice young man, judging from his cross-examination, which is reported as follows : — By Mr Fitzherbert — He had been disqualified by the Ashurst Club, but did not know about the Woodville and Palmerston clubs. Sometimes he signed his name as D. Cameron Simpson, and sometimes as D. Cameron. Several nomination papers were then read, signed in different ways. One paper set forth that the horse was Stockbpy, and had never won an advertised race. Mr Fitzherbert — How can you account for such an abominable lie ? Witness —The paper was made out by a friend, as witness was ignorant of racing matters. He had never made out a nomination paper himself. The Bench— Are you also ignorant of what truth is ? Cross-examination continued — He changed the horse's name in order to get the weight reduced, or in other words to swindle the handicapper and the public. He badly wanted to get rid of the horse, as he wanted to bny ifcoclr, He expected

the court to believe that Lyons in- » tended- to keep up the liitle thieving swindle^