Two Horses Drop Dead.

Manawatu Herald, 5 September 1896, Page 3

Two Horses Drop Dead.

A remarkable event took place in Messrs Henderson Bros.' paddock, Marton, on Tuesday afternoon. It appears that Mr A. Nitschke, who occupies a farm at Oof ton, was ongaged in ploughing for Messrs Henderson Bros. He had three horses in the plough, and all seemed to work splendidly until about 4 o'clock, when one of the horses pulled back in the harness, stopped suddenly, shook himself, and fell. The harness was with all haste taken off the animal, and this had hardly been done, when another of the team fell in the same way as the former. Both horses died in the course of a few minutes, and Mr Nitschke took the third away, leaving the others on the ground where they fell. Such a case as that of two horses working in the same plough falling and dying together as these poor beasts did is mo3t unusual. There was a quantity of poisoned wheat lying about, being full of stryohnine, and it is possible they may have eaten some of it. The loss must be a heavy blow to the owner, as the horses were well worth £20, and Mr Nitschke deserves great sympathy. This morning, Mr William Cawood, the well-known horse-doctor in Marton, proceeded to the soene and held a post mortem examination. Numerous farmers were present, anxious to hear the result. After examining the horses, Mr Gawood could not clearly state what had caused the death of the first one, bat he believed that the cause had been bot fly. Mr Gawood, however, intends to send the stomach of this horse to the analyist in Wellington. Mr Cawood ascribed the death of the second horse to the bursting of a blood vessel, caused through his being frightened at the first horse falling, and struggling to get out of the collar. The third horse was uninjured, and there were no symptoms of the other horses being poisoned.—- AdvoeaU.