ALLEGED SHEEP STEALING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 957, 21 February 1911, Page 3

ALLEGED SHEEP STEALING.

At the Palmerston Magistrate's Court yesterday, before Mr A, D. Thompson, S.M., Frederick Allen Richards, of Palmerston, was charged, on remand, that he did at Palmerston on February 9th steal ten sheep, valued at the property of Barber Bros., of Himalangi.

The accused was defended by Mr H. G. Moore.

Otho Barber, of Himatangi, of the firm of Barber Bros., deposed to buying sheep at the sale at Palmerston North on the 9th of February. A drover, George Burrows, took delivery of the sheep. The police detained the sheep, so Burrows was unable to take them home. He bought several lots of sheep at the sale, over a thousand in all. The sheep alleged to be stolen were valued at about £5. He knew the accused, but he had never given him authority to remove any of their sheep from the yards. One of the missing sheep was one he had bought from Harding’s. He saw it on Friday, 10th. The accused was not present at the time.

To Mr Thompson: He partly arranged for the accused to take the sheep to Himatangi, but it went off as they could not agree on the price for droving. George Burrows, drover, of Palmerston, stated that he remembered the occasion of the ewe sale at Palmerston. He was engaged by Barber Bros, to drive sheep to Himatangi on that date. There were 1450 sheep in the mob. The sheep were counted in the saleyard about 4 p.m. They were counted by Mr Moore, of Abraham and Williams, and he took Moore’s tally. He then put them in the back of the saleyards in different pens for the night. He left the yards at about 5 o’clock, and returned about 6.30 p.m. When he arrived at the yards he saw the accused going out of the yards into Toanui street with his sheep. Two boys were also present, and they were helping the accused to get the sheep out. The accused drove the sheep out into Toanui street. In consequence of what the boys told him, witness spoke to accused and asked him what he was doing taking the sheep out of his pens, or something to that effect. Accused did not make any reply, so he repeated his question, and this time witness was told that he was counting lambs in the Loan and Mercantile Company’s yards. The accused turned around and staggered about, and asked witness to count the lambs for him. He said that if he had any of witness’ sheep they could fix it up and pull them out. The accused put the sheep he was driving into the Loan Company’s entrance yard, in Toanui street. The sheep were in the pen when he got there. The sheep had been shifted about 50 yards. He recognised several of Barber’s sheep in the mob the accused had just put into the yard. The accused was driving a mob of interior or cull ewes, while Barber’s sheep were mixed ewes, a fairly good class, and far superior to the mob accused had. Richards appeared to be quite sober till he turned round and staggered. He did not see anything to attract attention in his condition till he turned round. Alter a time Moore Bros., of the firm of Abraham and Williams, Ltd., came, and they sent for the police. The accused’s sheep were on the other side of the yards to his, with only a race between the two lots. The accused, to take his sheep into Toanui street, would have to take his sheep into the race and then into the main entrance to Toanui street. The gates of the pen in which his sheep were would open info the main entrance. His sheep remained at the yards all that night. The sheep were counted next morning, and were thirteen short of the total when they were counted by Mr Moore. He later went and picked ten of his mob out of those Richards had put into the pen. He identified the sheep by the class of sheep, and the ear-marks and brands corresponding to the sheep in his own pen. He then brought the sheep together and compared the ear-ir a r ■■ ;id brands, which corrcspunaed in all respects. The accused had no sheep similar to witness’s in his lot. The sheep he had seen at the Courthouse that day were the ones he had picked out. The accused’s sheep all bad a blue raddle mark on the head. He never gave the accused any authority to remove any of the sheep. Cross-examined by Mr Moore : He stated that the accused was driving some sheep belonging to settlers at Foxtou and they were going in the same direction as his.

To theS.M. : lie stated that the sheep stolen were not of the same class, and he was not sure which pen they had come out of. They might all have come out of the one pen. There were no gaps or breaks in any of the pens. Alter the accused turned round he did not consider that he was drunk. He did not detect any sign of liquor on the accused although he was quite close to him.

After the remainder of the evidence had been called, accused was committed for trial at the Supreme Court, he having reserved his defence. Bail was allowed, self ,£roo and two sureties of each.