CAUTION TO FARMERS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1496, 2 November 1885, Page 2

CAUTION TO FARMERS.

In charging the Grand Jiiry, at the recent Supreme Court . sessipnc' : at New . Plymouth, Judge Gillies referred to the case against Mr W. Mitdhell, /as follows, according to the Taranaki Herald report :-~The third' case is "one of; thos_euntortunate ca«es whi6h happen in'comv try districts, where the v cattle of one man break into the": fenqed land of another, who though tifessiy and foolishly" puts a charge of sliot into them, not with intent of; killing, butsimplywith the intention of "driving them off. This, however, would be maliciously wounding. In the present case it appears that what apparently was a wild bullock broke through the fence of a settler, and he? tddk.i his gun and fired two shots at it. The shot struck and wounded the bullock, causing the blood to flow. For the crime of maliciously and unlawfully wounding, it is not necessary to show malice against/ the; owner .of ; the animal; it is ., quite sufficient if he intended the shot to penetrate the' hide of the animal. If, on. the other hand, it should appear to you that he intended to frighten the animal, but by : chance the shot struck it, that would ■; not be intentional and wilful injury, but merely . accident, If he intended the shot to strike the animal you will find a trne bill 5 if, on the contrary, you are convinced he did it merely for the purpose of frightening the bullock, you' will find no bill. The jury found no true bill j rior.did they m another oase of a similar kind,<