SHOCKING BRUTALITY

NZ Truth, Issue 1210, 7 February 1929, Page 8

SHOCKING BRUTALITY

Inhuman Motor-cyclist Drags Dog Behind Till Unable to Stand

" SHOULD BE TREATED SIMILARLY "

~ (From. "N.Z. Truth's" Special Dunedin Representative). ■iiiiniiiiiiiminiiliuiiuiiimniniiiiiitiin iiiiimmiiiimiiiiiimiiimimitill limimiiiuiitiillimiilil iiniiiniiiiiiiii minimi miiiimm iiiiimiiiiiinmtiiiimiiiiim liiiliiiiiinr. i ".>iimH:i;iii!i!iiim--"-iimliHiiiiiuiii<iiitiii.tiiiitiiiiliuiiiMiiiii>iiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiultiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit i iiimiiuiimiiiiii urn iimiiimmiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiimi ■•,! 1 1 H David John Clark, of Wiley's Crossing, must be impervi- || If ous to all human feeling". He certainly is not worthy of being |I II called a man. i! II On January 14, Clark tethered a dog to his motor-cycle jj 1 1 and rode—with the dog trailing behind— a distance of 2y 2 fj jj miles. Part of the way the unfortunate brute was dragged || 1 1 along and later succumbed to its injuries. j!

A PROSECUTION was instituted by the S;P.C.A., and at the Dunedin Police Court Magistrate Bundle fined Clark £6. . To drag along a metal road a helpless and exhausted dog attached to the machine by a six- foot chain, is nothing less than ixn act of Satanic brutality, reminiscent of the hideous cruelty of the ancient Roman arena. Clark adopted this . brutal "towing" method, of transporting the unfortunate animal from its home to the Mosgi.el railway station, a distance Of about three miles. Wh6n the poor. brute was presented to the railway officials for consignment to a northern destination, it was m a deplorable condition. The pads of each of its four paws were lacerated and torn to shreds. The dog was panting with exhaustion and unable to stand up to take < a drink of water offered by a kindly . porter. And the. heartless Clark had the audacity to pass a jocular comment about having a dog for sale! When the case came before Magistrate Bundle m the Dunedin Police Court,- Lawyer Irwin acted on behalf of the Society for.: the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; •; To the charge, Clark; a short,, thickset young man, gave a more or less unintelligible reply, which the cOurt interpreted as "not guilty." : ' Reginald M. Roberts, a railway clerk at Mosgiel, said that Clark carried the dog into the station m his arms, about lI.SO a.tti. on January 14. Witness asked Clark what was the matter with it, and Clark said that he had had it behind his, motor-bike. ,' ' A porter at the Mosgiel. railway station, Alexander Tyley, told the court that the animal was unable to stand up to take a drink Of water. Clark saifl to him: "Do you want to buy a dog?V ' ' ; "The dog was on, its side panting and m a filthy condition," declared ftupert Fountain, Stock Inspector, " who saw the wretohed animal at

the Mosglel station. "To my mind it was m the last lap. I would not have given sixpence for it." John Craig, S.P.C.A. inspector, said that everything possible had been done for the dog on its arrival at Dunedin. He arranged with a porter to visit it regularly, but it died during the night. 1-lis interview with Clark was related by Constable Phillips. "He said he was consigning the dog for another party,'' said Phillips. "When he got about a. mile and a-half from home he gave the dog a spell, and then went on another mile, when the animal petered out. He said he then carried it m his arms fully half a mile to the station." In Phillips' opinion, it was obvious that the dog had run, until it could not go any further, and had then been dragged along. , Clark admitted the truth of ' the constable's evidence. He said he was a laborer 'working at Wingatui, and had recently ; been employed m Chinese market gardens. The machine was of 2% h.p. Magistrate: What speed do you travel? Clark: About five or six miles an hour. „ "That's absolutely 'absurd to give as a speed," retorted the bench. "When a man ties a dog behind a motor bike,'' continued his worship, "anyone with a modicum of common sense would go slow and give the dog a chance. Evidently m your case you showed no consideration at all for the dog. "The facts before hie constitute an absolutely clear case of gross cruelty, and. you are not deserving . of any consideration. The best punishment for you would be to put you m a similar position i r-tied to a motor-bike and dragged along the road, x lt is only with; consider-, able hesitation that I am not send- ■ ing you to gaol." Magistrate Bundle imposed a penalty of, £6, with £4/10/- total costs: m default Of payment, 14 days' imprisonment. ,