CALLOUS CRUELTY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 226, 30 January 1911, Page 5

CALLOUS CRUELTY

THREAT OF IMPRISONMENT. C. Skedgewcll was charged at the Stratford Magistrate's Court on Friday with having cruelly ill-treated a horse at Huiroa on January 1. Accused pleaded guilty, heing represented by Air. Fookes. Detective Boddam, representing the police, said that while accused was riding a horse from Midhirst to Huiroa the horse broke its leg by putting its foQt in a rut. He told a settler in the vicinity of his mishap, and was advisea to shoot the horse, but did not do so. The next day the horse was found dead by a settler, there being evidence that it had travelled some distance on three legs.

Mr. Fookes said accused had made arrangements with a man to destroy the horse, but this man failed to do so. Mr. Kcnrick said the previous week he had heard a case in which a roan was charged with having left a cow without food. The cow was left in a paddock, and the accused pleaded that he had asked somebody to look after itj but the evidence showed that he had taken no pains to see that this party carried out his promise. The cow happened to be fed by another party, but if this hnd not been done the cow would certainly have died of slow starvation. The present case seemed to be a similar one. Accused returned to the horse for , his saddle, but did not take the trouble to kill the horse. In such cases he felt inclined to send men to' gaol, although he was always averse to such action. He would not imprison in this case, but the fine would be heavy. Accused would be fined £7 and costs. This fine was lower than usual because the costs totalled £4 3s (including 30s for disposing of the horse). He had dealt witn a good number of similar cases recently, and he would certainly consider the question of sending people guilty of gross cruelty to gaol. —Post.