RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Temuka Leader, Issue 2511, 3 June 1893, Page 3

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Temuka —Friday, June 2, 1893. [Before D. L. Inwood and M. Quinn, Esqs., J.P.’s.] MALICIOUSLY KILLING SHEEP AND LARCENY. William Williams was charged with maliciously killing a sheep, the property of John Mclntosh, of Winchester, on the 19th May last; and also with stealing an accordian and other articles, the property of Charles Greenall, at Milford, on the 18th May last. John Mclntosh deposed that on the 19th May last he had a sheep tethered within a mile of the railway; he saw it alive that evening. On the morning of the 20th he found it dead, lying on its side with its throat cut. There was an appearance of the sheep having been held down. There were tracks of blood, as though the sheep had walked around after its throat was cut. He had been offered £1 for the sheep. He did not know the prisoner, and gave no one authority to kill the sheep. James Watt, a baker at Winchester, deposed to seeing prisoner at the door of Mr Opin’a shop at Winchester betwsen 10 and 11 o’clock on the night of the 19th. In reply to a question as to what he was doing he said he was waiting for his chum. Next morning he saw Mr Mclntosh’s sheep dead. James Patrick, butcher, Winchester, deposed that the sheep had not been killed in the ordinaiy way a butcher would kill it, and must have lived some time after its throat was cut. He skinned the sheep, and noticed that it appeared to be strained across the loins. He had a stack of potatoes near where the sheep was killed, covered with bandies of straw, and he noticed on the 20th that some of them had been removed to one end of the stack, and ic looked as if some one had camped there for the night. Constable Bourke deposed to arresting prisoner in a whare at Smithfield on the 21th May. On charging him with killing Mr Mclntosh’s sheep, he stammered for a while, and then said he did it with the knife produced. He said he intended to skin the sheep and sell the skin, but the sheep did not die and he thought it would live. He said he hit the sheep over the head with the iron peg to which it was tethered. He also said he slept in the straw near where the sheep was fouud, and that it was alive when he left. Offered him no inducement to make this statement. Prisoner had nothing to say, and was committed for trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court in Timaru. To the second charge prisoner pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment with hard labor.