CRUELTY TO A HORSE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13877, 1 February 1909, Page 4

CRUELTY TO A HORSE.

, A CONTRACTOR FINED, ,

! : ' ' " < • ' I-, In the Police Court this xriornisg, ' ' before Mr C; E. Bellringor, '' J.P-, , Frank Sole, a contractor, was charged with having cruelly ill-treated a horse. . J Mr Quilliam appeared for defend- V ant, who pleaded guilty. White admitting that the horse had been severely punished, Mr' Qnilliani urged that there, were extenuating circumstances. Sole, he said, had to arrive at New Plymouth from Oakura beforo 1 p.m. on Saturday in order to lodge a tender for a contract. ££is horse, .*£- youngr. one, was a little troublesome at the start. At the Tapuae defendant overtook a settler, and his horso retusecL to go past the. latter's horse. Up to thi» Sole had used- only a fern-stick. on. f tho - horse, but now he/ borrowed a whip, from the settler. It was an ordinary light cart-whip. " At Omata the horse -acaioa became troublesome,, and f»shed into a fence. At Spotswood it. rushed I into a barbed-wire fence, and this, suggested counseli caused the. wound* on its chest. When he used the" whip Sole did not know that wire was protruding from the end of it. Had he -known it, or been aware ,of the way the whip had damaged the horse*, he > would not have punished it as he had done. Sole was a highly respectable man, added counsel.. Mr Quilliamv concluded by asking the Bench tq be. lenient. • • U After viewing the horse, Mr, Bellringer said he considered the wounds in the animal's chest had been , caused by the barbed-wire fence mentioned. He pointed out to Sole that the case should be a warning to him to keep Ins temper when next he i;ode a /o« n fi horse. Accused was convicted and fined £l and costs 7s. , - , - , •