R.M. COURT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1952, 30 March 1885, Page 2

R.M. COURT.

MASTERTON-MONDAY. (Before H. S. Wardell, R.M.) ABUSIVE LANGUAqE. Samuel Groves v Amelia ftfadesley.— Tho complainant in t]iis case which had been adjojjrned from a previous sitting for the production of a witnesij.'fajled to put in an appearance, arid the'information was dismissed.' CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. Peter Johnston, laborer, Gladstone, pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty to a horse. • ' ' ■''■•; Pau Tahamv,-a Maori of Gladstone, stated through Mi- Freefch the interpreter, that on 17th April the defendant borrowed a chestnut-mare to. ride in. from Gladstone

to Masterton and baek. The nrnwaF* B "'■'•■ nover returned to him. fie hodpftw'';' heard it was dead. It belonged lw '"4 •"' wife. Accused had paid hisVM?fe £4, and he had agreed to )«ke, L 6, thinking the horse had died a-' natural death. He valued tho animal at • '■•■ Ll4. It having come to his knowledge that the man had brutally killed the. horse, he had given information to the Police Sergeant. The horse was aged, but in good condition. He only knew the defendant as a man working at Buchanan's station.

Mr James Welch, farmer, Opaki, deposed that on the 17th April .he, saw accused riding a chestnut horse with a white face. The horse was just about, knocked up, and the rider was flogging the horse on the flank and on the head. The horse did hot seem strong enough to get along, and it kept turning round and round. He heard of a horse being dead on the Mikimiki road about threequarters of f, mile from where he saw the"' rider thrashing the gb William Harris, an intelligent lad oP*j 15 years of age deposed he was at Opaki school, on the 17th instant. It was Opaki Race day. He saw tho accused on the. road near the : school. He recognised accused, who was riding a chestnutjHtee on that day ; he got off his horseand commenced scraping some blood off the hoi'BO with a knife he had in his hand. Accused then led the horse along about a chain .and after sharpening his knife Ee . commenced prodding the horse with thd the knife ; he saw the blood on the horse and on accused's trouser leg when* he passed them first. The man was prodding •' the horse when they saw him with. a. knife.' 'They afterwards Baw him hitting . the horse with what they thought to be a ' • stone. The horse kept going round. A " lad named John Campbell was with him. It was between 4 and 6 o'clock, Aceused.called out to him and asked the! road to. Masterton but they were too frightened to go near. John .Campbell, a lad who could • scarcely'see over the witness box, corroborated the evidence of the last witness?'-

Hans Christian Petersen gave evidence ■■ that he was a carter, ami saw accused oh the day in question on the Opaki roadi. A chestnut horse was lying on the road,' ■'■' and he spoke to accused, who said he wat •' cutting the horse's throat becauselHH'v' would not go any further. /^^^ : Michael Sullivan deposed that on the•• ■•''• 18th he was sent by the road overseer tin .-"•'■ 'bury a horse. It had eight stabs on thr'- .'■■ ribs, four.stabs on the temple, its head '- '•'■'■ smashed in as if done with a stone, at}d ; " its throat cut across, The body of the horse was on the road. ''■ * Mr Bunny asked that the Court would hear (lie statement of the accused, mi; also hear.eyidenco as to Iris character. He' was known, as a sober industrious man," and his friends could not account for his ■■ action on this occasion : Accused, .who was in a very norrous state declined to make any statement. .The Sergeant of the police gave the . ■ man an.excellent character, and said it was ?wHhe same man who was supposed to have filled a horse sometime previously. His Worship said there were two kinds of cruelty, one deliberate, and the other when done in anger and unpremeditated. Without doubt the former was the worst. . He was inclined to think that in this cm it was the result of irritability, and mm ' haps the kindest act was in taking the ;V animal's life; He should sentence him > to one month's hard labor, and to pay to ; - ; • the owner LlO damages in addition to - that already-paid, or to another month's hard labor, ..

"■ SHEEP CASES. '.. ' Hy. Bannister pleaded guilty to a charge by the Sheep Inspector, of exhibiting sheep infected with lice in Lowes & ' lorus' sale yards, and was fined a penalty f "V of £1 and fls costs, i \

' Same y. Millman. Charged with '.- crossing a certain run with 200 Bheep . '■■ without giving due notice to the occupier, he was liable, under the 49th section. The Inspector having had this information , given him had no option but to bring this case befora the Court, and the minimum penalty was 3d per head. If the ' defendant ha;} given the ogcupier (Mr \ W.L. Dorset), twenty-four hours'notice,, i no action woujd have been taken. The " case really was to get t]ie decision of the ' Court upon a point of law. His Worship asked whether, upder ,j section 62 the Inspector could prosecute if the occupier had given his verbal conjliv sent, and had not received formal notrSK! as required by the Act, V j Mr Bunny said no compromise could j be made according to this section. In |' this question the action had arisen at the instigation of the occupier. Mr Beard appeared for the defendant. " Defendant was fined 50s and costs.