R.M. COURT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2016, 15 June 1885, Page 2

R.M. COURT.

) MASTERTdN-MONDAY. (Before H. A. Stratford, R.M)< ', i . '• DRUNKENNESS, ; \ A man charged with drunkenness was nned 5s or eight hours' imprisonment. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. Frederick Jurite was charged with cruelly ill-treating, overdriving, and overloading a horse. .He pleaded not guilty Sergeant McArdle conducted the prosecution, it Joseph J. Freeth, clerk of the court deposed that he was returning from Tinui on Saturday last. At the top of the cutting atKahumingi he saw defendant with his two horses-a saddle and a pack' horse. He was in the act of taking the saddle off one. Mr Rogers', libtelkeepeiy said Yuu had better put tlie'mail in the' coach; you will never reacliHfraaterton with these horses." The horses appeared jaded to such an extent that they were hardly able to walk. They were poor m condition. As the defendant took the saddle off one of the horses, "T*.™ Eogers or the coachman said,' Whacareyougoingtodowithit '• He gave it a kick in the belly, and said ■ "I'm going to leave the b—where it is. On the saddle being removed witness noticed a large sore on the wither covered with blood. The horse had boeii spurred on both sides. One side had a sore from the spur as large as a man's hand, the other sore was smaller. Harford, the coachdriver, took the mails in his coach, and, drove on to the Taueru Hotel. Defendant came up about a quarter-of-an-hour afterwards riding the other horse—a e;rey—and began cursing and swearing, declaring his horses would not work, and that he was going to turn the horse into a paddock. As he took off the saddle for that purpose, the skin of the horse stuck to the lining, and a sore was revealed as. big as a crowo,piece. 'On the other side of the animal's back there TO a sore of similar dimensions. Witness called Harford's attention to the defendant's spur, which was covered with blood. ' Defendant came into Masterton in'the ■ coach, but in the state it was in, the ' horse could not possibly follow, i Arthur Harford, ooach driver, corrobo- • rated the foregoing evidence, • In answer to the charge, accused said < lie spurred the horse to catch the coach < as ho wanted to send the mail by the 1 coach and relieve the horse, There was only thirty-five pounds weight on the' » pack saddle, and the other horse was » carrying twelve stone. He knew what ' was best for the horse, and considered * the spur was not so bad as using a stick < to it. He had travelled sixteen miles * with the horses that day from Black Hill, i Judgment was reserved until the charge of omitting to supply the horses with t proper food and shelter on the 13th June * was heard, a

Arthur Harford deposed that accused turned one horse on the side of the road, and the other he brought toTaueru and had it turned into a paddock. He did not hear him mention giving it a feed. The horse could not have heen fed on the road, as there was no plape b,uj; a guUy Accused jaid there Was plenty of grass ar,d fine shelter jn the gully he turned it inta

In answer to the Court, witness said he did not know what kind of a paddock the Qnehorae was turned into, hut the road side was. unfit for a horse to stay on after being knocked up on the road. J. J, Freeth gave similar evidence, and further said that .the horse which was brought to the Taucru was turned out into a paddock at the request of defendant, and did not get a feed. Defendant said he put his horses in a splendid gully, where thero was plenty of feed and good shelter. His Worship said that from the evidence the accused was a cruel, hard man, and not fit to have care of horses. He recommended him to take some other occupation, He did not like sendinghim to prison, as it might be the n]eana pf Mening his heart #1 Ojfth'e first oase ho was convicted',' and would be mulcted in the penalty of £lO or one month's hard labor, and the second charge £1 or in default six days' hard labor. A. W. Henall v Davie-Claim, £ls for !«nt. Judgment by default for the amount claimed, and Court costs 355.