DISTRICT COURT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3623, 25 September 1890, Page 2

DISTRICT COURT.

MASTERTON—WEDNESDAY. (Before His Honor District JnOg Kobjmon.) JamesS V CIIAUIERS, T, J. James, continuing hi evidence, said that Chalmers wb about to go away after seeing tli hide, in a temper.. Naylor just the rodo up, and while lie was talking ( him Chalmers left, Fivo minutt later palmers returned and said," want to soo that hide." Witnes replied" Well my friend, its up t the slaughterhouse, go and soo it. Ho wout by himself and remained few minutes. On July Ist witnes was in Pahiatun, and in consequent of something his ">oy told him li rodo to the slaughterhouse wliero h found Constable Cooper in possessio with Chalmers and Harding an Constable Treanorand one Callagbar Witness demanded their nu.tWi and Constable Cooper, replied that li woui(l sjocm eliow it. Ho produced searoli warrant and. he then for tli first time knew Chalmers by naiat The hide (produced in Couft) wi lying outside the Blaughtorhousi Witness asl;ed Constable Cooper lie had found anything belonging t Chalmers. The constable said" N( but we have a hide hero which \y want you to explain how you Qnm by." Told the (iQiiskblo ho ha bought tjie beast with a mob ( twelve from J- Wyeth, of Woodvilk Witness remarked that tho- brand were different in appearance fror what they bad been before, an Constable Cooper said as they wer indistinst they had scraped the hide Witness then saw that although th brawl W Molohed it appeared to b Oaliaghau'a brand BT. Still out t that a JW might bo made, especiaU when it was partly coyqtccl \fjtl} hail The wwt had done him groat deal of injury, and he had bee subjected since to all kinds of launl about " olieap meat." On the ski being examined he "offered to give tb constables and otliers every satisfac tion and to place his books at thei disposal.' They did not go into tb house, but expressed thomsqlve satisfied wiili the explanation betwee Gallagher} and vfjlness. Cross examined by Mr Bunny Was not a butoher by trade, but ha beou carrying on business since tb beginning of the year, and had don a fairly good business.' General] perclmsed for cash. The gtqol: pni chased wo j)u| \\\ fy paddoc of about tw6 hundred acre Piiroliased cattle fiom John Wyetl

of Woodville, in' April last, 1 Began killing cattle in that rtontli* and bad since slaughtered, five out of the dozen purchased from Wyeth, Busi- ji ness gradually' increased, and for 0 sometime lie had been slaughtering j, two or three weekly. Did not see a Wyeth's cattle before buying them. ] Had bought other cattle without j seeing them. Had been for five e years farming and previously was a r carpenter; but had always a general { knowledge of stock. The boast referred to was killed, under the im- \ pressicn that it was Wyeth's, Meyer s killed any beast, so faras he know, t that did not belong to him. Knew s a man uai-ued John Gower, who owned land at Kowai. Remembered meeting Gower when he wqs driving , several bullocks, One of lliem ( had branching horns ' and he ( asked Gower about it. It was a red ; bullock and Wyeth saw it before it : was killed. He know that , persons had been searching for beasts that he was supposed to have. When the defendant saw the hide of Callaghan's ; beast lie exclaimed, "This one is moreliko it." -Could make two or tlkee things out of the brand, It ] was a block brand. The beast was killed on the 23rd Juao, and the hide j was examined by Chalmers on the | 80th. j M, Callaghan, sworn, deposed to ' being present when the search , warrant was, executed at James' , John Wyeth proved having sold , twelve, beasts to Mr James by des- ' oription, The hide produced was very like that of 'one of the beasts he _ had sold. ■ Constable Treanor deposed to the search warrant having been issued at defendant's request. Ho was also j. present when it was executed, 3 THURSDAY. J Fred Harding, sworn, deposed he 1- was slaughterman for Mr James and r had killed the beasts purchased from n Wyeth, The hide of the beast if referred to bore the brand " J.W," to the best of his knowledge. Cross-examined by Mr Bunny: i- Had never killed unbranded cattle, d The majority of the cattle killed were d purchased from Bettlers, )■ Thomas Barnes, who was also in l. the employ of plaintiff, gave corrolr borative evidence to that of James, j- Chalmers had looked at all of' the [r hides and claimed none of them.