Perverted Sense Of Humour

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14883, 21 January 1949, Page 3

Perverted Sense Of Humour

Yearling Owner’s Big

Less

Fake Bid For Valuable Horses

(P.A.) Wellington, Jan 20 An individual with a perverted sense of humour perpetrated a senseless hoax on the first day of the Trentham yearling sales. He bought two yearlings offered on behalf of Mr t. K. Barnes, of Masterton, giving the name of M. Brian. Petone. Mr Brian was not at the sale and had no mention of buying any yearlings. On reading that he was supposed to have expended 750 gs for two yearlings, he lost no time in repudiating the buys. The auctioneer, Mr C. E. Robertson, had no alternative but to offer the yearlings again after the last catalogued lot had been sold yesterdav afternoon.

A Trenham trainer, W. G. Hawthorne, took a filly by Paper Boy from Baby Blue at 175 gs, and Mr G. Blackwood, of Lower Hutt, a brown colt by Paper Boy from Kauri Queen for 110 gs. They had been knocked down to the mystery bidder the day before for 400 gs and 350 gs respectively.

Mrs Barnes was the chief sufferer, as the perpetrator of the hoax was not the only person in the market for the horses at the original offering, and she loses several hundred pounds as a result.