SUPREME COURT.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9499, 19 August 1896, Page 3

SUPREME COURT.

CRIMINAL SESSION.

Tuesday, August 18. (Before his. Honour Mr Justice Dennieton.) The Court opened at 10 a.m. SHEEP3TEALING. I George Kyrrison was indicted for having stolen seventy lambs and seventy sheep, the property of Charles Ensor. Mr Stringer appeared to prosecute on behalf of the Crown. Mr Russell for the accused, who pleaded "Not guilty." The case for the Crown was that the accused lived near Mr Ensor's Mount Grey station, and had a block of fifty acres adjoining some land of Mr Ensor's, known as the Midland Block, on which the sheep were depasturing. On April 27fch, owing to having missed a number of sheep, Mr Ensor took precautions to. have a mob of 625 sheep drafted and counted carefully on to the Midland block, which was very securely fenced. A mueter was made about the end of May or beginning of June, and seventy-nine sheep were found to be missing. A careful muster was made of all the adjoining runs and paddocks, but none of the missing sheep were found. He advertised a reward of £20 for the finding of the sheep. Subsequently he received information, acting upon which he took steps to getcertain sheep obtained from Kyrrison s, and also from some person to wnom the accused.had sold them. On the 15th July the police and Mr Ensor's shepherd found five sheep on the farm of accused, the earmark of which had been altered from that of Mr Ensor to reeemble that of the accused. The wool brand of the accused had been placed over that of Mr Ensor, -and this' latter also had been partially effaced with the shears. The brand of the accused on these particular sheep was not where he put it on his own sheep out on the same place where Mr Ensor's was put. 'Amongst the sheep were sonic in which the conversion of Mr A. E. Ensor's brand into that of Mr Ensor—the latter having purchased some sheep from Mr A. E. Ensor— was recognised though the eat mark had again been altered so as to resemble that of the accused. On July 16th twenty sheep, which had been bought by Mr Banks, a farmer in the district, at the yards of Mr Buss, Rangiora, were examined and found to be altered as regarded the 'ear-marks, similarly to the others. These sheep had been sold by Mr Buss underlnstructions from the accused. Four wethers, similarly altered as regarded the ear marks, were also obtained from Mr Turner, a farmer in the district, who got them from accused. Fourteen sheep were found on the farm of the accused with Mr Ensor's ear mark altered, but no wool brand. The lambs, found in the possession of the accused-nad the-ear mark of Mr Ensor altered; " The*-ac-cused had been in the habit of driving sheep to and from his homestead, and the fiftyacre block adjoining Mr Ensor's Midland block, but it was noticed that these sheep always appeared to be the same wbjen it was suggested showed that they were merely used as decoys for the..stolen sheep. The accused stated to the constable that he had bought 29 of the 73 sheep sold by him in Mr Buss's yard from Mr Buss and 30 from aMr Wilson. ; Both Mr. Buss and Mr Wilson had sold sheep corresponding" to these numbera to the accused, bat they were not the sheep which had been sold under the instructions of the accused in Mr Buss's \ yard. ■.■-.., .. ■ .■'. ,/..■'■"*■ . . ■ •' ' ,|

Mr Stringer opened the case for the Crown, and called evidence.

The witnesses examined for the Crown were Messrs Charles Ensor, Gilbert Hutchinson, D. E. Hutchinson, J. W. Fisher, James Johnston, William Buss, jun., C. A. Cunningham, John Dowds, Thos. H. Evans, William Turner, Francis Wilson, W. Buss, J. W. Foster and James Johnston.

This closed the case for the Crown. The Court adjourned at 5 p.m. till 10 a.m. to-day. ,