A CHARGE OF CRUELTY.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13097, 23 April 1908, Page 4

A CHARGE OF CRUELTY.

5 » THE CASE DISMISSED. At tih-e 'Magi&trato's Court yesterday, before -Messrs W. H. Hargreaves and P. Pender, J.P.s, George McCormaok was charged with Slaving killed a Sioree in an inlhutmane manner at St. Martin's., en ApTdl l&t. Jolin Went, a carpenter, ©aid. that he *yas working near defendant's property on the date mentioned, and saw some men looking at what defendant was doing. Knowing that defendant was associated with lM>rsee, witness thought that he was breaking in a horse. The horse was on the ground. On making ckeer investigations, witmesa saw McCormack strike the house on tho head with an axe. The horse tried to rise, but opuld not do go, and later, defendant appeared to be jagging ita throat with a knife. Witness thought things were, getting "a bit rough," and the Inspector was informed. Leonard Lord said that ho caw Mo Cormack strike the horse on tho head with an axe, and subsequently out its throat with a pocket knife. Defendant left the horso for some time, and on his return, hit the horse, and appeared to he cutting its throat again. W. H. Zouch, inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said that as the result of a telephone message, lie visited McCormaek's place at St. Martin's, and saw the horee lying on its side dead*. Its tihroat lied been out, and it bad an abrasion* on its head, which might have been caused by a blow. One of the legs was very much ewodlen, and appeared to have been blistered. Tho horso had not been properly hit on tho bead to effectuaSly stun it. The defendant, who stated that ho was an experienced man with horses, Baid that ho bought the horee at auction at Ashburton for £50. It was low iv condition., and as the result of a I good feed when he took it home, the I,horee foundered. He tried to do everything possible to save it, but on the date mentioned found it lying in a paddock suffering from paralysis, and he was forced, to kill it. Hβ hit it once with the axe, stunned it, and then out its throat, and it died within ten minutes. Wihen be returned the second time to it, it was to take off the cover. He was an expert butciher in regard to these mattery and killed the horso huma-nely. John McLeod, a veterinary surgeon, said that it was a humane way to kill a horse, though he preferred to shoot horeee. He had seen numbers of horses killed in a similar manner to that adopted by defendant, and it was not I*a4nful if done properly. If defendant had struck the horse more than once on tie head he would have knocked ite head off, as ho was a strong, powerful man,. From what he knew of defendant he would kill the horee humane]}-. i The Bench thought .that defendant ! had not caused the animal unnecessary suffering, and dismissed itlbe case.