ALLEGED RINGING-IN

Evening Star, Issue 18627, 7 May 1924, Page 6

ALLEGED RINGING-IN

THE DIN&O*KIHGSDALE CASE. RICHARDS AND CAMERON ON TRIAL. The Supremo Court was filled with a large crowd of auditors again to-day to hear the continuation of the alleged ring-ing-in at the Gore Trotting Meeting in October of last year of The Dingo for the trotter Kingsdale. The accused—John Richards and Walter Leonard James Cameron, are indicted on four counts of conspiring to defraud the Gore Racing Club, William Francis James, and the public. The Crown Prosecutor (Mr F. B, Adams) conducted the case for the Crown. Mr A. C. Hanlon appeared for Richards, and Mr J. Sinclair for Cameron. JURY DETAINED LAST NIGHT.

As indicated yesterday, the members of the jury were 'kept together last night. They slept at the Leviathan Hotel under ponce guards. Earlier in the evening they went to a place of amusement under escort.

FURTHER EVIDENCE

This morning further evidence was called for the Crown. The total number of its witnesses is twenty. William Francis James, lotalisator proprietor, was recalled to produce the butt of tlie commission book showing the bet of £IOO by Richards on the horse called Kingsdale at Gore. Detective Lean stated that on January 10 he interviewed Cameron, Mr Samson (of the Trotting Association) being present. Cameron said that Kingsdale was in a paddock at Sandymouat. Accused took them to a paddock, where there were two horses, and handed one over to the Trolling Association as being Kingsdale. It was taken to the Southern Stables, and had been there ever since. Cameron had since picked out this horse from three horses at the stables. When Richards was interviewed he said ho wins present when the horse was bought at Lauder and when it won the race at Gore. Asked if he had backed the horse at Gore, Richards said that was a personal matter of liis own. He said he had nothing to do with the horse Kingsdale.

The statement made by Cameron to the detective was read by the registrar, Camurou staling in it that he had had nothing to do with any horse but Kingsdale.

To Mr Sinclair the detective said his investigations were carried out ou behalf of the Police Department, not on behalf of the Trotting Association. Arthur James Gibbs, jeweller at Gore, said ho was handicapper to the Gore Racing Club for the October meeting. There was a horse named Kingsdale in the Balfour Trot, and it was placed on tin; limit. The nomination for the horse showed that it had no previous experience. Witness knew The Dingo only by repute. The Dingo bad a record of Sinin 14 1-Pscc on a clay track. The track at Gore was on grass.' He would have treated The Dingo as a 2min 18scc horse on a grass track. If The Dingo had been nominated the handicap would have been 144yds behind. The time the horse entered as Kingsdale took was 2min 24 l-ssec, and the second horse (also on the limit) took 2min 24 4-ssec.

James Martin Samson, auctioneer and the Otago and Southland representative of the New Zealand Trotting Association, gave similar evidence to that given by him in the lower court. In reply to Mr Sinclair, he stated that a Mr Robert Haig, who came from Lauder, and who inspected three horses in the stable yard, said none of thorn came from Lauder. Witness said that Donnelly, on inspecting the horses, would nut say which horse was the one Cameron purchased from him. He admitted that lie know Donnelly made a statement to the Trotting Association, admitting that Kingsdale was the horse he sold to Cameron.

Detective Beer gave evidence of arresting tho accused Richards at Roxburgh on March 2d Inst. The following day lie arrested Cameron at Timaru. Both refused to make any statement when arrested. Witness made efforts to trace a person by tho name of “A. Dalzicl,” but had not been successful.

John Bellamv Norris, secretary of the New Zealand "Trotting Association, said that no application had been made to change the name of the trotting horse Tho Dingo. An inquiry had been held by the association, and a statement had been made bv Cameron.

John Challis, ledgorkeeper in tho Rank of New Zealand, Dunedin, said lie had had experience of comparison of signatures for thirty-eight years. Ho. hold that tho signature on the railway hook of “A. Dalzicl ” corresponded with the writing on the letters addressed to the postmistress at Dunback. Witness had also compared the writing of tho latter letter with Hie writing of a letter sent by Cameron to tho Trotting Association, and gave it as his opinion that they were the same. Witness pointed out the similarities to the jury. -About twenty minutes was taken while Mr Challis, for tho benefit of the jury, nuido comparison of tho writing on the various letters in tho case. Neither Mr Hanlon nor Mr Sinclair asked questions. Arthur Butterfield, contractor, and owner of trotting horses for about fifteen years, said ho rods and drove at trotting meetings. Ho know Tho Dingo, and had known it. for about four years. It was owned by Air P. M’Neill. Witness had ridden and driven The Dingo in over a. dozen races. Witness rode him on two occasions when ho won. Tho last occasion witness rode The. Dingo was in August, 1923, When Tho Dingo won at Now Brighton tho time was 2min Msec for the mile, and ho reckoned tho horse lost. 2sec on tho mark. Witness saw Tho Dingo in tho stable at Dunedin in March, and saw It again at the time of tho proceedings in the ]\£agistrate’p Court. A horso could bo raced after six weeks’ traininig, but races could not bo won with it m that time. It would require at least five or six months to win races. His Honor asked witness if he was likely to be mistaken with regard to The Dingo. Witness: I am not likely to be mistaken ; I know the homo veiy well. To Mr Adams witness said he had been asked to take a trial spin on tho horse in the stable at Dunedin, and was satisfied it was Tho Dingo. Horace Ernest Martin, veterinary surgeon, also gave it as his opinion that tho horso in tho stable was The Dingo. Ho had known tho horso at races for several years, and attended it professionally when Mr M’Neill was the owner. Ho also knew Tho Dingo, because ho had “fired” tho horse’s legs. Witness went on to describe the operation of firing, and said ho knew his marks on the legs. The horse was cither ton or eleven years of age. FRESH EVIDENCE. Mr Adams intimated that ho had a fresh witness —one who had not given evidence in tho lower court. Mr Hanlon said tho defence had no notice of what the fresh evidence was to be. Air Adams said the witness arrived from Christchurch last night. Ho had notified Mr Hanlon five minutes after he knew the witness was available. His Honor permitted the witness to be called.

Oswald Edmonds Hooper, a neighbor of M'Neill's, said he knew The Dingo. He had seen it driven about the roads since it was young. About half a dozen times ho had ridden and driven it himself. This morning he examined a horse in the police yard, and to tho best of his belief it was Tho Dingo. To Mr Sinclair witness said ho had coma to Dunedin because ho had brought some horses down for the meeting here to-morrow, \vhon he was hero in January he went to Grant’s stable and recognised tho horso In the box as The Dingo. This closed tho-case for the Crown. THE DEFENCE.

Both Mr Hanlon and Mr Sinclair intimated that they would call no evidence, jh« court itoaftss-

noon, when counsel for the defence addressed the jury. A DEMONSTRATION. After the adjournment for lunch the horse in the police yard was taken into Stuart street and ridden in hopples by Arthur Butterfield for the benefit of the jury. Tho demonstration attracted a, largo crowd.