TORTURING A COW.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7362, 14 January 1902, Page 2

TORTURING A COW.

A peculiar case occupied the attention of the Gisborne Magistrate on Friday, when two men were charged with cruelly torturing a cow by performing an operation upon her. It seems the cow produced a monstrosity with two heads, two bodies conjoined, six legs, and two tails. The Government veterinarian was called in, and endeavoured to effect delivery. According to his own evidence, he put a meat hook in the eye of the calf, a rope round its leg, and four men were employed with block and tackle in an endeavor to get it away. They thus experimented with the animal for four hours, and, being unsuccessful, recommended that she should be destroyed. Defendants, however, who were acqaiuted with stock, performed the Ca23arian operation, and took the calf away, making a cut in the cow's flank ten to twelve inches in length. The Government veterinary, discovering what they had done, said their treatment was barbarous, and gave information to the police. Ho said the operation was one which a skilled man would not undertake unless tho animal was a valuablo one. It was usual to give chloroform in such cases. The services of Government surgeons wore always available for sottlers. Tho dofonoe, however, stated that wlion askod to perform tho operation the votorinary slated that tho Government had not supplioil him with instruments for tho purpose. Tho cow had boon shot when it was found aho woxilil not livo. Thoy claimed that il' judgment wont ugaiiiHl deforidantH any faruior porforiu'ng nil oporation would bo liivblo to pronooukion. Tho MugiHtralo, in (lituuiaainK the informatron, oxprotmnd Iho opinion that tho moans adopted by Iho doromlants was lohb painful than tho block and tucklo method.