ALLEGED THEFT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXI, Issue 5595, 4 July 1930, Page 3

ALLEGED THEFT.

REMARKABLE ALLEGATIONS. TEN CHARGES OF. HORSE STEALING. NEW BRIGHTON SENSATION. YOUNG FARMER SENT FOR TRIAL. (Our Special Reporter.) PUKEKOHE, Wednesday. Ten charges of horse-stealing at Whakatiwai, New Brighton, on June 12, were preferred against a young farmer, Thomas James Gibson, of Newstead, in the Pukekohe Police Court to-day. Messrs. M. Cronin and D. Jamieson, Justices of the Peace, were on the Bench. Accused was charged with stealing two bay fillies valued at £l2, the property of Samuel Thompson; a bay horse, a very dark bay mare, a brown filly and a small bay colt valued at £l5 10s, the property of John Hubert Anderson; a bay filly valued at £l2, the property of Jack Kepa; a bay filly with white markings, valued at £4, the property of George Thompson ; a dark bay mare and foal, valued at £5, the property of Jimmy Thompson ; a bay filly, valued at £5, the property of Kupi Richards ; a black filly, valued at £B, the property of Thomas Williams ; a bay stallion and a dark chestnut stallion, valued at £ll, the property of William Kumi; a roan stallion and a chestnut mare, valued at £6 10s, the property of William Aramoana ; and a brown filly, valued at £lO, the property of Ngaru Thompson.

Serious Allegations. It was alleged that,' representing himself to be a ranger for the Waikato County Council, accused took charge of 18 horses belonging to natives at Whakatiwai, on the coast of the Firth of Thames, out from Pokeno, and drove them through to his father’s farm at Newstead, assuming possession of them himself. Ten natives residing at Whakatiwai said horses owned by them disappeared from the Maori burial ground -re(Continued at top of next column.)

serve there on Juns’l2. Each native described the missing animals he owned and said they were brought back to Whakatiwai last Sunday by three of the native residents, who returned from Hamilton with them. These three natives said they identified the 18 horses at Hamilton, where they were, handed over to them by the police. Accused was present at. the time. Mustering of Animals. Evidence that he saw accused and another man mustering horses on the reserve was given by one’native. Another, Samuel Thompson, said that as accused and his assistant started to drive the horses away, he asked them where they were taking them. Accused said he was a ranger for the County Council, and was taking them to the pound.

Witness asked if accused meant the Waitakaruru pound. Accused said, “No.” He said he was a ranger for the Waikato County Council and would take them to a Waikato pound. Witness then said he would take out the horses that belonged to him. He saw three of the horses in the mob and took them out. Later he found that two others were missing. They were among the 18 brought back from Hamilton. Accused Not Authorised Rangers Arnold Adler Woodward, engineer to the Waikato County Council, said he knew the accused by sight. On the morning of June 10 accused entered his office asking for the loan of a map as he desired to know the shortest route from Miranda to Hamilton. According to witness, accused told him he had purchased some horses • in the former locality. Gibson was not an employee of the County Council, and was not an authorised ranger. Witness had never seen him previous to the date mentioned. « ' £ To Mr Hosking : He was not -sure of the date of the visit of accused. You gave him permission to get the horses off the road ?—No, the question was never discussed. Will you that he did not ask you for permission ?—Yes. Will you swear that you did not refer him to the county inspector ?— Yes. In answer to Sergeant Cowan, withesg said that Whakatiwai was in the Franklin County area, and he had no jurisdiction there .

“Partnership” Alleged. Evidence was given by a youth, Francis A. F. George, of Hamilton, that he first met accused some time ago.. Early last month he met him again one evening in Hamilton East. Accused said he had got a job from the County Council to gather up all straying horses on county property. He was to take the horses to his place and sell them as he could, taking a share of the'proceeds as payment for his services. Accused arranged with witness to join him in the undertaking and they signed an agreement that witness was to receive 20 per cent, of the proceeds of the sale of the horses. There were two copies of the agreement. Accused kept both. He showed witness two typewritten letters, which he represented comprised his authority from the County Council. On June 10 accused called for witness and they set out for Waitakaruru, arriving there next day. That afternoon they went up the coast to Whakatiwai. The/ collected horses which were not in the paddocks. They left three on the reserve at Whakatiwai; and three or four horses were taken from them by one of the Maoris. They later lost a foal over the bank. All the other horses they drove on to Patetonga, via Waitakaruru. The next day they continued with the horses to Newstead. Subsequently accused started to break in two of the horses, witpess assisting him. All this time, said

witness, he thought accused had honestly come by the horses. Round 4b°ut Waitakaruru. Evidence of interviewing accused at Newstead on June 19 was given by Constable Aplin, of Hamilton. He produced a written statement signed by accused. In this, accused said that when working at Waitakaruru two years ago, he met an old Maori man who resided bn the Miranda Road. The Maori offered to sell lum some foals which he said he owned. By. arrangement he went to the Maori's hut next morning. There were some brood mares and 10 foals there. He bought the'foals for 2s 6d epch, and the . Maori agreed to keep them there until he could take them away. Accused left Waitakaruru soon afterwards. Visiting there about two months ago, he inquired for the old Maori. He could not remember his name, but described to others where he had lived. The other Maoris said he had died. 'He then asked about the horses he had purchased as foals and the Maoris said they would be running on the roads. He returned home, but" latex* decided to go back to .endeavour to recover his horses.

Accused Explanation. Appreciating the fact that there would probably be other horses running on the roads, he called at the Waikato County Council office for permission to round up any horses on the road and for, a map showing the boundaries of the county; He asked for the map as he did not wish to round up horses in any other county without authority. He was given verbal permission and supplied with; the map. On going for the horses, he took 10 that he judged had been the foals he had purchased. ■ They were all half-draughts and appeared to have a certain strain in them. These features led him to believe they were his own. On the journey to Newstead he found that the mob of horses had increased to 18. The other eight must have joined the mob en route the previous night or that morn- -»■ ing. The constable said he took charge of the horses at Newstead and had them handed to the natives at Hamilton. Committed for Trial. Accused pleaded not guilty, reserved his defence, and was committed to the Supreme Court at Auckland for trial. Bail was allowed to two sureties of w £5O each.