CATTLE STEALING

Northern Advocate, 18 May 1934, Page 3

CATTLE STEALING

1 YOUNG MAN’S LAPSE. i i j HEARING AT KAIKOHE. I COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. (Special ''-rtliern Advocate.”) ,*iKOHE, This Day. A young man, Allan Ernest Howie, Appeared before Messrs T. GnoHn and Jas. Bedggood, d.Ps., at Kaikoho Court yesterday on four charges of fnttle stealing and one sheep, stealing. Three of the charges related to cattle owned bv "Mrs Gladys Samson, Messrs W. Baldwin, Geo. Mclntyre and others. The fouith charge referred to a heifer belonging to Mr Grantham. The fifth charge in respect to the stealing and killing of a sheep. i Constable *l. McMulinn eon uncled . the ease for the police. Accused was • not represented by counsel, j It was slated in evidence that on May 4, accused took possession of seven steers from Mr il. Baldwin’s property, and drove them as far as Mr Holt’s at Puketona, where he paddockcd six of them for the night. Three heifers running on Hie road were also put into the paddock. Fifteen head of stock belonging to various farmers reached Moerowa \ freezing works on Monday evening,! and accused was arrested there early on Tuesday morning by Constable MeMullan. Alfred* Halliday, cross-examined by the accused, denied that he had said it would be easy to steal and dispose of cattle, ov that it would be saver to buy a few cattle at an open sale and collect strays on the road, as it would not be so suspicions. You have known mo for about three months? —Yes, And I have vlfP.ed your ’place regularly ? —Yes, On several occasions you have mentioned how easy it is to steal cattle and dispose of them?—Never once. When I stayed at your place on Friday night I mentioned that I had a number of cattle at Holt s j and that I would get them in the morning. I mentioned "that I had seven head and that one had got j away. I proceeded up the road on | ■Saturday morning to look for a whip, I had lost and you brought the cattle' out of the paddock? —Yes. |

You brought out nine head. Is that so? —Yes.

AVhat was the reason for bringing nine when I told you I had six? -Because Air Holt asked me to clear out the paddock. On Saturday on the way down Iho Puketona road fetching the cattle back from Holt’s we picked up a number of cattle at Oromahoe turnoff—Yes.

AA r e picked up four head, bringing the number up to 13? —I eould not say how many, but that would be about right. There were Id or 20 on the road that we passed through. Some were cut out, except two. AA e reached my place with IL One was put into my paddock, leaving 10 on the road.

Constable John A. Llstonc. in charge of tin? Xawakawa district, said be saw accused at Alcerewa works on Tuesday, Atay 7, when accused identified eight head of cattle that he had brought to the works. Later in the afternoon the accused said he had made a statement tc Constable AlcAlullan, and that as it was not true he wished to make another statement and put the police to no further trouble. Witness warned him that the statement would be used in evidence against him, but he maintained that he wanted to clear the matter up. The statement was typed and signed by the accused. The statement was read by the constable. In it accused attributed his lapse to a suggestion alleged to emanate from another. He said this was the first time ho had been in trouble, and he expressed regret for what had happened. Constable J. AlcAlullan, in charge of the Knikohe district, also gave evidence. , The accused pleaded guilty to tiie throe (dtargos of cattle stealing and to the charge of stealing and killing for food a heifer belonging to Air Grantham, but pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing a sheep. The police withdrew the last-named charge. Constable ArcAlullan said the accused wan a young man 22 years of age. He had come North to make a. living for himself, but he had found things very hard and he had go I into company which was not good for him. At Puketona he had tried to lease a farm, but as he had no money he had failed. He was very much “up against it,’-’ and when he killed Grantham’s I boast he had done so in order to got food. On the charge of stealing and killing Grantham’s heifer, Howie* was sentenced to one month's imprisonment. On the three remaining charges of cattle stealing, he was remanded to the Supremo Court for sentence.