HAMILTON SUPREME COURT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15639, 19 June 1914, Page 4

HAMILTON SUPREME COURT

ALLEGED THEFT OF LAMBS.

FARMERS' AGREEMENT.

ACCUSED ACQUITTED.

[jit TELEGRAPH.—OVW CORJIBSPOKDEXT.]

Hamilton, Thursday. Charged with the theft of seven lambs, the property of W. Ralfe, at Raglan on April 24, George Belcher, a farmer, camo before the Supreme Court to-day.

I Lengthy evidence was given, in which it w?s st"ted that there was a verbal agreement uetwcen the two neighbours I that they should give notice to each other when mustering or shearing, for, lowing to a broken wire fence between ! the two properties, the sheep becamo [mixed. In a lot of lambs sold to Mr. j Galvin, five bad bflth Belcher's and Ralfe's earmarks, and two had Ralfe'a '■ alone. The defence was that during; Belcher'B ! shearing. Ralfe picked out 21 of his grown .sheep, of which 13 were wet ewes, and , that at Ralfe's rcouest Belcher threw , out 13 lambs for the ewes, the former 1 saying hat that was the custom in the 'South, instead of taking the trouble to I let the ewes find their own lambs. It i was further contended that the five j double-marked lambs might belong to I either party, and that the other two had come back to their mothers.

A son of the accused stated that Ralfe did not examine the lambs so closely as the sheep when put through a race at shearing time. He said that his father was just trusted to do a bit of niuster-

injr. Mr. Justice Edwards (laughing) : Is that the way farmers' sons talk of their fathers? You were evidently the handy boy. His Honor, in charging tho jury, said it was all a mystery to him. It was a suspicious case, but they could not con* vict a man on suspicion. If'thev had any doubt they must return a verdict of not Guilty. After an absence of 10 minutes the jurv retnrned a verdict of not guiltT. The Jud?e: I agree with your verdict. Mr. Gillies ropsecnted, and Mr. Reed, jK.C, with him Mr. C. L. MacDiarmid, appeared for the defendant.

THE CIVIL LIST.

The case of Albert Edward Fear v. the Waikato Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., for £725 damages for alleged breach of contract, has been settled A i adjournment by consent in the case of J line Elizabeth McNeil v. Percy Hnrt for .\ declaration was granted until the nest sitting of the Court. An adjournment was also granted in the case of William Henry Knock v. John Rountree for £2300 damages, for alleged breach of contract.