SHEEP STEALING CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15964, 8 July 1915, Page 5

SHEEP STEALING CASE.

Iflock which DISAPPEARED.! I I j ONE ACCUSED ADMITS GUILT. I i I SECOND COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. 1 ! __ ! ' Plea* of not guilty and guilty were j en Wed by John Cecil Renwuk and Edwin j '■ Woods respectively, when charged before j ! Mr. E. C. Cut-ten, S.M., yesterday, that; | at Papatoetoe, about May 25. 1915. they j j did steal 88 sheep, valued" at £109 4s, the j | property of William Motion. A second . j information respecting the same charge was j ! laid that they did steal 88 sheep, valued | at £98 14s 6d, the property of William and John Motion. Chief-Detective McMahon conducted the prosecution, and Mr. H. J. Durham appealed for the accused Renwick. William Motion, fanner, of Papatoetoe, | gave evidence that the accused Renwick j was a neighbouring farmer. Between 4 j p.m. on May 25 and 8 a.m. on May 2? I witness discovered that 88 sheep had been I stolen from his paddock. The sheep were i valued at £98 14s 6d. Witness could not i identify the sheep. When he learned of ! witness's loss, Renwick appeared conI cerned, and frequently inquired about i them. Missing Animals Identified. ! John Motion, a brother and partner of I the last witness, deposed that he left home I at Papatoetoe on May 22, leaving 88 sheep | in the paddock. He returned home shortly 1 afterwards and found the sheep missing. ' On June 29. witness went with Detective ! Sweeney and a constable to a farm, and lin a flock he saw there lie identified 36 . sheep, which had belonged to the flock of 1 88 missing from witness's paddock. He also ! identified a number of the sheep in the i possession of Joseph Adams. ! Angelo Gill, a drover, said that on May ! 25 he overtook a mob of about 100 sheep, : which were untended, on the road leading Ito the West-field yards. He was driving j them along to an accommodation paddock ! when the two accused came up and claimed i the sheep as their property. On the accused's invitation, he gave them a hand :to paddock the sheep. The accused told ! him they were taking the animals to the 1 sale next day. Witness next saw the i accused at the police station, where he : identified them. i Instructions for Sale.

Wilfrid Kissling, indent agent, gave evidence that, prior to May 26 he was employed by Dalgety and Company as a stock clerk. On May 26 a man came to witness at the Westfield saleyards and told him that a man named " Fay" had asked him to give witness instructions concerning the sale of some sheep. The man described the sheep, and asked that the cheque for the proceeds be forwarded to " F. Fay, care of G. Fay, Wiri." Alfred William Perkin, manager for Dalfjety and Co., deposed that he conducted a sale at Westfield according to instructions received by Mr. Kissling. The sale concerned what he believed to be 88 wethers. They were distributed among four buyers— K. Peaehey, Otahuhu Training Company, Joseph" Adams, and H. A. Swaffield. " On May 29 a cheque, issued by Dalgety and Co., was drawn on the Union Bank of Australia. The cheque produced was endorsed " F. Fay.' H. A. Swaffield. Joseph Adams. W. K. Peaehey, and W. R. Shattock, manager of the " Otahuhu Training Company, gave evidence as to the purchase of lots of sheep at the Westfield salevards on May 26 Cashing of a Cheque. John Ferguson Wallers, cashier for Dalgety and Co., said that the accused Renwick came into the office, and after stating that his name was "Fay," and that he was the seller of a mob of sheep, said that he had no banking account, and asked witness to make the cheque for the proceeds of the sale open. Witness did this, and the cheque was endorsed "F. Fay," and cashed. Witness next saw the accused at the police station, where he identified him. A nine-year-old girl named Rhoda Joynt stated that she was approaching the Wiri Post Office one day. when the accused [asked her to get "Mr. Fay's" letter for him. .She went to the post office and | got a letter addressed to "F. Fay." This j she handed to the accused, who thanked j her, and drove away.

Statements by the Accused. Detective Sweeney told of the investigations he had made in connection with the case. When charged with the theft of the sheep, the accused Renwick said he had expected to be charged with it. He made no further statement then. Later he made a statement which was reduced to writing, and handed in. Witness said he went I to Woods, and told him that there j was reason to believe that he was con- i ferned in the theft of Motion's sheep. Woods made no replv. He said he would I not denv that be had anything to do with 1 the matter. Woods was brought to town, and he made a statement which was taken down. This v. is produced. On June 30. j witness saw the accused Renwick. and read Woods's statement to him. Renwick made no rep]v. Op July 5 witness rercvered £15 from the accused Woods, who described the money as his share of the proceeds of flip sale of the sheep. Woods iilso m.idc another statement, which was produced. The a< ■< used Renwick pleaded not guilty, I and reserved his defence- Re was committed to the Sunreme Court for trial. The accused Worvrls Headed jruiltv. and was committed to the Supreme Court for sent P"'e. Rail w.ts illnwed to Renwick in two sureties of £toO each, and to Woods in one surety of £50.