ALLEGED BTNGIKG-IN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18708, 14 May 1924, Page 10

ALLEGED BTNGIKG-IN.

THE OTAHUHU ; MEETING.

CASE OF ALL , SMOKE.

SUSPICIOUS BROWN HAIRS.

WRONG COLOUR IN THE BOOK [BX. xex/egbaph.— COREEBPOJIDE2IT.3 CHBISTCHURCH. Tuesday. The last phase of the widespread investi- • gations which • have been carried out oyer the past- three months regarding trotting methods in New Zealand, was entered upon in the Supreme Court to-day, when a commencement was mads with the trial of the men implicated in the ringing-in-'allegations. :; The charges involve four race meetings. That regarding the Otahuha meeting taken first. . This is ■ the case in which a hide is an exhibit. , The assumption is that the horse which oncs. lived in that hide raced, under the name of All SmokeThe men concerned, Alfred . Tucker, Charles H. , Capes, and William Williamson, are charged , with having conspired to defraud the . Otahuhu Trotting Club by substituting an unknown horse for All Smoke, Mr. Justice Adams wan op the Bench, Mr. A. T. Donnelly/ conducted the case for the Crown, , Mr. A. C- Hanlon appeared, forTWilliamson and Capes, and Mr. C. S. Thomas for Tucker. The secretary of the Otahuhu Trotting Club, Robert Leslie Absolum, said' that the club held races on November 21 and 24. The first race on the first'day was the Introductory Handicap, in harness, for trotters that had not done better than 2m 288 for the mile. ' All Smoke and Wild Moa were nominated for this, and All Smoke . was entered for the Innovation Handicap, the first race on the second day, Regarding All Smoke, A. Tucker was given as owner and J.' McDonald as trainer. ■ The horse was by Jingle—Palm Bell. J. McDonald was given as ownertrainer of Wild Moa* Wild Moa was scratched on the first day by a person signing himself J. McDonald, per C.= Shaw. Lord Roberts, $8 yards behind, won; the Introductory Handicap, and All Smoke on the limit was second. All Smoke, on the second ' day, started from 108 yds. behind in a saddle , race with W. Williamson up. All Smoke did a ' mile and a-half in 3m 45 2-6s. Witness explained that the stakes won on the first day had been retained by the club. ' Tucker, when he j made inquiries about the stakes, . was' told that the stake had been withheld on account of th% destroying of All Smoke without notifying the committee. ! Mr. Hanlon: When a man nominates a horse, do particulars from a form go i into the race book.Yes. I

- Who ■ does it I—The _ secretary. ;' ' There were stipendiary stewards at Otahuhu Yes, two. The birdcage stewards see that the horses answer the details on the racebooks —Yes.

Wrong *in . the Racabook. What is All Smoke described as in the racebook ?—As a bay gelding. The All Smoke that was ■ entered was a black gelding ?—Yes. Was any report made by the paid stipendiary stewards?— No. At Otahuhu a black horse- can race for a bay one and no one : notice it?—A letter B in the book may rbe a printer's error. 1 -

I» " blk " the way to describe a black horse if no mistake ! has been made — Yea.-- • ; , ,

Was there the same error on each day? —Yes. ..

When a .race concludes the three horses are inspected by the stipendiary stewards ? —-It is not usually the practice. It doesn't seem that much notice was taken of this horse I didn't see it myself. I was busy. .. You went to the boiling-down works aft'erwards ?—Yes. . , -

You were told that a horse had been boiled, down —Yes. r • " It* would be impossible for you to say that the skin now in' Court was the skin you saw .in its wet condition iat the tannery ?—That is so. 'Mr. Donnelly: Had you any doubt that the horse which raced as All Smoke was boiled down ?—No. ' v ' " Mr. Hanlon i It • was a - wrong coloured horse which ran. : • Mr. Donnelly { Oh, that was a . mistake.; :P/^^.p : :pp. ' Mr. Hanlont And none of the stewards saw it. _ John Wilson, manager of the Otahuhu Gas Works, and steward of the Otahuhu Club, .said . that before the meeting ho saw a black horse about, 15.2 or 15.3 hands at the Criterion • Hotel. , . Williamson was in charge and Capes was «•- with him. Witness noticed the peculiarity that there were brown' hairs about * the muzzle. On. the. day of the meeting he saw & horse (which waa palled* - All Smoke) , go out for- the Introductory Handicap. The horse which Detective Gibson showed witness -at . the time of. the lower Court proceedings was not the one that; raced. V r 5 ;y .; Later witness said he was not removed from his position as birdcage steward because ha had ' .been- drinking. •, The description of the horse All Smoke in the race book was incorrect. .Mr. ;Hanlon: It is quite incorrect to say that you had been drunk ?—-Yes, •Hadn't you been having a few drinks ? —Not at the time of the first ; race. v ' Brown Eyes in , Black - Horse. You did not notice that there was a black horse running in the race :in lieu of the bay . gelding mentioned in the book INo. ... v . You could not have been looking after your business very well Knowing' the horse I never bothered. I did not know the horse was rung in. '• On the second day did you notice there was some mistake in the book No. v ■ ---V'Tv-;-; Brown eyes in a black horsea funny looking thing, wasn't it? Yes. ' : Did it strike' you to draw at* the attention of anybody in Otahuhu ; that this funny : looking ! horse was .cping 4 out to race?— No. ■ - You did notice that he was very tender? Yes; P -f'> '•> 5.,: J.:-*; l:iyjp/p It is, dangerous to allow a tender, horse to go out and race among others?— Not in. all-cases. Yes; it depends on the amount of tenderness, but isn't it a matter to report to the stipendiary steward ?—Which 7 I did not do. , - ( • i You don't seem to have done; anything ? —They were there. Did you make any inquiries after the race —Yes. You went to see a chemist. What did he say ? During the time the horse was there he noticed that lie had sold a lot of dye Dutch drops ?—No, some acid. He said it- .was a black dye.. X"' • ' Did you report that to anybody ?—I spoko to some of my friends. '. v ; The Crown Prosecutor: ' A • good deal seems to have happened to you since the lower Court. : Has ■ anybody seen you since ?No. We have just been talking it over. t An .'employee at Austin's ' boiling down works, Panmure, John Brownlee, gave evi dence as to receiving .V black horse on November 26. One morning, on going to work, he noticed that the horse had been rolling on : the vfet grass,,- and discovered it was hay underneath..- , The Court adjourned till, to-morrow, the jury being locked up for the might.; .