BOY TO BE THRASHED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20386, 15 October 1929, Page 12

BOY TO BE THRASHED.

ILL-TREATMENT. JOF HORSE.

CONDUCT OF WITNESS. COMMENT BY MAGISTRATE. An order that a boy should receive a thrashing from the police for cruelly illtreating a horso was made by Mr. F. IT. Lovien, S.M., in the Otahuhu Police Court yesterday. Thrco youths, agod 18, 15 and 14, were charged with cruelly ill-treating the animal. The charges against two of them were dismissed, but tho youngest, who had ridden tho animal, was ordered to roceive a whipping from tho police. James Gordon Gillard, farmer, said tho youths arrived on horses outside his house on the afternoon of Sunday, September 8. The youngest boy called at his houso and asked permission to leave with him a horse which was exhausted. Hie animal was lving on tho road near witness gate, and was "done up." A wound in its side was bleeding. He questioned tho boy, who could give no explanation for tho wound; ho was not wearing spurs. Witness told the youths ho- would put the horso in his place should it get on its feet. On Monday morning witness noticed tho animal on its feet, but it died during Tuesday night. "Is that all tho interest yon took in tho animal?" asked the magistrate. Witness said ho thought tho horse would be all right when it got up. "You are a farmer; you should bo ashamed of yourself," said tho magistrate. Constable Nield, of Otahuhu, said he found tho horse dead on tho road outside Gillard's farm on Wednesday, September 11. Thero was a deep puncture to the boue on its right side, and whip marks wero visible across tho back. Death was duo to congestion of tho lungs, resulting from exhaustion. Tho horso had evidently been beaten most unmercifully. The marks of spurs were visible round tho wound.

In a statement to tho police, the youngest boy denied kicking tho horse on the ground or using spurs on it. Ho said he had not proceeded at a greater speed than a trot. In evidence, he said tho horso first collapsed somo distance from Gillard's farm, and the three youths raised tho animal to its feet. Ho led the horse to Gillard's place, the others urging it along by cracking whips. 110 returned on the following Tuesday morning, but ho could not get tho horso to move. Tho magistrate said ho was satisfied that two of the parties had shown callousness as to the horse's condition. Although the condition of tho wound was perhaps exaggerated, ho had come to the conclusion that it was not inflicted by a gorse stump, but was duo to the spurs worn by tho boy. "No ono appeared to worry about the horse or seo whether it was capable of reaching water or wanted feed," said the magistrate. "It would have been attended to by any person with even the slightest humane streak. In this connection the conduct of the witness Gillard is certainly reprehensible." The magistrate said he was satisfied tho youngest boy was far from possessing a gentlo nature. The best means of dealing with him was with a whipping, and he ordered that 12 strokes of tho birch, the maximum penalty, should be administered. The evidence against tho other boys was not sufficiently strong and tho charge against them would bo dismissed