THEFTS OF SHEEP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20725, 19 November 1930, Page 14

THEFTS OF SHEEP.

ACCUSED PLEAD GUILTY.

WATCH KEPT AT NIGHT. WITNESSES HIDE IN CAVE. [by telegraph.—own ronnEsroNDENr.l HAMILTON, Tuesday. A series of charges of sheep-stealing was heard before Mr. Justice Ilerdnian and a jury in the Supreme Court to-day. The accused were Francis Joseph Walmsley, aged 23, farmer. To Mata, and Herbert Christian Olsen, aged 34, sharemilker, To Mata. Walmsley and Olsen wero charged together with stealing lour sheep, two on ono occasion and one on each of two occasions, the property of Jerome Cornille, of Te Mata. Walmsley was charged with stealing 27 sheep on one occasion and 13 sheep on another occasion, while Olsen was charged alone with stealing one sheep. All the sheep wero tho property of Cornille, and were valued at £2B 8s 6<l. Tho accused at first pleaded not guilty, but after tho evidence of the first witnesses for the Crown withdrew this plea and pleaded guilty to all except ono count. Mr. 11. T. Gillies led tho caso for the Crown, and Mr. J. F. Strang appeared for both accused. Tho first witness, Joseph Dore, said ho was manager for Jerome Cornille, tho owner of a property of 2600 acres at To Mata. There were 3500 head of sheep and 560 head of cattle on the property when a tally was taken in July last. Loss of 300 Sheep in Year. Early in tho spring he suspected that his employer's stock were being stolen. During tho last year 300 sheep and 60 head of cattle had disappeared. On the night of September 11 ho and three employees, W. and 11. Norton and J. O'Keefe, hid in tho fern on tho Cornille property. They saw the two accused enter Cornillc's killing paddock in which there wero 16 sheep. The sheep were rounded up and Walmsley caught ono and with Olson's help he placed it on a horse. Tho two men then went away with tho sheep to Walmsley's place Witness and four men again watched Walmsley and Olsen on tho night of September 18. They saw Walmsley shoot two sheep. Walmsley removed the ears and Olsen skinned tho animals. Tho heads wero taken off and bidden in the fern. The carcases were taken away to Walmsley's house. Watchers Hide In Cave at Night. Witness suspected that somo of Cornille's sheep were on Walmsley's property, and on October 1 Walmsley's sheep were mustered, and witness recovered 32 which belonged to Cornille. Prior to this date Cornille's fence had not been completely sheep proof. At half-past nine that night witness and J. O'Keefe, H. Agnew, W. Norton and H. Norton went to a cave on Cornille's place and hid thero. They saw Walmsley drive a mob of 80 sheep on to tho road. Walmsley selected 27 hoggets and drove them'on to Ins own property. The remainder ho returned to Cornille s place. Next night witness inspected theso sheep on YValmsley's pro perty and found that their earmarks had been cut. out.

A watch wsjs kept by witness and others on a paddock on Cornille's property on the night of October 4. There wero 137 sheep in the paddcck. They saw Walmsley and Olsen enter the paddock and fake a sheep away on a horse which belonged to Cornille. The sheep was taken to Walmsley's property. Walmsley removed about 20 sheep from Cornille s place on October 7. and on October 12 he and others saw Olsen shoot a sheep on Cornillc's place, and remove it to YValmsley's farm. In company with tho police witness mustered the sheep on Walmsley's property on October 14, and he identified about 30 of them as belonging to Cornille. When ho saw Walmsley that evening Walmsley said had lie known that Dore knew what he had been doing, lie would have given hundreds to have hushed up the matter. Walmsley asked witness to do what he could to suppress his name. Plea Altered to Guilty. Tn answer to Mr. Strang, Dore said that working in conjunction with witness and the police, Hugh Norton obtained tho information that the thefts were to fake place. H. Norton was etnploved bv witness. He took no part in the removal of tho sheep. The two sheep shot bv YValmsley and Olsen on September 25 were shot on Walmsloy's farm. Witness identified tho skins as those of sheep owned by Cornille by the tattoo marks. William Neville Norton, shepherd, employed on the Cornille estate, gave evidence corroborating that of Dore. James O'Keefe, another employee on the Coruille property, also gave evidence. An adjournment was taken at, 3.30 p.m.. and on resumption Mr. Strang said lie had considered tho position with his clients, and having regard to the formidable evidence that had been presented against them, and tho very formidable evidence still to be given, lie had advised the prisoners to withdraw their plea of not guilty to all the counts except the one relating to September 25. On that day two sheep were undoubtedly shot bv the prisoners, .said counsel, but. the shooting took place on Walmsloy's farm. Mr. Dore could not definitely identify the sheep as Cornille's property, and had said tliov might have been YValmsley's. 'I lie accused then pleaded guilty to all the counts charged against them cxconL the one mentioned. Mr. (lillies said the Crown would offer no further evidence with respect to tho count referred to. After a short retirement the jtirv re turned a verdict of riot guilty on the one count. The prisoners were remanded for sentence on tho remaining charges until tomorrow. ,