A CASE OF CRUELTY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4509, 2 September 1875, Page 2

A CASE OF CRUELTY.

John Terdick, a man employed on a small coasting vessel, was summoned to the Melbourne District Police-court for cruelty to a rat. According to a newspaper report of the case, a witness named Friend stated that on the 24th ult, while walking along the Yarra wharf, where the defendant's vessel was lying, he saw the latter teasing a rat which was in a cage on the top of a nafican containing a fire. The rat was running about, apparently in great pain from the heat of the fire coming up through the cage from the can, and the defendant was stirring up the fire, and poking in little bits of inflammable bark to make the flames fiercer. Friend called to him to leave off tormenting the rat, and put it out of its misery at once. The defendant said that it was vermin—that he could, do what he liked with it, and that Friend should mind his own business. Friend then threatened to summon him, whereupon the defendant put the rat away from the fire ; but Friend, not being satisfied, went for a policeman, and returned with Constable Blade. The rat was then dead, having apparently been drowned. Blade, however, corroborated Friend by stating that the rat appeared to have been well singed by fire before it was drowned. Terdick, in his defence, said that the cargo was being destroyed by rats, and that his employer told him to trap them. On this occasion he put the rat on the can while he was getting a rope in order that he might lower the cage into the water, and thus drown the vermin. He denied that there was fire in the can. Mr. Call, P.M., considered the charge proved, and fined Terdick 40s.