A FISHY CASE.

NZ Truth, Issue 57, 21 July 1906, Page 8

A FISHY CASE.

Was a Melodramatic Job Put Up on •'Farmer Fifield?

Geraldine people are discussing a queer case of alleged theft of oats. It possesses some remarkable features. Some time ago Henry Scott, farmer, complained .that he had lost some oats,' and it. is ststted that they were traced to the gate of Jonas Fifield, a farmer contractor and a very old settler, who has sons. Nothing came of the matter, except; that Scott had to apologise m. the paper for abusive language- to Arthur .Pifield.' (a soni); This got on Scott's sensitive nerves, for nobody likes to he compelled to make a public amende over anything. However, the other day Scott wentto Peeler Rasmussen and said he had' had 4i bushels of Danish oats stolen from his place, so a search was made on Geraldine Downs. They went to Fifield's, and the old man told them to search his place. They went into 1 the stable and found a handful of bats with a little chaff m the manger. F'ifield expressed the utmost surprise, and said he had never grown Danish oats for years. Fifield' then pointed to 'where his stack and chaffeutter were— 3OOyds away— and investigation revealed half a sack of oats hidden m the chaff trap. The sack had Scott's private mark on it.. This was a staggerer. Neither Fifield, senr., nor his son Percy could explain, how the oats got there. Result was that the pair were summoned for theft. The Court was packed at the hearing of the case. The above facts were not controverted, but Lawyer Raymond suggested that /there was a plot to injure the Fifield family on the part of* Scott. In his evidence Jonas Fifield said that when Scott had been compelled to apologise to his boy Arthur he. said 'he would have the Fifields' il set" and would "do for them." On this last occasion when Rasmussen and : Scott visited /his place he noticed Scott standing close to the manger. After the bag had been found the constable, Rasmussen, asked him to pay Scott for the oats and they would liush the matter up. The amount asked to be paid for was three bags. Fifield said he would do nothing of the kind. Rasmussen thereupon turned to Percy F. and said "I will arrest you," and the latter replied "I will go with you." However, he wasn't taken along, the constable, saying he would proceed against them on summons. Beak Wray asked old -man Fifield if he really meant to say that the constable said he would hush the matter up if the oats were paid for, and the witness replied there was no doubt about it. It was the biggest surprise he haid ever received m his life when he saw the oats on his property. His. own opinion was that Scott' placed them there himself. Young Fifield said that when talking to the constable the latter said, "I know your father isn't guilty, but I'm not so sure about you." .. When i the constable was being crossexamined he was . asked if he had had a conversation with one Cameron about the case, and he replied m the negative. Cameron was afterwards put m the box and said that there was such a conversation. W. S. Mas■lin, Mayor of Geraldine, and others who had known the family for 30 years, testified to the excellence of their character ; they would never dream of them committing such a , theft. Constable Rasmussen emphatically denied having promised to hush the matter up if Scott was paid for the oats. "Oh, we are not trying you now," said Mr Wray, who went "on to say that it seemed a remarkable tiling how the oats got into defendant's paddock, but he wasn't going to discuss the matter then, but merely to say that a conviction would not be justifiable against either defendant. He dismissed the filformations, whereat the crowd m Court applauded ; and no wonder when one comes to clamly; consider the peculiar circumstances. This matter cannot well be allowed to rest where it is. Either a very grave injury has been done the Fifield's or it hasn't, but there is a very strong feeling m the district m their favor, and that somebody should be punished for the business. If the oats were deliberately placed m their paddock m order to accuse them of a crime— if there has been a plot against them— it should be sifted to the bottom. The constable doesn't come out m a very favorable light on 'the evidence- given; what- the .Magistrate thought is of course not known, but it's up to Commissioner Dinnie to have a searching investigation instituted into the whole dirty business, without delay.