IS BAKER A "MIGHTY HUNTER?"

NZ Truth, Issue 328, 7 October 1911, Page 6

IS BAKER A "MIGHTY HUNTER?"

The Story of his Arrest

Committed for Trial

Considerable interest was manifested m the preliminary investigation into a charge of sheep-stealing preferred against a middle-aged man named John Baker, who came before Mr AY. G. Riddell, S.M., at the Wellington Magistrate's Court, on Wednesday last. • Chief-Detective Broberg the prosecution, and Hr A. Dunn appeared for the accused. According; to Patrick Kavanagh, a sheep farmer and dairyman at Nghauranga, he HAD BEEN MISSING SHEEP from time to tim« since March last, since which date he had lost as many as fifty, while be found as many had been killed without his sanction. He identified the skins (produced) as those of some of his sheep. Several of the missing sheep were ewes carrying lambs. Acting-Detective Bailey said that m consequence of . complaints made he and Constable Cumming were watching between Ngahauranga and Kaiwarra for some time. About

10.30 p.m. on Friday, September 22, they saw accused walking along with a sack over his left shoulder and a stick m his hand. They accosted him and asked liim what he had m the sack. He dropped the sack and questioned their authority to accost him. They told him who they were, and they said that he was suspected of sheep-stealing. He said be had aiithority to take the sheep, but he did not produce any authority. They arrested accused, and asked him to come quietly, but he . STRUGGLED AND FOUGHT VIOLENTLY. In the struggle accused got a black eye. In the sack were the carcase of a ewe and some liver and lights. On the accused were , found some cartridges. On the following day he and Constable Cumming' searched the White Horse boarding-house at Nghauranga, v where accused lived with his wife, and found a pea-rifle and a cleaning rod underneath the mattress on a spare bed. The cartridges found on accused fitted the rifle. On a mantelpiece m that house

he also found a partially- filled packet of cartridges. In a lumber-room i upstairs he found two sheep skins !on one of which was a mark which | appeared to have been, caused by a shot from a gun. In a store m the iyard he found a sack containing a sheep-skin and some liver and lights (produced) all quite fresh. There were bullet marks on the skin corresponding with those on the carcase. There were bloodmarks round the bullet marks on the skin, indicating that the sheep had been shot when alive. The skin of the head was also m the sack ; THE EARS WERE MISSING. The lights also had bullet holes m them. Two full cartridges were found on the premises of accused's house. In answer to Mr Dunn, witness said that the police did not draw I their revolvers. | Accused reserved his defence, and jwas committed to the Supreme j Court for trial, bail being fixed at I £80, with two sureties of £40 each.