STEALERS OF SHEEP

NZ Truth, Issue 985, 11 October 1924, Page 6

STEALERS OF SHEEP

TWO BROTHERS COMMITTED FOR

SENTENCE,

.(From "Truth's" Dunedin Rep.)

When the names of Ronald. Ellesmere Neill and Herbert Maurice Neill were called m the Dunedin. Court one day last week, two athletic-looking- young men, as alike as two peas m a pod, stepped into the box, ai^d the charge to which they were asked to plead was the theft, on September 13, of ,303 sheep, valued at. £550, from the Government's Teviot Estate. After evidence for the prosecution had been | heard, the accused entered a plea of j guilty. v James McGill, manager of the Teviot Estate at Roxburgh, said that on September 17 he mustered one of the paddocks m which 1000 sheep shoufd have been running. He discovered that approximately 150 ; ewes m lamb were missing. He went to Dunedin and reported the matter to the, police, and on September 20 went with Detective Hart to inspect a mob of 306 sheep at Glenavy. He identified all but three as coming from Teviot Estate, all bearing the Sstate's earmark and brand. The value of the sheep was. £550, and witness could swear that they had not been sold by the estate. Leslie Retlie Tayler, stationmaster at Heriot, said that on September 112/ he received an order for six trucks for sheep.. The order was given m the name of J. McMillan, and he identified Herbert Maurice Neill as the man who had given that order. The trucks were to be-in readiness for September 15 V to carry sheep to Glenavy. Actually five trucks were used for the sheep, and they went forward to Glenavy. John Edward Hutchinson, manager for Pyne, Gould, Guiness, Ltd., at Waimate, said that on September 17 he received a long-distance telephone message. It was: "McMillan, . Lawrence, speaking. Tell Dailey five trucks .sheep Glenavy." Witness did not know who McMillan was, but the following morning he received another message to the following effect: "McMillan speaking. About those sheep, /the prices are 35s for the wethers and £2 for the ewes." That was the last witness had heard m connection with the sheep. .. He knew both accused well, and had seen Ronald m Waimate on the night of September 17, but he <ii,l not say anything about the sheep. Detective Sn'eddon said that the accused Ronald had called at the detective office and made a statement to the effect that he and his. brother we.-c farming m the Teviot district. On' September 10 his brother suggested they should drive over and take some of the Government sheep, and 'he agreed to steal sheep and . to ■ truck them to Glenavy. On September 13 they" 1 mustered 180 wethers and next day they took 130 ewes from another paddock. . -. .'.;.• At this stage accused pleaded guilty ■and were committed for sentence.