TROTTING INQUIRY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19106, 27 February 1924, Page 8

TROTTING INQUIRY.

THE KINCSDALE CASE. LIFE DISQUALIFICATIONS. The following report of the Kingsdale case which was dealt with at a special meeting of the hoard of the New Zealand Trotting Association in Christchurch on Monday. and of which a summary was published in yesterday morning’s issue of the Daily Times, is taken from the Lyttelton Times: Mr P. Solig presided., and there were also present Messrs J. H. Williams, W. J. Hopkins, and W. H. Denton. Mr J. S. Sinclair, of Dunedin, who appeared for Walter Leonard James Cameron, labourer, Dunedin, said he took it that the charge against Cameron was that he wilfully and corruptly gave wrong information at the time of the registration of the horse Kings dale. The association’s letter also stated “and in connection with the identity of the horse.” He did not quite follow what that meant, but took it that the association considered it had evidence that justified it in making a charge that this horse had been “rung in.” Cameron had come to Christchurch from Dunedin for three reasons—he wanted his stake, he wanted his horse (which had been seized by the police) _ and ho wanted his reputation cleared. His horse was still, counsel understood, in the hands of the police as the agents of the association. With regard to any charge against him it was only fair that Cameron should be informed what evidence the association had that justified it in making a charge, and concluding that it had a pnma facie case against Cameron. Was there any informant? It was hardly fair to proceed against Cameron on mere suspicion. Mr Sinclair asked that the board should call the evidence it had that justified it, in its opinion, in calling upon his client to answer the charge. .'Vs the board had charged Cameron he asked that it would be good enough to let him hear the evidence of the informant. Tlie Chairman: Cameron has made a statement, of which you have a copy, and Richards has made a statement of which you have also a copy. 'There were the various statements made by people examined by the representatives of the association. Daniel Joseph Donnelly, called by Mr Sinclair on behalf of Cameron, said ho was a farmer at Lauder, Central Otago, Cameron was a stranger to him till he came to him early in September. A man named Richards was with Cameron. They told witness they had hoard he had some good horses. A mob of nine or ton horses were examined. Cameron bought one horse. It was by King Daphne out of a Lauderdale mare. Witness’s mother made the deal. The age of the hors© was then stated by witness’s mother to be six years. That was not the correct age. The horse was then nine years old. Mr Sinclair: Why did you not contradict your mother? Witness: I did not like to. I never contradict her in any deals. So Cameron was led to believe that the horse was six years old? I suppose so. Witness said he told Cameron that the horse iyas not broken and had not been handled: The truth was that the horse had been handled five or six years before, and turned out again. That was done because it failed in the legs, necessitating it being fired. The horse had not been registered by witness as a trotting horse. It was sent on to Dunedin to tameron. Later, at Mr J. M. Samson’s request, witness went to Dunedin to sec some horses. Among the horses was, he thought, the one he had sold to Cameron. It was well groomed and in racing condition. Mr Samson said the horse had been in harness and witness replied that ho had never had it in harness. The marks on which Mr Samson relied were, in witness’s opinion, the marks of the cover. To tlie president: The object in misleading Cameron as to the age of the horse was to get a sale. 'You deliberately misled him to secure a sale? —That is the fact. Witness’s mother used to have trotting horses once—one called Harvest Home. Witness had one called Hayraker. It raced only once and did not win. He had never had a horse called Grace, nor had his brother. When he went to Dunedin to see the horse he did not think it necessary to tell Samson and the detectives all he knew. To Mr Williams: It was witness’s mother who first suggested that the horse was sis years pld. It was Richards who wrote out the cheque as Cameron did not have his cheque book with him. Witness, replying to Mr Williams, said he told Samson and the detective in Dunedin that he would not swear that the horse ho picked out in-Dunedin was the one his mother had sold to Cameron. Ho thought it was. , 1 To Mr Hopkins: Tlie horse was sold to Cameron as an unbroken horse, and was rough. The horse won a race on October 20 last. He was not surprised at the time in which the horse won. Mr Hopkins; Will you not be honest enough to say yes or no that this was the horse you sold? Mr Sinclair objected to the question. Mr Hopkins: It is impossible for a horse to be taken out of a paddock frreen in September and win in this time in October. The Chairman: Will you say this was the horse your mother sold ? Witness: I will say it was the horse. Mr Hopkins: Have you any doubt? Witness: No: I have not. The Chairman; Before lunch you were not certain, and now you are. Mr Sinclair: I think it is quite plain to everybody present that the witness was pushed into answering the question in the way he did. His evidence all through has been tjo the effect that ho thought it was the horse, but he could not swear to it. But the way that nuestion was put praotioallv forced him into saying what he did say finally. The man’s whole evidence right up to lunch time was to the effect that he thought it was the horse, and that was all ho could say. When Donnelly’s evidence had been concluded an adjournment was made to the United Service Hotel to take the evidence of W. L. J. Cameron, who was too ill to visit the l.cnrd room. Before his evidence was taken two statements that Cameron had made—one to Mr Samson and one to the police —were rend over to him. In these statements Cameron described himself as a labourer, and said that ha trained the horse Kingsdalo himself. It showed times of Srnin 35scc, 2min 37sec, and 2min 26sec. Ho had had nothing whatever to do with any horse except Kingsdalo. Ho broke him in and trained him himself, and no body else handled him. In his examination. Cameron said ho bought the horse as a six-year-old gelding. There was no hint that he was older. The receipt described the horse as a six-year-old gelding. When witness came to train the horse he thought that it had had a bit in its mouth before. The horse was in very good condition when witness bought it. About two days after the horse got to Dunedin witness started to work him. Ho only walked him at the start, and did not hustle him at all. At the outset he trained him at Tomahawk Beach. It was on the beach that the horse first showed promise. That was between two and three weeks after the purchase. He then took the. horse to Outram because ho wanted to keep him quiet. Ho did not consider he had a good chance with him. W iti.es i put £3 on the horse.; He did not know if ho would leave - ' the mark or not. It was the first time -lie had been tried in company with any other horse. He did not rush the horse away fiom the course after the race. It did not leave till between three-quarters of an hour and an hour afterwards. Richards had no interest in Kingsdalo after the Gore meeting. Witness heard rumours about the horse, and so wrote to the Gore Racing Club asking it to appoint an official to examine the horse. The Gore Club did not answer the letter. About live weeks afterwards Mr Samson visited him, and he showed him the horse Later, at Mr Samson’s request, he look the horse to Dunedin, but nobody appeared to identify it. The horse had not been sound since the race, being affected in the legs and back. When applying for the registration of the horse the particulars ho gave were true to his knowledge. The horse ho ran in the race was the horse he bought from Mrs Donnelly. To the Chairman: He thought he had a rough chance of winning if ho got off the mark.

To Mr Hopkins: Ho was led to believe that the horse was green and unbroken when be bought him. The horse was nominated before he did his trials. Ho believed it took a race to prove a horse. Ho did not notice any marks of the horse having been fired. The horse was not liard to handle. Witness considered it the quietest horse he had ever handled. Kingsdalc was the first horse he had ever registered. Richards backed the horse in the race, putting £IOO on him. The horse paid £ll 17s Witness had no interest in Richards’s bet, and did not receive anything from it. To Mr Denton ; Witness was quite used to horses. Ho had handled a good many. He did not look at. Kingsdalc’s month when ho bought him. He could not tell a horse's age that way. He saw nothing wrong with the horse’s front tendons, and saw no signs of firing. Ho noticed after the race that one fetlock was larger than the other. He did not notice that when he bought the horse. Witness never fired the horse. To the Chairman: Witness had not had any other trotting horses. Kingsdalc had beon an expensive luxury for him. The Chairman : But you could well afford it? Witness: No, I could not. Witness added that he did not jump into trotting suddenly. Richards did not tell witness that he had £IOO on the horse. To Mr Denton: Witness clipped the horse as soon as he got him. He did not know what was the usual time for clipping horses. Ho gaited the horse. He did not know a great deal about gaiting. In answer to further questions, witness said -he had told some half-drunks at Outram that the name of the horse was Sirclla. It was the first name that came into his head. He had never seen Sirella and did not know who owned it. Addressing the board at the conclusion of the evidence, Mr Sinclair said that before the board could be satisfied that Cameron was guilty of an offence they must be satisfied that the horse was not what he described it to be, but was some other horse, and also that the information ho supplied in his description of the horse was false to his knowledge. The answers whioh Cameron had made to the Questions put by members of the board were, counsel submitted, fair and reasonable ones. Cameron had developed a desire to own a horse of his own, and, seeing this horse for sale cheap, he bought it. All Cameron had told them of what he did leading up to the race was quite reasonable. The horso was prepared very quickly for the race, but there had been no evidence to shove that it was impossible that the horse could ha,ve been got ready in the time There was nothing to contradict the statement that Cameron put the animal into immediate training. There was no evidence to show that there was anything wrong Donnelly had not been untruthful. The horse had turned out trumps for Cameron, but he had not vet got the stake. Ho was not a wealthy man, hut a working man. and desired to get the stake. He wished, also, to clear his name. Naturally, idle rumour, like the proverbial snowball, had gradually become elaborated, and Cameron’s character had been besmirched. Ho would not have appeared before the hoard if he had not wished his character to remain clean. If ho had been other than an inno cent man' his counsel would not have allowed him to appear to give evidence. He put it to them that while the circum stances might create a certain amount of suspicion, Cameron; if he was innocent had been rather badly treated. Counsel did not blame the board for having the inuiry, for it was forced to do it. It could be conceded that if there had been anything wrong then an exceptionally clever and subtle plot had been conceived and carried out. It was unfortunate that the matter had not been clea-red up earlier Cameron had himself invited an inquiry right at the outset. What started the suspicion was that Richards put £IOO on the horse. But for that it was quite possible that no' suspicion would have been aroused. It was strange that, after having been invited to go and see the horse, the Gore Club should have remained inactive for so long a time. Counsel submitted, m conclusion. that the case was a perfectly bona fide one. THE BOARD’S FINDING. After deliberating at considerable length on the evidence, the board decided that Walter Leonard James Cameron and the horse Kingsdalc should be disqualified tor life under rule 337, sub-section H. As regarded John Richards, of Dunedin, who failed to appear in answer to the association’s summons, the board unanimously decided that he should be disqualified for llf The question of the disposal of the stake won by Kingsdalc at the Goro meeting will bo dealt with at the next meeting ol the board.