ALLEGED HORSE-STEALING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11127, 29 July 1907, Page 2

ALLEGED HORSE-STEALING.

l _ Rangi Holene was again charged at tha ' i Police. Court tliis- morning with theft, on February 21st, of a black mare the proi perty of Napia Pani: Mr E. H. Mann [ appeared for the accused. Napia Pani, i shearer, stated he knew the accused, whom ' he saw in February last- ; It was alter i the Park races and. before the Makaraka ■ races. He s^w: the accused at Parilii- . manihi,' when be asked, witness' -lo lend [ him a horse^for the purple of going to i Mangatu. He lent him one; a black one, - 1 on condition toat^it wblddvb^l«tttrneri I after the Makaraka race,s. ":It was brand- • ed Ton the off shoulder,'" and had a white: i star on .the forehead. He valued the ~ ; mare at about £20. Witness, next saw the i accused at toe Makaraka races, and said ;: l to him, "Where is ray; hbreeF ind he re- ■ plied, "I left it at Te Karaka, and came i in by train." Ota the following Saturday ) witness saw accused, and told him to ; ' give the horse to I'uhoe, as he was going i to Wanganui. Witness went to Wan- v • ganui the neit day, where he saw the ao ; - cused. He asked him ifi he returned the t horse to Tuhoe, and. accused replied l "Yes." Witness returned to Gisborne in i about two months. He next saw the i horse about two weeks ago at Ormond, in the possesion of Con. Neenan, and again irn the Court yprd this morning. It was the. .one he had lent 1 to the accused. Accused had noauthority to dispose of the ljorse in any way.-^By Mr Mann : He;; had a companion named Tipo with '.'him-''" when accused asked him for a loan ofi the horse.'— His Worship : No wonder Y i there, was trouble ".over it.— (Laughter •)■— Accused had no horse with him at that '-> time. 'The accused rode- to Parihimanihi the previous day. The: mure, he rode there had a foal at Joojt, He did not tell the accused that be; Would, like the foal for bis boy,, arid there; was^ no - offer to exchange his mare for tlie foal.- The foal wag not sold but left running with the mare. "He had not seen the. foal 'since. Tuhoe Teua deposed he was present at conversation between theV.Jast witness and accused, wliich took place;.in town the. day after the Makaraka" races.. Napia asked accused for his jjprse, and accused said he had left it at Te Karaka. Napia told him to give it to'witness, and he promised to do so. Wither 'knew the horse thejf were talking about; .and saw it' this morning in the Court yard. Accused did not give witness the horse. John Thomas Oassidy, coach proprietor" »at Te Karaka, said he saw accused at .ie ■ Karaka about February 21st. Accused sold a black mare to witness. Witness asked ham if the mare belonged to himself, and 1 he replied "Yes." Witness' offered him £9 for the mare, winch he accepted. That price included the bridle .. and saddle. The receipt '.produced was : signed 1 by accused in witness' presence. Witness kept the mare about a month and then sold itto «> man nairied Aitken, a shepherd at) Waikohu/ The .horse, he saw- - . outside the Court '""'was the'one he had purchased frorii accused. Cornelius Neerian stated he exchanged the horse, which was outside the .Courthouse this morning, with Thee. Aitken, shepherd, on tlie 6th inst. It was brands ed Ton the off shoulder. . The horse remained in his possession until yesterday,: but was claimed fey Napia and iTuhoe ten days ago. .'. ... T ; Constable Doyle'gave evidence to charging the accused with the offence. Accused said, "Yes, I sold the mare, to Cassidyr let Napia comei to m-a and I will make it all right with him." Tlie Makaraka races were held on February 14th and 15th last. Accused reserved, his defence, and plead.ed not guilty, and was committed to trial 5 st the next sitting of the Supreme Court, .^g Bail was allowed, himself in £50 or two sureties of £25 each. ______