ALLEGED SHEEP STEALING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14283, 27 April 1917, Page 4

ALLEGED SHEEP STEALING.

Robert Little and his son, Robert Alexander Little, were each charged at the Police Court, before Mr W. A. Barton, S.M., this morning, with stealing on or about Marcft^26, 1917, at Motu, five sheep valued at £7 10s, the property of W. B. Orr; one lamb valued at .£l, the pl'opWty of W. J. 'Bright; and two sheep valued! at £3, the property of G. O. DonoyaH • . Mr Burnard appeared for accused. Detective McLeodi conducted the pi'oaecution. ... . . W.m. James Bright, sheepfarmer, of Motu, stated he knew., the two accused, who owned a sheep,:.fafjn,".adjoining his, and it -was managed! by the. junior accused. • On March 26 witness attended a stock sale, a,t Matawaii, ,In consequence of something 'he heard .he, went to the railway stockyard,v where he saw the two accused. They w^re trucking sheep. Witness looked over the sheen;, and found; One of his lambs m a truck. Witness .".Fas m a hurry to 'get back to the sale,, and' he asked: Constable Williamson to. take charge of th© lamb, which bore , witness' registered earmark. " A blue j ruddle mai'k was on' top of tfye lambus shoulder, but this, had. not bepn put on by '•"■witness.'. .Witness had no, ' authority • to .truck the lamb: When witness asked what his lamb, was doing m the truck the junior accused 1 said lie did not know ■ how it got there. THe lamb was. worth £i. , .. ■■ . -..: ■■..".! To Mr- Burnard : Accused made no

objection, to, witness .taking the lamb. There were about 300 sheep and lambs being trucked by accused for the freezing works.. It was not .unusual' for a stray one or two strange sheep being let; through. the race unobserved. .Witness had done' it, but he, had. put ftjem out" of the mob on the- road, ■ Other sheep : were often picked up when a, mob were being driven, along, the. ioad. . Witnes^ had, :previously, ; sold soriie lambs' which hadino l'udd^e marks; on.— To. Detective McLeod : -Sheep - had, to be j handled ".. a ijood deal when trucking, .aihd a'.tie'lghr i bo^gTvsheep should .he detected then. | The. usual method/of ' 'picking" 7 .., is! for tlie "picker" to select the fai sheep, ' *nd the owner puts the ruddle; mark I yn- "■' ■- ,_-.'•' '. '„' ■ ■ ",;..'.•',. '■' , J\' j To Mr. , Burnard . : Notice of miisterng war. only given, to., neighbors ■ at shearing and docking times, ■, . . • . j Patrick, John Quirk, sheepfarmer at ' \fotu, deposed tJiat. he was managing ;he property, of G. 0. Donovan, who ivas on active service. Witness went, to ;he MatawaL saje, on "\ March 26.. v , . He massed. the r two accused, oii,. the roaid, I Jriving about 400 to MataiwaL Witness .noticed , sonic" 3ta'a n S erfi 11^^ ;he mob;, he saw one pi.pri^hi^s a,nd >ne of Donovan's on tlie road. ; ;j Late.r. .vitness and Constable W,iliiaWson weni >o the railway yavd, where: the two -ijijc -',' jused were trucking the sheep., ,^iV^- 1 less looked tfirough the ..sheep ; and sfiw )he of Afr. Orr's. JTe-.-went to .the salef'ai'ds, and. -returned- with Mr.' Bright ind -Constable Williamson. They; made " i further examination of the: sheep, and ,'ound- another one of Oxr's two of, Dono-: ' ran's, and -one ■,otl'jgright*s". ; . One of, Donovan'^ .was. m a. . truclc, and. the>ther was m the yard,. ;, Orr's . sheep . • v«re m the yard, end B.rightr's was m a :ruck» The constable asked accused if hey. could explain" how the sheep, got I'here,' and if they Jtlieir neighbors. ( ?armai*ks. The senior accused said his sight was not very r good, . a.nd ... the iunior accused said^^jt wa's his. busi-. less to, lenow his neighbor's earmark. HeV;alsp. said it was a iriyßtery to him lowpthe neigh bors'~«l>e^). got there ; he j :ould; not explain at all., When witness :laimsd Donovan's sheep,, the, senior ac- ' ;used aA ;>first claimed one as his, but ivhen the five sheep were^ put m a sep- , irate yard he did;»not--,press his claim, i •emarki;ig that 3iis,\ signal was not very ' teen. The ,-two sheep, *-a ewe and , a ambj, . bore Donovan's registered -es.K- '■ nark, and thiy had a., blue, ruddl© mark, m top of the shoulder. Witness valued ' /hem at £3 15s. Witness knew accused's ' 'armark. There was no resemblance ! >etween accused's a»d either Binght's, ' Donovan's, or Orr's.*' ... , . 1 ToMr. Burnard: Witness had had 30 • gears' experience in**' sheepf arming. He lid" not personally know of cases, where J neighbors sheep had been sent with a' anob,.to the. works by mistake. He ' only ; gav : e notice .of mustering at ' shearijig a.nd docking fiimes. No one &lse m Motu had the same earmark ><s ] Donovan, but witness could not say that no one m Povevty Bay had the same earmark. It wag possible for ac- ' sused to purchase sheep at MataAvherp bearing the ,same earmark,, although not Douovan's.. sheep. Witness had sold ' three fat ewes and 69 fat lambs to the freezing works before , March -26. j,He . had not sold any ,otber 3 this . year. Wilfijed B. Oriy shcepfarpier at Motu, ! stated ■ that . his farm ».adjpin©d; .tha-t ioi the accused. Aboiit-JLO; a.m. oil March ■ 26tli he saw the two accused -driving a ■ mob of ; about 300 sh^ep past his place. Witness' looked through; -^li^rn* as he pas3ed, and found three of his. , They bore his earmark, and two had, a< blue ruddle- mark on top--»»ot the 'shoulder.^ Witness' had just looked, at the sheep m a big yard. He took- out his threeThe junior accused said he did not know how . they got into the: mob; he said,' being a= wet da,y, they.; might),., have been overlooked. Witness did not. reply. to that. , A week,ojET^a lateii- wit- : ness, was two Ttjore^-of hisA'sheep, by Constable Williamsop^ana they .^Jso. were marked with bhie ruddle. Accused had no '•authority to have witness' sheep. They were wpiith about £7. I ■ '*' ■ (Proceeding.) ' ■ ■ - . ' "~r~. — : : . I