ALLEGED CATTLE STEALING.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVIII, Issue 16798, 31 March 1919, Page 2

ALLEGED CATTLE STEALING.

*' !. \ A TEMUKA CASE. •fAfc" the Magistrate's Court, Temuka, .ok" Saturday, before Messrs A": Frew and A. Gibson, J.lVs. •-- - ' "- ,vWilliam and' Jane Tarrant"\weio "charged with, (1) on' or about 25th July, 1918, at Temuka, stealing one steer valced at £l2 10s_, the of Ernest James Smith; (2) on or about March 28th, 1918! at Temuka, stealing one steer valued at £l2 10s, also the property of E. J. Smith. Detective Sergeant Fahey prosecuted, and Mr Walter Raymond appeared for the accused. Ernest James .Smith, farmer, Riversl*a, stated that during March 1918 he lost six head of cattle, searched for | fchem through the district and adveir I tised for them and got no response. ".On the 28th November ho went to |Mr Mills's paddock at Seadown and saw two of the cattle that he had | lost—an Alderney and an Ayrshire: In the winter of that year he met the accused William Tarrant and told birr | that he had lost some cattle,, and I asked him if they wore on his pro- | perty, and Tarrant said "No." The 1 two steers outside the Court were his ' property. P-i valued them at £25. | Agreed with frae accused to take £25 .for them on t' ? 14tlh January, 1919, I and signed an : -"iPement to this effect

G-. R. M. Jon\s, auctioneer, stated that lie Temembered selling six young steers to E. J. Smith at Pleasant Point on January 28th. 1918, but he could not identify any of them.

Maurice Leonard, farmer and dealer; at Milford, stated that on 28th No-! vember, 1918, he saw two of Smith's j cattle and three of his own in Mr Mill's paddock, Seadown. He knew | the cattle, and remembered Smith buy-j ing these two at the Point sale. The steers outside the Court were the' same. Later was with Mr Smith in Mills's paddock, and lie identified the steers as his property. T. G. Irwin, farmer. Cave, .sold .eight cattle at the Point on January 28th, 1918, and Smith bought six of them. Of the two steers outside the , Court he identified one certainly, the other he was not so sure about.. He only had the cattle six months. Hugh Mills, farmer, Milford, stated that he bought five cattle from accused on March 12th, 1918, and paid £42 10s for them, and on March 28th bought three more for £24. He stih had six head in his possession, and had brought the six to Court that morning. Understood that five of the six had been claimed by Mr Smith and Mr Leonard. The balance of the cattle bought from the accused had been sold. Was quite positive that the cattle outside were bought from the accused. Paid the accused by cheque as he bought the cattle. Sidney K. RichardSj manager at Temuka for Guinness and LeGreti. stated that he knew the two accused. He was authorised 'by the female accused to write out an agreement (produced) that £4O be paid to Maurice Leonard for cattle claimed by him, which had been sold by the accused to air Mills,'and £25 to be paid to Mr Smith far about four head of cattle claimed by him and sold by accused i to. Mr Mills. The signature to the [ agreement was that of the female aci cused.

The agreement was as follows:—"Mr S l . K. Richards Temuka. Dear Sir,—. I. hereby authorise . to settle the dispute over the ownership of cattle between myself and E.; J. Smith and M. Leonard, and any amount that you .agree to with them on my account 1 accept as final, and will, not in an? way dispute it, not exceeding £4O to be paid to Moss Leonard on account, of his claim, and £25 to Mr E. J. Smith."

I Constable James -Murphy produced . statements made to Mm by each of : the accused on December 27th, 1918. Mrs Taw-ant's sta/tement was to the : effect that the cattle she had sold to . Mills were steers she had 'bought from 1 Joseph Borry, of Clandeboye, and heifers she had reared herself. Wilj ham Tarrant's, statement said tliat he j was a labourer, and assisted his wife ;in carrying on a dairy farm. He described two sales to Mills in March, and one in July, 1918. "My wife does all the buying, and can give you all the particulars." The constable, proceeding, stated that on February 3rd. ithis year, he went, to the accuseds' farm to serve a summons on William Tarrant. Tarrant asked how the cattle case was going. Witness replied: "Haven't vou settled it up yet Haven't you offered £65 to settle it up?" Tarrant said 'Wo. the ola woman done that." Witness said that if she had not stolen the cattle she would not have paid £65 to' settle it. Tarrant, said ■ Leonard's cattle were all right, but Smith claimed one thai was not, his. ,-

Will am Tarrant and! Jane /Tarrant were further charged yrith having (lj on or about July 25th, 1919, stolen a heifer and a. steer, valued at £27,° tho property.of Maurice Leonard; (2) on or about the 28th March, 1918,'. stolen a stee'r valued at £l3, also the property of Maurice Leonard. The evidence in this case was of thesame character as that in the former; Maurice Leonard testifying to loss or cattle m March 1918, through straying (about 150 head) ; * to his search for thcin, failure to find the whole of them at the time; to denials by the female accused that any of his cattle, were on their property, and to seeing three beasts in Mr Mills's paddock in November 1918, which he recognised as some of those he had lost, lie signed an agreement to accept £4O for t!h e ni. T. It. Mackay, auctioneer for the N.M. and A. ■Co., 11. Bee, farmer, King&down, is. Kingston, farmer. Fairview, A. E. Benn, farmer, Kakaliu, were called to prove previous ownership and sales, and to identify one or more of the cattle that hac* been their property respectively. Hugh Mills and Constable Murphy gave practically the same evidence as in the previous case.

Accused pleaded not guilty, reserved their defence, and wore committed for trial at Tinuvm on Gth May. Bail was allowed to each, self in £SO each, and two sureties of £SO ©•jch.