LYTTELTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5188, 19 December 1884, Page 3

LYTTELTON.

This Day. (Before J. Ollivier, Esq., R.M.) Drunkenness. — A first offender was fined ss. Threatening to Commit an Assault. — Thomaß Brown appeared to prove a charge of this nature against M. O'Connor. Mr Nalder appeared for complainant. Both men belonged to the schooner Onward. Defendant, who was mate of the vessel, said he was asleep at 4 a.m., when defendant, who had been discharged from the vessel, woke witness up, threatening him with a large billet of wood, and saying he *would drag his windpipe out. To the Bench : Witness gave no cause to O'Connor for the threats used. Another witness gave pimilar evidence. [The remainder of the report has not yet reached us.] Deserter. — -Thomas Davis, boatswain of the ship Waitangi, was charged with deserting from his ship at Port Chalmers. Mr Nalder, for tho captain, asked for the man to be remanded- to Napier. Shekp Worrying. — Garforth and Lee v. Eckhoff. Mr Nalder for plaintiff, Mr Joyce forjdef endant. Mr Nalder said about Nov. 9 two dogs were worrying plaintiff's sheep at Corsair Bay. Both dogs were caught and taken to the police station ; one of them was proved to belong to defendant and the other to a man named Sinclair. Plaintiffs offered to take .£l2 loa from each defendant in liquidation of the claim. Afterwards found the total damage done, including missing sheep, and those killed and damaged, to be .£4O 10s. John • Green Garforth said that a number of his sheep were worried by dogs on tho Sunday mentioned. Witness counted them on the Thursday afterwards, when he found 29 dead ones. They were lying on the beach, below some precipitous banks. One was alive, and five more were torn, apparently by dogs. There were 218 sheep when counted before the worrying. They were worth about £1 each, the lambs about 12s. The damage done to the sheep not killed was about 10a each. Defendant said the dog had been on his vessel ; he had tried to drive him away, but failed to do so ; came aboard at some port. The Circe, defendant's vessel, was lying on the slip at the bottom of the paddock. Defendant asked witness to withdraw the summons or hold it over till his return with the vessel. Peter Fox said he was a driver for Garforth and Lee. On Nov. 9 last saw two dogs in the sheep, worrying them. Caught them in the act. The dog produced was one of them. The dogs were, about fifty yards from the Circe. Showed the dogs to Garforth and Lee, and then took them to the police station, and afterwards back td plaintiffs. Found 30 or 40 sheep alive on the beach, besides the 15 lambs and eight sheep found dead. Besides these there were 29 missing. Sheep driven over the cliffs might go straight into the sea. None of them got through the fence. Found the dogs at 9 o'clock in the morning. Went on board the Circe afterwards, but could make no one hear. Buried some of the lambs ; skinned some of the sheep and buried them. To Mr Joyce : Put 218 sheep in the paddock between two and three months ago, counting them himself. Joseph Loder, slaughterman to Garforth and Lee, gave similar evidence. There were 218 ewes in the paddock. Did not know how many lambs there were when the sheep were counted ; after the worrying there t»ere 189. Skinned eight of the ewes. Mr Garforth said witness was not to take torn Bkins, as they were valueless. [Left sitting.]