THE HORSE FIEND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6115, 23 March 1898, Page 2

THE HORSE FIEND.

RE-APPEARANCE AT HALS WELL. At three o'clock yesterday afternoon a message reached the police station to the effect that a thoroughbred stallion— Chain Armour-r-.the property of .Mr C. Lewis, 'M.-J.R.; had been stabbed in a paddock at Halswell. 1 -Inspector Cullen, Dete.tive Fitzgerald and Constable Gantley left immediately for Hals well, and found the. borse lying dead in > paddock belonging to' Mr. Lewis, about half a mile from the house. There was a clean cut wound, on the off side of the neck, about half an inch wide and four or five inches deep, apparently made with a sharp-pointed instrument, which had completely severed the jugular vein. Mr Lewis states that he found the horse dead on Sunday, when it looked as if it had been dead for some time, probably a day. There were six other horses running in the paddock with Chain Armour, who was a very quiet horse. He .would go up to anyone and. let himself .bo caught. Mr Lewis does not remember when he saw the horse previously to Sunday afternoon. The police traced blood right across the paddock to where the horse was lying, a distance of about three hundred yards separating the spot where it had been stabbed and where it fell. In some places along this trail, which was very plain, there were spots where the horse had, apparently, stood for some time, as they were marked by little pools of blood. The spot where the horse was stabbed was about two chains from the fence. The paddock was well grassed and hard, and showed no marks, even the hoofs of the horse leaving scarcely any impression. The horse was not a very valuable animal, although it was well-bred, being by Chainshot — Apropos, and had been standing during the season.

Assessment Court. — The Assessment Court, to be held by Mr R. Beethan? on April 1, is to deal with objections to the assessment for the city of Christchurch, and must not be confounded with the Court for dealing with objections to the Government valuations, which will not be held until May for the Christchurch and suburban boroughs. The Express. — Among the arrivals by last night's express were Captains Collins and Lomax, Lieutenant Anderson, Sergeant-Major Evans, Sergeants Manning and M'Farlane, Corporal M'Kay, Privates G. and T. Robinson and Sapper Lester, who returned from the Rifle Association's Rifle meeting at Oamaru. Messrs H. W. Bishop, S.M., and A. Cox were passengers by the same train.