THE ALLEGED HORSE FIEND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7508, 16 September 1902, Page 3

THE ALLEGED HORSE FIEND.

■ _ x * i ACCUSED BEFORE THE COURT. I At the Magistrate's Court this morning, before Mr R. Beetham, S.M., James Greer was charged that on August 23, at Belfast, he did wilfully damage an entire horse, the property of William Jenkins, by wounding the same. Mr Stringer appeared for the prosecution and Mr Russell for the accused. Mr Stringer said that the facts were that Mr Jenkins was the owner of a stallion, which he kept at a place near Belfast* in a stable under the same roof as his dwelling-!. o_se. On August 23 he saw the horse at midday perfectly safe and sound and fed it. Shortly after five o'clock he returned and found that the staple and padlock had been wrenched off the door and the horse was suffering from a stab in the stomach. The accused was charged with having stabbed the horse, and the evidence was purely circumstantial, * mainly depending on the question of identity. The accused lived on a road off Harewood Road, and about three o'clock on the afternoon of August 23 he was seen riding a bicycle on Johns' Road, near the North Road. He was seen in various places in the neighbourhood of Jenkins's house, and plans of the locality would be put in. The accused was apparently anxious not to be seen by several people who passed him. Gordon M'Clure, licensed surveyor, put in a plan showing the district in which the accused was alleged to have been seen on the afternoon of August 23. A Mr Mander's house on Johns' Road and Greer's house were shown, thedistance between the two being 4 miles 54- chains by tho Wairarapa Junction and Johns' Roads. Mr Schmack's house was shown about 2C_ chains from Mander's house, and Bower's house about 26 ' chains from the latter. From Bower's house to Jenkins's was 3 miles 6 ohains by Tisch's, North and Belfast Roads, and from Jenkins's to a group of trees marked llf chain's. From Jenkins's house to M'Donald's house was __£ chains, from the latter to a gate marked on the plan 2_- chains, from the gate to Tisch's house, 21£ chains, and from Tiswh's to Dunnage's ; house, 12 chains. From the gate to a clump of trees was 19 chains, from the gate to a bridge marked 13£ chains, from the gate to the cross-roads at Groffski's 61 chains, from, the cross-roads to Morton's gate 26 chains, thence to Karr's gate 77. chains, thence to Coleman's 60 chains, thence to Aitken and Roberts's shop, Christchurch, by Hill's, Green and St Albans Roads, Cranford and North Streets, North Belt and Colombo Streets 4 miles and 12 chains. William Jenkins, labourer, employed at Belfast Freezing Works, said that he lived alone in BelfaKsx Road. He owned a trotting stallion named Young Wildwood, whose stable was under the same roof as his own dwelling-house. The horse was kept in a large loose-box, secured by a door,' and witness alone looked after the horse. On Saturday, August 23. he went home at 25 minutes past 12 o'clock, fed the horse* amd locked 1 the door. The horse was then safe and sound, and the door was secured by a padlock and staple (produced), the latter being bolted to the jamb of the' door on the inside. The large gate leading from the property to the : road was also locked. At twenty-five minutes past five -witness returned home, and saw that the stable door had been forced open. He found the horse in the stable, apparently in great pain, and suffering from a cut in the side. Witness did not know the accused. He had had the horse for five or six years. Ifc^ would hardly be safe for anyone to go into the loose-box, for the horse was rather playful. To Mr Russell : Within the last month or two he had had conversations with two men who wanted to hire the horse. The horse was neither, mortgaged nor insured. William Gee Taylor, Government Veterinary Surgeon, stated that/on Saturday, August 23, he was called to attend to Jenkins's stallion, which was suffering from a wound in the region of the stomach caused by some sharp instrument. It was a very seveie wound. He had been treating the horse ever since. -The wound would be caused by a sharp knife, possibly threequarters of an inch thick. An ordinary pocket-knife, like that produced, would do the damage. Ernest Ford, butcher, living at Papanui, said that he had known the accused for a good) many years. . On the afternoon of August 23 witness was driving on Johns' Road. At about three o'clock he was in the neighbourhood of Schmack's house and saw the accused riding towards Belfast on a bicycle. They .nodded' to each other when they met. He was quite certain that it was the accused he met. To Mr Russell : Witness had come from Belfast, and the, accused from- the direction in which he was going must go straight to Belfast. Witness stopped at one place after leaving Belfast and before meeting the accused. He did not know the exact time when he left Belfast, but he reached home very soon after four o'clock, and thought that he must have met the accused at about three o'clock. He could not say whether the accused had! a hat or a cap on, or how he was dressed. He could not say how fast the accused was travelling. He had not told anyone that he saw the accused on that Saturday afternoon in a different place. Alfred Tisch, farmer, residing at Belfast, said that his house was on a side' road leading off from Belfast Road. He had mown the accused by sight for some years. On August 23 witness had been in town, and drove home in the afternoon with his wife. He drove along the North Road and turned into Belfast Road between a quarter to four and four o'clock. As he approached Jenkins's v house, and while about ten chains away, he saw a man standing about opposite Jenkins's gate. This man' had a bicycle. As witness approached, the man jumped on his machine and rode off in front of witness, going about ten of . twelve chains down the road, stopping near Crawford's gate, Which was at the corner of the road at Which witness turned off. The cyclist went down oni his knees, and seemed to be trying to fix the chain of his bicycle. He remained in that position until witness turned the corner. [ It was a half-chain road, and as witness came up he got a side view of the man, who turned his back when the trap passed. Witness thought that the man. was the accused, and after seeing him close by was almost sure of his identity. His oniy cause for doubt was that on the Saturday the man he saw seemed to have been recently shaved, and on the following day he seemed to have about a fortnight's or three week's growth of beai _. The man with the bicycle was dressed in a dark suit, and wore a brown slouch hat. His bicycle was very dirty. On the following Saturday witness met the accused in Hertford Street, Christchurch, and the latter asked whether witness knew anything about him and the horse affair, saying that it had been tumoured that he was to be arrested. The accused asked witness to tell him what he knew about it. Witness said that if the accused could prove that he was in town about four o'clock on the afternoon of August 23, he had nothing to fear. The accused said that he could prove it, as Aitken and Roberts knew that he was in their shop at about 4 p:<m. To Mr Russell': If .the accused had had a growth of beard^n his face on the Saturday, witness* might not have seen it. When he saw the accused on the Sunday, he thought that he could not have been the man he saw on the previous day. A man named Dunick had not told him that he could not be sure that the accused was the man. Witness told Dunick not to be influenced by anything he should say. Clara Jane Tisch, wife of the previous witness, said that she was with her husband on Saturday, August 23. She saw the man by the roadside. He wore a dark suit of clothes and a brown slouch hat. He had a light moustache and about a week's growth of beard on hi." face. She thought that the accused was the mam. Joseph Dunick, farmer, residing at Bel-

fast, on a road off Belfast Road, stated that on August 23 he drove home from Christchurch along tlie Canal Reserve, with his sister-in-law. When approaching Crawford's gate, he saw a man riding towards him on a bicycle. The man turned off _s if to go to witness's house or Tisch's, but wheni witness reached the corner he saw the man standing with his bicycle by Crawford's gate. Witness cam. within about five yards of the, man, who was dressed in a dark suit and brown felt hat. He had a fair moustache, and had apparently not shaved for a week or more. Witness arrived at the corner about a quarter to four. The man had' a pocket-knife im his hand, with which he was picking afc the chain. Witness had a good view of the man. On the following Monday he saw the accused on Taylor's farm, ahd he took the accused to be the man whom he saw on the road. l Witness still believed him to be thesame man. To Mr Russell : The man looked up for a minute as witness passed about six yards away. Mary Dunick, wife of John Dunick, stated that she was driving with the last witness on Atigust 23, and saw the man with the bicycle. She described the man,, and identified him as the accused, whom, she had not seen since that Saturday. Hugh Fraser M'Donald, shepherd, employed at the Belfast Freezing Works, deposed that he lived on Belfast Road, next to Jenkins's whare. He was in the habit of keeping an eye on Jenkins's place in the daytime. On August 23 he returned from Christchurch by the Canal Reserve, and crossed the bridge over the Styx River at ten minutes to four by his watch, which might have been five minutes fast. He jogged along home, and while on the road saw a man jump over Jenkins's gate on to the middle of "the road. The man looked at him for « man-t---or two, and then turned' to the gate and took hold of a bicycle. Witness was about! four hundred yards away when, he first stow the man. The latter, having got his bicycle again, looked at witness, and then-mad-off towards? the North Road. The nearest witness got to him was from- two hundred! and eighty to three hundred yards. He could see that the man wore a darjc suiti and brown felt hiat. Se was shaved and had a moustache, and would stand about sft Bin. Witness saw the accused! standing outside the Court, and was satisfied that he was like the mad described. He did hot know the accused. (Left sitting.)