WELLINGTON SUPREME COURT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8135, 9 May 1906, Page 6

WELLINGTON SUPREME COURT.

CHARGE OF HORSESTEALING. Frank Reeve was charged at the Wellington Supreme Court, on Monday, with having stolen a bay gelding, valued at £2O, the property of Pin hoy Brothers, at Masterton, on March 31st last. He pleaded not guilty, and was defended by Mr Toogood. The case for the Crown was that tho accused came to Mr Pinhey, and asked him for tbe loan of bis gelding, for a mouth, to enable him to go to Te Purupuru, wher« he had a fencing job. Mr Pinhey at first refused to lend the animal, but on Reeve representing that he would lose his job if he did not go to it at once; and as Mr Pinhey had no immediate use ror the gelding, be allowed him to borrow it, on the understanding that accused was to have it shod. » The animal was worth £2O, but the accused after wards "swopped" it for a mare which was not worth anything like that amount. The defence was that tbe horse was nut loaned by Pinhey to Reeve, but was purchased by Reeve, for the sum of £lO, to be paid when ho had finished his work at Table Lands, not at To Purupuru. Accused said iu evidence that bo had known Mr Pinhey for a good many years. He had done a lot of work for him, and often had been given credit. Counsel for the defence contended that the uase was an example or the possibility of a man entering into a genuine busiuess transaction, aud yot finding himself arrainged before a jury to answer a charge arising out of that transaction. Counsel having addressed the jury, his Honour aummed up, and the jury ht 5.20 o'clock p.m. retired to oonsider their verdict. The jury returned to Court half an hour later with a verdict of not guilty. The accused was discharged.—New Zealand Times.