The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-20
A QUESTION
OF OPINION
Were Cunningham's
Ways Cruel?
POLICE COURT EVIDENCE
Horse Trainer Charged With Tortur-
ing a Mare Says He Was
Curing Baking.

William NJ. Cunningham, who keeps
tie Favorite saloon, was tried in the
Police Court yesterday on a charge OF
cruelty to a horse. Mrs. Helen Wilder
Craft appeared to press the charge. AS
agent of the Society for the Prevention
or Cruelty to Animals, she had Cum
ningham arrested the day before. Much
evidence was introduced on both sides
and after some hours of talk Judge VIII
cox took the case under consideration
and will render judgment today or to-
morrow.
| Nearly all the veterinarians of Homo
lulu were on hand to testify in the de-
fendant's behalf, and so were lovers of
horses for the other side. Mrs. Helen
| Wilder Craft while not the principal
witness in the case, stood the brunt of
the prosecution and testified that Cum
ningham had said upon one occasion
I that he would either cure or kill the
/ horse"
! Mrs Craft brought this statement out
with force. In rebuttal evidence as to
what Mrs. Craft considered cruelty to a
horse, Attorney Creighton, at one stage
of her testimony dramatically drew
! from his coat pocket a sliding bit, and
/ holding il before the witness face,
asked if she ever used such a device.
When the lady replied that she had
sometimes made use of this arrange
ment, the attorney wore a satisfied
smile.
| II. A. Isenberg was the first witness
for the prosecution. He testified to
having seen the horse in question,
gray mare. in a pasture on Wilder
avenue. He had seen Mr.. Cunningham
lay the lash on IL several times with
force. The animal was stubborn and
had harness on, and he afterwards saw
the horse with it's head checked up ex
tremely high. He considered the lash
ing given by the defendant was severe.
although he did not later see any marks
or welts upon the body.
n. Il. Emerson stated he was driving
past the pasture on Wilder avenue when
he noticed a horse resting its chin on
the fence, with his head checked back
so far that il appeared as III the horse
was continually straining after some
thing higher. The belt encircled the
body, the check being an overhead one
and attached to the surcingle, side lines
preventing the horse from casting its
head from one side to the other; in fact
ii was held rigid.
The testimony of Miss Carrie Castle
showed that her disposition was to
treat horse humanely. and that the
use of overhead checks was a cruelty.
especially when drawn so taut as the
one she had seen on Cunningham's
mare. She described the harness which
she had seen, and said she had heard
I from Love e 1. -
the torture had continued for nearly
| TOUR hours, when her attention was
first called to the strained position of
the animals head and neck. She had
seen the chin-resting episode and saw
that the eyes were half-closed, as II the
horse could not open her eyes without
looking directly into the blue vault
above. She wanted to uncheck the
horse herself but could not get near
enough to do so.
George p. Castles testimony was
along similar lines. His sister wished
him to uncheck the mare, but he
thought that perhaps the animal was
under veterinarians care and did not
wish to interfere. The harness worn
was such as to keep her perfectly rig
i'd, and when she moved about the pas
ture it was evident to him that the
animal was suffering. 1T was distress
ing to see that horse" he said. IL
have never before seen a horse check
ed up so high as that. That is what
attracted my attention; it struck me as
being so strange"
When Mrs. Craft took the stand she
gave some bright bits of information
which showed she had as much knowl-
edge OF horses as that claimed by ex-
perts who appeared in behalf of Cum
ningham. Her testimony tended to
show that although 1t may not have
been intentional, the defendant tor
tured the horse on different occasions.
She had not seen the horse while II
was checked up, but had been inform
ed of the circumstances. and she had
requested Cunningham to meet her in
the Deputy Marshal's office two or
three days ago.
II told him that l was tired of hav-
ing people telephone me the first thing
in the morning and the last thing at
night about the treatment OF that
horse said she with emphasis. 81
asked him what he was trying to do
with 1t, and he said he was trying TO
break ii in. He said he was using a
biting harness and had to check her
up high. The horse was checked up
one day from 1880 to 1870 in the morn
ing. He said he had sold the mare TO
Mr.. Hoffman, and it was balky. II he
couldn't cure IL, he would kill IL:
that's the expression he used to me
He admitted he was angry and had
whipped the horse. He told me he had
taken the horse to Owen Hollis and
had left her out all night, checked up
and tied to the buggy. He told me II
his methods were complained OF he
would take the horse to some secluded
spot and break her in"
The defendant was put on the stand,
told his experiences in trying to make
the horse behave. Her chief fault was
in continually backing. In so doing
she had run down lime barrels and