A thrill a minute
The Times, 10 February
Horse-tail argument leads to attempted murder charge
An argument over a horse tail landed a man in court and another in hospital suffering from serious head injuries after he was hit with an iron bar. Noel Spiteri, 22, who stands charged with the attempted murder of Christian Cardona, sold a horse to Mr Cardona’s father, who is a butcher, and part of their deal was for Mr Spiteri to get the tail back once the horse was cut up.
Returning the tail in a bad condition, an argument flared up between Mr Spiteri and Mr Cardona last Saturday at about 6.30 p.m., the argument escalating, with Mr Spiteri allegedly hitting Mr Cardona on the head with an iron bar, grievously injuring him.
Mr Cardona was for a short time in danger of losing his life but is now in a stable condition.
Mr Spiteri is pleading not guilty to the charge, claiming he was the one that was attacked first and that he acted in self-defence. Magistrate Edwina Grima remanded him in custody after taking into consideration the seriousness of the charges.
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“In stable condition” – good one.
Sounds like a tall tale.
I would feel so much better if it were the horse which was in a stable condition. How can you sell a horse you know is going to be slaughtered? They should make that a crime.
And where did the horse’s head end up? Not in a salad in Mater Dei, I hope. Violence is no way to settle such a dispute. They should have tossed for it: heads or tails.
I wonder what he intended doing with the tail, anyway – turning it into a brush?
[Daphne – Suvenir.]
“How can you sell a horse you know is going to be slaughtered?”
For the same reason one sells a pig to be slaughtered.
@John Schembri
I wonder if the guy would have been as interested in a pig’s tail.
It works this way. These people develop so close a bond with their horse that there is no way that they would see it alive in the hands of a third party.
It is standard practice, therefore, for the horse to be delivered to slaugther, and for choice cuts to then be handed out to relatives and close friends.
The tail is the obvious bit to be retained, not only because it does not decompose, but because in the case of ‘zwiemel tat-trot’ the horse’s tail is the part with which the owner has the closest relationship.
You couldn’t make it up! Only on the rock.
‘the horse’s tail is the part with which the owner has the closest relationship’! Jeez, let’s get this guy in ‘stitches’.
“The horse’s tail is the part with which he owner has the closest relationship”
Michael, can you please elaborate on this because…emmm, my imagination is starting to run wild.
[Daphne – It’s the bit of the horse that’s always in their line of vision when they’re sitting on a trap.]
I got it! maybe they’d use the horse-hair to make something like this:
http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Sant_Alfred_6508142.aspx
(Incidentally, what’ws it with the “Jeremiah” bit?)
Re Jeremiah
Brilliant!
Jeremiah, the ‘broken-hearted prophet’:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah