Feed the Man Meat

Ephraim was fond of meat and he certainly did not think he should pay for it. His escapade in being found with meat on his property for which he could not account received a little space in the press and we would be very ill informed about the incident if another court case had not followed. Yet again, Ephraim went to court as he felt that he had been wronged. From the newspaper reports we learn an incredible amount about their lives.
First, he and Bridget seem to have been running two farms. The Valuation Rolls show two different properties being rented by Ephraim at the time. He must have gained some farming ability if he had 30 acres in grain and was running cattle and pigs as well. He seems to have had only one helper. Farming methods of the time would have been labour intensive. He also dealt in horses and owned farm equipment. It must have been a challenge as his fences were broken and it seems it was not a showcase farm. Ephraim went to Launceston to get 50 pounds to pay the fine imposed by the court. This amounted to more than a year's rent on the farm, a very large sum. Just how much meat had been found? From whom did he think he could borrow such a large sum?
While he was away, Bridget did not cope. She packed up the farm, put the children in the orphanage and ended up drunk, probably more than less in the Halfway House.
Ephraim arrived home, was gaoled as he failed to find money to pay the fine, then discovered that his animals, his main income had been illegally taken and auctioned off.
The Court case showed tha the was not the only shifty character in the colony, by this time renamed Tasmania. Was he satisfied with the outcome?
It was not long before he decided that the Northern end of the island might be a better place to live. He had spent several years around the Liffey area and seems to have headed there early in 1860. - probably on someone else's horse.