The Wakefield-street Case.

Auckland Star, Volume V, Issue 1485, 13 November 1874, Page 2

The Wakefield-street Case.

John Kemsley was again brought uponfl, charge on wilfully and maliciously settinofi to a house in Wakeneld-street, on the Ifi inst, with intent to defraud certain wl!! Companies. **

George Harrison, express driver was mßrn and deposed that he was at the fite 75 knew the gate leading from Bjky street to Kemsley's shed. During tIT fire that gate was securely jL? and it was burnt down. No 2> could get to the shed by that si!"1 He assisted Smith to remove a cask franth' neighbourhood of Woodward's bakery. %, cask was put into the express with aa'onk to take it to Mr Dowden's auction room, 0» the way, he and Smith were met by Kewfey and a conversation ensued between Smith and Kemsley, which witness did not-heai On coming to witness, Smith said/tltt Kemsley wished the cask to be taken to Smith's stables in the Market place, h getting the cask out of the express, a part of the head fell out, and a large envelope and ruler tumbled out. The envelope contained papers and documents. He believed the packet produced was the same, with Kemj. ley's name on it.

To Mr Meyer : He could notawearwleflier the envelope was blue or white. He got no instructions from Kenialey. He was employed by Smith. Kemsley was a stranger to him. He only spoke to him once inhiglife. Smith told him that the cask contained lamp shades. He could not tell the exact jpot where the meeting took place. He did not poke his hand into the cask to find the lamp shades ; he saw a lot of straw in the cask, but he could not possibly point to the spotwhere the men met. He should remember any place by appointment for a job, there would be no mistake on his part abontthatj' there would then be a motive for the exercise of memory. A small person might hare crept under the gate, when the bafeker" occupied the premises, but Mr Keisisy might have altered it, he could not say. To Mr Brookfield :He believed"the H was blowing N.N.W. His Worship could not see the drift.ithis course of cross-examination, and'the witness's depositions were then readover. Charle3 Woodward, confectioner, of the Market-place, deposed that he rememSwred a little before the fire taking in four packags belonging to Kemsley, which he gave up to Butterworth on the 29 5h October npon as order from Kemsley. He understood from Kemsley that the goods were to be Bent to Mr Dowden's auction rooms. He saw Ken* ley in Lome-street afterwards and told Ma that the order was not signed. Witnea handed him a pencil and he signed &;■« the time of the fire his bakehouse wasunas repair. To Mr Hesketh : He took the goods in about the beginning of September in his stall in the Market. Mr Kemsley asked him Ml favour to allow him to store the goods in to place, and he would pay him any reasonaWs price. He talked of opening a stall flitnMH in the Market, but could not secure a m at the time. He gave Kemsley .W permission to put his empty rases;^ his premises before the fire. On w morning after the fire he met Snuj. and spoke to him ; he was just outaMj" bakehouse, with a whip in his hmMJ said he was after Kemsley's things; ■» " All right, you will find them over tte* He went down to the yard towards W , street. He did not remember seeing » cask ; it might have been there row**"1 seeing it. ~ ..A Mr Brookfield suggested thatitte «J should be brought into Court, W*"** might see it. ~ fj, rt ß It was thought to be too wide wr doorway, and witness had better go»»

Hi 3 Worship remarked that it mights* mysterious as the famous Arabian hotThe cask was at length broughtto M«?J and Detective Jeffrey and Constable M^ vainly attempted to get it into Court. Witness then looked at the cask, and 1 satisfied that he had not seen it belore ■» vacant ground. He was not on pa**"*, intimate terms with. Kemsley. t-atflit1 Mrs Mary Woodward, wife of the urn ness, remembered Kemsley bringiog^^ to their place some time before «»" place. Kemsley said he had so httWJ^ and he should be obliged if she• tJ^J J^ him to store them in the m*T*et: Ua M<t night before the fire he said » *JJ-H taking a stall in the market, ana ™« person to mind it. He did not W» but subsequently said he would wo -^ them out of the way, as he was gMjJJ^ them to Dowden's. She the fiie broke out early » «"> y jia and on the day of the fare, that his parcel left on the P»^ fle was quite safe, and she gave it toj"* replied that he was extremely^ p parcel contained his business boo was not aware that the P»««JJ tell ti? She also told him that he had JeW^ W Insurance Companies that *** :#,«# packages were saved f^^ce o«J he was then going to the Insar yj. On the following Saturday fie dgo j been, and sold the salvage for * • W cheque. She remembered J* | e f o re J husband's bakehouse on the W B e* fire with her daughter, *S*WJ oven, which had i^J^Xi*S*r no cask standing at that tunej ftha fc house door ; she »4m*^«i lo Mr Meyer: She mU^Z ag h cask if it had been with zinc. It »»£* JS* O*SJ premises aud escaped her »o£ j also a large basket eft ■« H^ was taken away after t^J m ■ ggj cart. She was *^%***»s when, to allay her anxw^'g tflld J.er» with entries therein, anu _^ was all right. U6 d and-«g#: John Adean was next^^«l© that for many years he haaj^^ valuator both inßngjdjJ tf d I he had also been m the enm | ■ "'' J

&**&&«$» premises occupied -«*f, 3 «*»seeing hxs Btock ab(mfc