THIS DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1536, 14 January 1875, Page 3

THIS DAY.

His Honor took his seat at 9.15 a.m. CHARC4E OF ABSON. Cecilia Allen, aged 13, was arraigned upon an indictment charging her with feloniously, wilfully, and maliciously setting fire to a stable on the 17th November, in the parish of Takapuna, the property of Mr Samuel Howard.

The prisoner, in an audible voice, pleaded not guilty. Mr W. L. Rees defended the prisoner. Mr Brookfield, Crown Prosecutor, opened the case, and detailed the circumstances.

Emily Charlotte Howard, wife o£ Mr Samuel Howard, of Takapuna, deposed that in .November last the prisoner was in her service, and on the 11th November Bhe Drought a sheet out of Martin Ohlson's bedroom, and drew her attention to a hole in it, about the size of a crown piece, and said Martin mast have done it. On being questioned, Martin denied that*he had done it. The girl used to make his bed. She had been in and out the bed-room several times that day. The burn in the sheet had been recently done. On the next day she brought out the same sheet, with another hole burnt in it of the same size. When the lad came into dinner, she again spoke to him on the matter. He replied that he knew nothing about it. The girl said nothing. She then had the bed made without sheets. In the afternoon she came into witness' room, and said, that wicked boy Martin says that Mrs Nutting has done it (a lady who occasionally visited at the house). On Friday evening about nine o'clock, Martin asked for Mr Howard, and said he could smell something burniDg in his bed room. Mr Howard went into his room, and brought out a blanket with a large hole burnt in it. Witness and Mrs Nutting then went into the room, and on examining the bed, they found a part of the pillow, and the mattrass, and the blanket in a smouldering state. The girl pointed to the piece of blanket, and said it had been removed from the spot where it was when she made the bed in the morning. The lad said, he knew nothing about it; the girl disavowed all knowledge of the mystery. Mr Howard then took all the matches from the boy ; he was not allowed a light to go to bed by. The lad expressed his belief that the girl did it; Cecilia immediately burst out crying, and said that she was so comfortable she could not have done it, Ohlson did not emoke, nor did Mr Howard.

His Honor : I suppose Mrs Howard does not smoke ?

Mrs Howard replied that she was not addicted to that habit.

Witness continued : On the 16 th there was a small quantity of firewood lying close to the stable. The stable was 120 feet from the house. She and her two children were some little distance from the house, and Martin was at work in the paddock, when the girl came running to her and said there was a fire near the stable. She immediately went to the spot, and with Cecilia's and Martin's help they put out the fire completely, when Martin went back to his work, and witness returned to the children. Shortly after Cecilia announced that another quantity of brushwood was on fire. Againshewentandextiuguishedit with water. They watched for a time, and, being satisfied that all was safe, they again retired to their work. They inspected the place several times afterwards, and there were no Bigns of fire. The wind was blowing in an opposite direction, so that the sparks from the scrub would not go towards the stable. At a quarter-past Bix, while she was feeding the baby, Cecilia came running.in, saying the fowl-house was on fire. She said—What shall we do 1 She got Martin io chop, away some brushwood between the fowl-house and the stable. The latter was, therefore saved, but the fowl-house was destroyed. On the following day Mr Howard left at his usual time for business. She intended to have gone to town that day with her husband, but was afraid. She expressed her fear within. the hearing of Cecilia, who said, "You need not be afraid, I will look after Martin, and see that he does not smoke near the house." She afterwards went to her sisters', Mrs Howard, of Dedwood. She could not see her house from her sister's house. Her sister, on looking out of the upper window, saw the stable on fire. On going home the next morning, Cecilia met her at the landing, and aaid " that boy has burned the stable down." Bhe called him to help her put it out, but he would not come. Her little boy said that Cecilia did not call

Cross-examined by Mr Bees : She believed that the boy did occasionally smoke; but ■he was not aware that he used to light his pipe in the stable.

Mr Samuel Howard remembered the sheet being shewn to him from Martin's bed, which had been burnt. He often spoke to jnm about smoking, and desired Mm not to do so. On the evening of the 11th Nov., about nine o'clock, Martin Ohlson called out from hia bedroem, "There's fire again." .brom the girl's remarks intending to implicate the boy, he asked him to give up all the matches he had about him MaT o V H p a ti mßte°?g^M- Ohlson ' Sergeant-