Later.

Auckland Star, Volume X, Issue 2940, 16 September 1879, Page 3

Later.

Suspected. Arson.

FURTHER SUSPICIOUS EVIDENCE.

The Octagon fire inquiry has taken an unexpected turn. Mothers swore positively that Waters threatened to lire the building if he got insured. Tho witness Hall thought him in earnest and quite capable of doing it. "Why?" asked the coroner. "Because," he replied, " the man who would ruu away with his brother's wife and child was capable of doing anythiug, especially after saying so and on account of his piecareer."

George Ritchie, steward of the cafe", identified the parcel of rags produced which smelt strongly and appeared saturated with kerosene. They were discovered on the caf6 stage after tho fire. Waters accused him on Saturday of using tho kerosene, but he denied it most pointedly, and did so now.

It turned out Waters, whose proper name is Chiir, was convicted in Victoria of burglary and perjury. Waters has been arrested and bail has been refused, INSPECTOR MALLARD'S EVIDENCE.

Inspector Mallard gave evidence that ho visited the cafe from time to time. He says he generally found it well conducted ; at other times not so well. He instructed sergeants aud inspectors to keep a watch on the place. On Saturday, 30th August, he received a memorandum from Waters, dated 2nd September, oxpressiug a hope that the measures he had adopted would be effectual in keeping the place more orderly. Matters went on until Saturday night, tho Cth September. On that night he visited the cute, and it was a seeue of disorder. The room was filled with young lads of 14 and 15 years of aye, and young men from 18 to 20 Up to all ages. lie opened tho door and went in, and someone said, "Mr Mallard, you are just in time." There was hooting aud shouting, aud there had been a fight. Of course the word was passed round, " Here is Mallard," and the uproar speedily ceased. He asked for Mr Waters, aud spoke pretty authoritatively to him, aud said, " Mr Waters, this is tho last night I shall allow this. On, Monday I shall see the Town Clerk and tell him I am going to close this place, or rather, if you don't close it I shall take proceedings against you forthwith." Ho said, "Mr Mallard, I will do anythiug. It's a good payiug business. I will do anythiug if you will only allow me to keep it open." He told him most people knew how far to go with him, but that when he said it must be closed he iuteuded to keep his word. On next morning he wrote the following memo. : —"I visited this place at 10.20 p.m. ou Saturday, September, 1579, The noise aud conduct were simply disgraceful." On the following Monday he intended to go to Massey and tell him what he was eoing to do. His intentions were to have informed against Waters, hut befoic Mouday the place was burnt dowu. When he got in tiorn the fire on Monday afternoon he found a note lying on his table. The letter was dated 7th aepteinber, and to the effect that tho writer was sorry to hear ot Mallard's disapproval, astaecofiS was ouly an adjunct to his business ; but if no provision could be made to curb tho blackguards, he would of his own accord discontiuue it. He oilered to pay for the special polico surveillance. Lie (Mr Mallard) tossed tho letter on one side, thinking to himself that the writer was rather late. The Inspector proceeded to allude to some conversation lie had with Waters, iv tho couise of ■which he told him lie had once kept a public-house in Melbourne, and hud then goue to Sydney. _ He was a printer by trade, and had worked iv the "Daily Times" oilice. He did not attach much importance to the matter then, but viewed by the light of what had since transpired about Waters's antecedents, au entirely new aspect had been put on the whole mutter. The statements of the man Hall he had taken at first with great distrust, but investigations of police records tended to confirm his statement.

WATERS' ANTECEDENTS. Iv the police records he found a man passing by the very name of Hull, viz., WalterClair, and answering in description to Waters in every respect. Ho was committed to. Pentridge for burglary for four years with three years police surveillance. He was described as a native of Melbourne, and a printer, and it concluded with a reference to the "Police Gazette," and then found a conviction recorded against Walter Glair whowasdeacribedasbaving amark precisely the same as one Waters bore. The oilicer in charge of that division had telegraphed to the Chief Commissioner of Police in Victoria for further particulars, tut regretted to say the two men seemed to be identical. DETECTIVE BAIN'S EVIDENCE.

Detective Bain gave evidence. He referred to a parcel of rags referred to by the witness Ritchie on the afternoon of the Bth. One of the Corporation workmen when turning over the debris in the reading-room called my attention to something smelling very strongly of kerosene. I.went into the reacling-rcom, got a shovel and turned over the debris and found the rags now produced saturated with kerosene oil; in fact the oil was running oft" them when I lifted them. I do not think Waters could have touched them, as they were completely covered with debris and flat on the floor. They were lying just about two feet from the fireplace of the reading-room, and close to a wooden partition. About ten o'clock the same morning I saw this kerosene tin standing on the lower floor of the building under the stairway leading from the reading-room to Waters' private room.

Ritchie declares that the drca3es should have been in another room, and the_ kerosene was always kept upstairs in the cupboard, not where Bain found it. These disclosures are causing intense excitement.