GUILTY OF ARSON.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 145, 19 June 1915, Page 9

GUILTY OF ARSON.

TE AROHA FIRE. CONFESSION BY ACCUSED. COMMITTED FO RSENTENCE. (By Teleprrapb. —Own Correspondent.) TE AROHA, Friday. The Courthouse, Te Aroha, was crowded on Friday, when Clifton J. McCormack appeared to answer the charge of arson—to wit, setting lire to the "Mail** huilrlinps, and an outhouse on Sunday evening, June nth Inst. Mr. E. T. I'lcndon appeared for accused, and ; Sergeant W'ohlniiin conducted the case j for the Crown, .Messrs. T. M. l'attullo I and I- W. Mace occupying the bench. K. H. Ilawken gave evidence .that on the evening of rlth .Tune he was at his | surgery in the. top portion of the j "Mail" buildings. He noticed smoke I issuing from a. recess under the t-u-ir-1 case and a tire burning. He put out the lire with several buckets of ivater. Accused was a frequent visitor to the building, and used to keep his tennis racquet in the recess referred to. A lire had also been started in some adjoining buildings. At this .-(age Mr. Clendon said he proposed to plead guilty, and go up for sentence, as accused had signed a confession nf live sheets of foolscap; therefore the case might be shortened considerably . ('. .1. Harker, part owner of the "Mail" buildings said the insurances, wene £1000 on the main building and £ 200 on the workroom. j Or. benny said on the morning after : the fire accused a-ppeared to be normal, :uid not vi any way under the influence of liquor. Iva Innes said she had known accused about three years. She last walked out with bun about a month ago. Ou the lay nf the fire she saw accused in the , Domain at 4..*!0 p.m.. when he called her i an.l she. replied that she was iv a hurry. 1 He passed her father's shop about seven | o'clock, and appeared to be i" his 1 ordinary condition. Lewis Arthur ilepo-ed that he saw IU-cusod near the "Mail" buildings at about three minutes to tight on the night in question. ! Coin-table l.eece gave evidence relative tn the outbreak of fire. Accused had -i-iicd a confession which stated "no was in old Burnham Industrial Shoo! boy; that he had started the fire, and had j .vfterwards endeavoured to put it nut. , lie was as-kcl to ring the tiricbell. he did | (,o. and then unsifted to extinguish the lire .it I lilies' shed. No one had prompted j iiim to net the buildings on (ire, ami he j hud no ill-feeling against, any of tlie iH-cupier.". I Accused pleaded guilty, and mv coinj muted to the Supreme Court, at Hamilton, for sentence. I McCormac- was then charged with 1 misappropriating funds belonging to the ;Co Aroha Municipal Band, of which ho j ivas secretary. Sergeant Wohlman asked for _n adjournment of tbe vase, stating ; there might lie developments which 1 would increase the seriousness of the ! charge, or on the other hand, e_pl_naI tions tuifrht he fortheomina. An adjournment was ordered until July 15.