ARSON ALLEGED

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21445, 10 April 1935, Page 9

ARSON ALLEGED

TWO HAYSTACKS BURNT LABOURER BEFORE COURT Two charges of wilfully setting fire to haystacks were preferred against Chanel Patrick Murphy, in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. The value of the first, the property of William Rogers, a dairy farmer at Marshland, was estimated at £l2O, and of the second, the property of T. E. R. Jones, Hills road, Shirley, at £175. Accused entered a plea of not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., was on the bench. Mr D. W. Russell appeared for Murphy. , . , -^ William Rogers, a dairy farmer, said he had had a stack of about 30 tons of hay on his property, valued at £l2O. He was awakened about 1.30 a.m. or 2 a.m. on March 20 to find the stack blazing. There was no one near the stack when he arrived, but it would have been possible for someone to fire the stack without going near the house. The accused had been employed by witness, and had been sleeping in witness's house. The accused went out on the evening of March 19, and did not return until about 4 o'clock on the morning of March 20.

Cross-examined by Mr Russell, witness said he did not think accused had a grudge against him over the nonpayment of wages which he thought to be due to him. He did not think the accused had any motive for setting fire to the stack. The burned stack, which was one of three, was insured. The other two stacks were not insured until after the fire. A milk war was on at the time of the fire, but the matter had since been adjusted. Caroline Mary Rogers, wife of the previous witness, gave corroborative evidence.

Terre Ernest Raphael Jones, owner of a small farm on Hil'is road, Shirley, said in evidence that he had on his farm, before the fire, a stack of hay of from 40 to 50 tons, the market value of the hay being £3 5s to £3 10s a ton. The stack was insured for £IOO. Witness said it would be an easy matter for a person to approach the stack without going near the house.

Evidence of being awakened at about 1.30 a.m. on March 20 by the barking of his dog, and of seeing both stacks blazing was given by Godfrey McConchie, a farm labourer at Marshland, residing at 253 Hills road.

Clifford Lee said in evidence that Murphy had spent the night at his place, going to bed at 9 p.m., after asking to be awakened at 3.30 on the following morning. This witness did, finding accused sleeping fairly soundly. Witness added that he would have heard accused during the night if he had moved about. Statements obtained from the accused on March 20 were produced and read by Acting-Detective C. P. Burns, In the first Murphy denied the charges; in the second he admitted them and described what he said he had done. Murphy was then committed for trial, the magistrate stating that if it was thought advisable application might later be made to him to grant bail.