CHARGE OF ARSON AND THEFT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 117, 10 February 1908, Page 3

CHARGE OF ARSON AND THEFT.

REMANDED FOR SENTENCE . \V, . AucKland, February 7. " At the SUpromb'Court'.to-day Nicholas Albert Maddren,; aged 32; was placed .upon his trial'charged with arson and-theft at Kiri- \ pak.-L In'outliuiiig the case for thovCfoWn; tho' Hon;,;, J. A. rTole, K.C., said that tho prisoner was charged firstly with . setting, fire to a\ dwelling-house on January 1, and. secondly,: with .breaking into a dwelling-houso and stealing therefrom a suin. of £180.' Tho prisoner was "a son-in-law of Mrs. Olsen, whose, money was taken, and brother-in-law • to Mr. -Wetherall, whose house , was burnt/ On th<> night of the'.firo.Mrs./blson was-in her. house,-which prisoner knew well, haying lived there.;- Prisoner had had some un--1 pleasantness with his'brdther-iri-law, so much' ; so that he threatened his brother-in-law that he would " settler with ■ him-another time." On January. 1, prisoner, was living at his mother's.'house.', Ho apparently :resorted to the expedient of setting fire to Wotlierall's house, and thon went over, a distance of about half .a milo to his mother-in-law's house. Ho thriw stones at the windows, and gettirig.no respo'nso went round to .the .house and knocked at the door. -Hp aroused Mrs. Olsen and. told her that Wetherall's houfeo was on fire. Isy that expodient lie got his mother-, in-law and her son out-of the houso. Whilst they wero away, prisoner broke into tho house, and with a poker broke.open a drawer in-a phest of drawers containing; the money. 1 Prisoner tooktho drawer' and monoy.away with him. . : Evidence was given, and prisoner found 'guilty, and remanded for sentence. ;