THE PALMERSTON BLAZE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 473, 3 April 1909, Page 5

THE PALMERSTON BLAZE.

A CHARGE or ARSON. H , ia.o«w.- srWll . Wwwwwwj. ■pV ■tt ' : Palmerston, April 2. Hu .P e > lato Porter at the Royal Hotel, was charged to-day with setting,fire to the hotel on March 17. .In the course of his evidence, John Searle licensee of the Royal Hotel, sai d that accused had been employed as a day in the IVe . 3 ' W , hil ° fl,itness was at the pol oe station asking tho police to inquire shout the hre' of March 16 the bel Tim another alarm, ahd 'ho discovered that thf that Ylfn ho1 i< !l -; Invesfcidation showed that the fire was in the'servants' quarters m an room, which ■ contained th« m*Z 3: ' fu C "' alls wcre wooden, and nh? n -rtm a fi 3 111 ™? ln Yoro very infiamablo. The fire was extinguished by the brigade. Having heard of some remarks that the porter had made, witness asked him, just bofore one o clock, what he meant by it, f, , ordered, him olf the premises, sayin« that he would ring up tho police. Accused however, went upstairs. He came down again within five minutes and called out: "Mr ? how is E° in e-" Accused «ft the house and went on to tho street, and immediately tho firebell rans. AVitness went • t'j e office, and then went upstairs. He wund tho upstairs passage full of smoke. Detectivo,iQuirke said that he saw accused !L, 1 C ??^ e , statlol } , o ' l Slorch 18, and spoke bout tho fires which took olaco on tho i il " (! ] Accused said bo had nut the are out on the 16th, and he mado i statement which witness took down, and accused jigmvl it. Inter aha, it contained Jhc fol-kiwing:---1 went up the staircase. 1 nlonc the passage a cigarutte witn a lightcrl matchln my°hand J ho door or the lumber .room was open, and there was bedding on the floor. I throw tho ligbtwl match on to the bedding, I saw tho match keep lighted on the bedding, and I closed tho door, went to my room, and, after a couplo of minutes, came back when I.thought what a foolish thing I had done. The room was in flames, and I went downstairs and gavo the alarm. Deforo going ■downstairs I would have put ,tho fire out. but. it had too muctf of a hold nn the walls."' Accused pleaded guilty, and was committed lor scntenaj.