A MASTERTON FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1007, 23 December 1910, Page 7

A MASTERTON FIRE.

'■ ' J;-'" . . -0— : - MAN CHARGED WITH-ARSON. ■ . iFrom Our: Special. Correspondent.) , In-'the .-'Magistrate's Court at Masterton this morning, before .Messrs. J. and J.'Ri Nicol, J.P.'s, a young inan nanied Leo Barker was charged;' on remand, ,'with hfiving, on' March 0, 1009, wilfully set fire" to the premises of Jfaggie Ypiing. Mr. C. A.' Po'wnall appeared for tho defence. . Edward Pragneli; a member 'of tho Masterton Firo Brigade, deposed that he went to the fire on his bicycle on tho night of March G,-1009,. when the alarm was gran. The'brigade arrived .two minutes later, but the ho'usa was destroyed. ' . By Mr. Pownall: Tjie outside value of the house was .£4O. -. He would be surprised to hear that the owner had offered the building to a party -for'removal at Maggie Young deposed that she lived in a cottage in Cockburn Street in 1909. A maii named. Henry, : ;Edelston. was staying in the same' cottage. She and Edelston went out in tho evening of;Marsh-6. She stayed at the librar.y 'whilst Edelston did .some shopping.;' They returned together, at 9.30, and found .the building'destroyed. She could not say that she had ever seen, the accused. : She lost wearing apparel, furniture.' etc., to the value of .£25 or .€3O, by the fire. • ... ■

'Henry .Edelston, -flas-cutter, deposed that.;he was staying'with the 'last\wit, .ness in Cockbnrn Street on March ;G, 1309. Two young men. had called at the hou=e' between 3.30 and 4 o'clock, oil the afternoon of that day. To-the best of his belief accused was onej and; a ninn named Robert Andrews the other. The. youii"' men.asked for Mrs. Young, and were informed that she was: not in- They said that they would come round agoin -in the evening, when, if Mrs. Young was not ill, there would be a row. About 7.30 in the.evening he saw the two.of them oil their bicycles riding in the direction'of Cockbnrn Street: Witness .corroborated the statement of the last witness as to the fire. Jle had.lost .£ls by it., including ■*t m notes, which were in his-rest poc" 1 ■ , ".'ticss had never hear(Fof com-' plaints from neighbours as t<i distiiri)- 1 anc*s at the house. '

A large 'amount of other .evidence was given, a, portion of this relating to the conduct of tho house. , Constable Dunn deposed that from information receivadiie say tho accural at Harding's, house, in Walton's' Avenue, on tho 16th of-this month. He asked accused if he knew anything about a fire at Mrs. Young's lyhare. Accused replied that lie did, and added that he was not sure whether Wilton was with him or not. He said he knew that- Mrs. Young' was out at' tho time. lie saw her going towards the Catholic Church. He went, homo and told Wilton, and then Svent over -and put a match to the place. He then went back and informed Wilton, who said it was the best thing that .could' have happened. He ascertained -that there was nobody in the.house before ho! set fire ,to it. The. accused signed his name to this statement; The accused nt first said, "Bert Wilton and lliyself set lire.to tho house." He afterwards eaid'ho did not think that Willon was present. This was tho.case,for.the'-prosEcution. The'accused, who reserved his defence, was then .committed to (alto his trial, nt the next sitting of the. Supreme Court, to bo held in Masterton, bail being allowed as previously, viz., accused .<£so and two