DUNEDIN NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4832, 4 February 1887, Page 2

DUNEDIN NEWS.

[SPECIAL TO DAILT TELEGffiAPH.]

[OWN CpEEESPpNDENT.—BT TEEEGBAPH.]

pusEDnr, Last night, THE RECENT #IBE, At the adjourned inquest or enquiry into the cause of the fire at the Iron and Woodware Company's premises a deal of contradictory evidence was given. Wm. Richardson, blacksmith, stated that Churchill generally smoked cigarettes, but "witness had only seen him smoke a pipe once. . Witness was with Churchill on the morning of the fire, but did not reool}ec| him getting a cigarette. On bno previously (a Sunday morning about six weeks ago) he went to the stoke-hole in the Woodware Company's premises in company with Churchill. J Frederick Esh, pastry-cook, said he did not recollect Churchill's smoking a cigarette on. the morning' of the firo, nor was he aware that Churchill had gone to the stokehole. This witness, like Richardson, had been cautioned by the, Court, and was. told that he had better be careful he did not leave the witness-box for the lock-up. He then proceeded to say he did not believe he had made the following statement to Detectiyo Bain:—"We parted at about. 12.15. Richardson and I went home to dinner, and Churchill went down Princess-street towards the post-office. I understood that he was going to the factory to bant up his' fires. I knew it was his' , custom to go there on Sunday about one o'clock to bank up hi? fires.'' He could not remember saying that to Bain. After having heard that state-: ment read pver he would swear that he djd not know it was Ghurohill's duty tq gq to the factory on Sundays. He only knew him to go once; that was about six weeks ago and witness and Richardson went with him! Witness never made the following statement to Detective Bain:—"l have been with him several times at that hour on Sunlays when he was banking-up his fires " [t was not true that witness said that several :mploycs' stated that they had keys of the factory. Detective Bain deposed that the state nept (produced) was made by Jhurchill, and taken down at his dictation 3hurchilTa#ljea to. the gttttemW ■ I The statement was much to' Wsaine %cci I as the evidence given by Churchill onthd Tuesday. It set out that he -was not atthe stoke-hole .after 10.15 a.m. on the day of the fire ; that he did not remember speak ing- to anyone as he left there, and that if Constable Chishohn said He saw witneS about (standing at the stoke-hole 1 ""* m ? d? »- iaiflta4 * He. (Churchill)iw not m the %W> n that daj, and although he 'VCbronef'Caj-ew evidence,- and.it 'Wits' ft pity it ' Mot mdif . satisfactory, but it the place yhere fte canghS » op ft W ftr jg-' back portion. If they believed tiio CT-idenori _gxveu by Constable Ghisholm and fio brothers S eid « W there could be no boUerraouso a very few minutes before the : S T Sieved that they they must also, believe that he wae :-f»P»fje R feto*ood, object of 'ina£. : mg item Tbelievd- thai he -wa ß ' not iiiere thero wasjio dQubt hood, to. tiw Xolgawstt^-witfi

;what it was hard to make out. They hud evidence of a clerk who appeared to

"£•■■ ■ have been the last person ingjdo the builjl- "■}- ing unless Churchill; Was there, and it seemed probable that.if the fire whs then smouldering there would havo ; been somo indications of it, but tho clerk said there were none. If the jury believed that Churohill was last in tho building, and that the fire broke out somewhere near where ho was, it pointed conclusive to tho conclusion that he must have had something to do, with ""'-■. it. There was, of course, nothing to show- ; th'it if he did sot tiro to the building he did ■'■ it maliciously. There were several ways in which ft fii-o might have originated, Churchill misrht have told an untruth about " not smoking in the factory, and may have thrown down a match which set fire to tho • magazine, and when that once caught the the rest of the building was easily accounted for. ,„•,,. The -jury returned the following verdict: "The jury find that the fire originated in the magazine adjoining the boiler-house; that Jus. Churchill was in tho boiler-hoiise ■ immediately before tho fire was discovered, and set fire"to the place, but whether accidentally or wilfully there is no evidence to 'show."' They added the following rider;— f'Tliat tho company have too much facility . ■ forJacccss to the premises by allowing alai-go number of their hands to cany keys." .',-.'' THE GREAT BARRIER MURDER. f Tho papers in connection with the Great Barrier case arrived to-day, and a meeting of the Executive, Governor Jervois, and the - Hois Messrs Larnach, • and Reynolds attending, is likely to be held to-morrow to consider the mattor. 0,, flit that Judge "Ward has written to His Excellency that ho cannot support tlie iurr'srecommeudation to mercy, the murder hawiK been deliberately planned. It may, therefore, be surmised that in the course of a few days tho condemned men will be mfortnort that the sentence of death will bo , c irried out. THE PRISONER HALL. Jlc the Thos. Hall case the Crown Solicitor sivs he feels thoroughly satisfied that the evidence in the wife poisoning case was properly admissable at the recent trial, and this is the opinion of the leading legal gentlemen here. No instructions have yet been received by the gaol authorities for the prisoner's removal to Lyttelton. STARTING BUSINESS WITHOUT

Iv the case of the bosrding-houso-keeper who to-day applied for his final order of alschai-'C it was stated that the debtor married a widow three years ago and continued the business which she had earned on He had no money, and it now appeared that on the eve of her wedding she gave a biU-of-salo over her furniture and eftec s to her brother. The debtor owed £211 to tradespeople, and had no assets. He attributed hie insolvency to the fact of a faUing-ofE in business, ■ consequent on the steamers and large vessels giving the port the go-by and repairing at Dunedin. Judge "Williams said he could see no fraud. A bill-of-sale case was that of a. rnru carrying on business and incurring debts without any capital. The only result of loss under such circumstances was that the loss must fall on the creditors. No man should go into business of any Wild requiring out bringing and risking some capital of his own 7 flie discharge would bo suspended for six months. THE DOCK TRUST LOAN. For the last few days a current in business circles that Mr Elder s mission to London to float the loan for the second Port Chalmers dock has proved fruitless, but at to-day's meeting of the Dock Trust the Chairman stated that intelligence had not yet been received as to the prospect of Mr Elder's mission.