CHARGES OF ARSON

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3573, 24 February 1914, Page 5

CHARGES OF ARSON

SEQUEL TO TOLOGA BAY FIRE

CEORCE FANNIN PLEADS GUILTY.

MARTIN COMMITTED FOR TRIAL

More than ordinary interest attached to the business at the Tologa Ray Police Court yesterday, Messrs J. B. Morris and EL. P. de Montalk, J’s.P., presiding. The cases heard arose out of the recent suspicious fire at Tologa Bay. George Fannin was charged with having, on February S, wilfully sent fire to a building owned by Thomas Wentworth Martin. Detective McLeod conducted the prosecution.

William Edward Holder, shipping master, stated that the building was owned bv him until October last, when he sold it to Martin. *' , n Sunday night, February 8, witness with Mr Elliott, licensee of the hotel, went and had a look round the building in consequence of something that had happened the previous night. Witness said that there was a strong smell of benzine at the back of the building. He sold the shop to Martin for £3OO, £I.OO cash being paid. The insurance was £l5O on the building, *.25 on the stock, £lO on two sausage machines, and £5 on a set of harness. The policy, which was in the National Office, was held by witness as security. Percival Cuming Elliott, licensee of the Tologa Bay hotel, said that at midnight on February 7 he went to close the private entrance of the hotel, and when at the front door he not iced a reflection of light on the ledge at the back of the butcher’s shop, and after watching it for a minute or two, he walked over to investigate, and discovered a sack on the floor under the building. He removed the ea<‘k. which smelt of kerosene. He beard a voice from inside asking him what he was up to there. W’+ness ropbed, “Is that you Eustace?” He answered, “Yes.” Accused came out a.id said, “My God, they are trying to do for me.” Witness, continuing, airoborated what the previous witne-s had said about visiting the place on the Sunday night. He added that at about 10 o’clock that night Mr Gillies rushed in and said the butcher’s sliop was on fire. The doors were locked, and after bursting them open some of them went inside and there was a strong smell of kerosene. Thinking that accused might have been sleeping on the premises, witness went to his bedroom, and found it empty. He then went roiind iiie building, but there was no sign of lire outside, the outbreak being ail inside. Alexander Agnew, aged 15 years, said lie was employed by Martin at the butcher’s shop. He was with Fannin on Sunday, February £. At about 8.45 a.m. they went to the shop to have a look where the fire was the previous night. After dinner they went clown again, and accusal said that they bad" better remove ihe ciuts owing to the attempt being made the night before to burn the shop down. In the afternoon accused went to the shop, and brought away a suit of clothes belonging to witness, also an insurance policy later. He and accused occupied the same room at Martin’s house, and neither of them went out again that night. Between 1(1.30 and 11 p.m. a man named Hill came and informed them that U e shop was on fire, and they went over. Frederick Leslie Fletcher, builder stated that he was agent for the Royal Insurance Company. Accused went to him about the first wek in January, and said lie wanted to insure 1 is clothin- and effects for £25. The -proposal was forwarded to the head office at Auckland, but was not accepted. Accused was notified verbally of this, and fiis premium, os, was not re urned to him until after he was arrested. \vitness valued the building at £1 (o. Rose Mav Martin, wife ot I. W • Martin, stated that accused had a set of keys for the shop, and on Inday February 6, he left her the other set, which were in her poeession at the time the shop was burned dnvp, and it was impossible for anyone to have got them. . . , , Albert James Hill, butcher, < u p eyed bv T W. Martin, stated that he was at the eh on on the Sunday afternoon but did not see accused there, nor did he notice a smell of kerosene. He informed Mrs Martin of the fire. Constable Farmer said lie was called out to the five at 10.20 p.m., but was -unable to get inside the building. \\n-ne-s t-av; accused at 11 o’clock, and arrested him on the present charge, and found in his possession the key of t::<? shon. On February 12 accuse d »ave wit/ieS' a statement of the w’vde altair. The accused stated that Martin suggested to him that it would be a good plan if the shoo were burnt down, and he (Martin) said he would give him £ls to do so. Martin sawed the lining board off the w r all m the cooling room, and got some rags soaked with kerosene and placed a candle m the rags, between the limn- of the wall and the corrugated iron. Martin said that he would be in Gisborne on bundav and told accused to light the candle. On Sunday night accused went to the shop about 6.30, and lighted the candle, which was already set by Martin. On the 4th February, about middav. Martin brought a sack on his back to the shop containing three bottles, which he (accused) thought contained kerosene; aso a lar-e bundle of rags, which smelt very strongly of kerosene. He (accused) did not light the sack on Saturauv night, nor did he know who did it. Accused pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court Gisborne for sentence.