ARSON CASES.

Grey River Argus, 9 July 1927, Page 5

ARSON CASES.

TWO INQUIRIES. Into Recent Fires. (Per Press Assn.) NEW PLYMOUTH. July 8. That a house in Buller Street, owned by Ernest Cyril Steele, a painter, was wilfully set alight by some person was the finding of Mr R. W. Tate, S.M., Coroner, following on an inquiry to-day into the causes of the outbreak of the lire on June 25. Evidence given by Fire Brigade a.id police witnesses was that a neighbour heard an explosion, and saw a glimmer through a window of Steele’s house, lie summoned tin* Brigade, and the door was forced, and the Brigade men found the place tilled with smoke and benzine fames. Bedclothes and paper strewn about were ablaze, and the room was liberally sprinkled with benzine. The (ire was stamped out. Evidently a trail of paper had been laid from a packing case in another room to that which contained the benzine, and the explosion had blown charred paper about the house, and partly extinguished the tire. The house was insured up to its full value, ami little furniture was in it. Steele admitted that he intended to leave for Napier the following week, and therefore had some of his clothing in the laundry. He admitted purchasing three bottles of benzine from store, two of which were found in the room, while the other he used to* clean a suit. A detective said that when he interviewed Steele on the night of the (ire he was apparently partly intoxicate I. He had a scar on his nose and mud on his hands. He refused to make any statement as to his movements. In evidence, Steele described bis movements, staling that on that evening he went down to the Tukapa Bach, on the beach, falling on the track and injuring his nose.