SETTING FIRE TO A WIFE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5345, 1 April 1879, Page 3

SETTING FIRE TO A WIFE.

The Sydney Morning Herald of the 15th instant contains the following report of the inquest on the body of Sarah Maguire, of whose death from the injuries she subtained when, as alleged, her clothes were set on fire by her husband, we had some particulars by telegraph : —

An inquest on the body of Sarah Maguire, the victim of the Prince-street tragedy, was commenced on Wednesday morning, in the board-room of the Sydney Infirmary, and concluded yesterday evening. Thomas Magnire, the husband of the deceased, was present in thp custody of the police, under suspicion of having caused her death. Senior-constable Dignam stated that between 3 and 4 o'clock on the morning of Saturday, the Ist iust. ? he

went to No. 9 Prince-street, ;and there saw a woman standing on the 4o"?F!3? tlie front room in her night-dress. H&ij'Hands and arms were covered with burrif,; and . she complained of more burns 'on her back and legs. There was some flour on the burns on her hands. Witness asked the woman twico, in the presence of her husband, Thomas Maguire, how she received the burns, and she replied, pointing to Maguire, "He can tell you all aboub it." "Witness then questioned Maguire as to how the thing had occurred, and he (Maguire) replied that they had had a row, and that afterwards his wife had got into the kitchen fireplace and put her head and shoulders up the chimney, and while there her dress caught fire. Witness went into the kitchen and looked at the fireplace, but there was no fire in it, only a few perfectly cold ashes and halfburnt pieces of wood. There were some pieces of burnt paper in front of the hearth, and a quantity of women's apparel was strewn about the floor of the room, all of it more or loss burnt. The dying deposition of the deceased Sarah Maguire was put in as evidence, and was to the following effect : — " I do not believe myself to be dying. I only feel a great deal of pain, and am very ill through fright. Prisoner (Thomas Maguire) is my husband, and we reside at No. i) Prince-street. 1 had a light frock on this morning (Saturday, the Ist inst.), and I and prisoner quarrelled, and I put my head up the chimney because I thought prisoner was going to hit me. There was a fire in the fireplace, and my clothes caught fire and blazod up. I screamed out, and ran into the yard, and my husbaud got a blanket and put it round me. He then put some salad oil and flour on tho burns. A woman ordered me to put some kerosene oil, and I did so. My husband was in a different room when I caught fire at the kitchen fireplace. We quarrelled in the kitchen, and he went away from me. I have not told anyone that prisoner set fire to me. The burningwas an accident. I saw the fire when I got into the fireplace, but I stood on the hob, thinking I would not get burnt. I ran into the yard when I caught fire. As a rule I am on good terms with prisoner, but we quarrel occasionally. I had no drink yesterday (28th ult.). When prisoner left the kitchen I thought he was going to get something to strike me with, and I put my head up the chimney. I was on fire before he returned.

Xcvil -llll'LJ UiJ\3 VCVJ IA YY 11(511 X \iai\ihLlHi ULO» xig a rule I am on good terms with prisoner, but we quarrel occasionally. I had no drink yesterday (28th ult.). When prisoner left the kitchen I thought he was going to get something to strike me with, and I put my head up the chimney. I was on fire before he returned. Thomas Maguire, 12 years of age, deposed that he was the son of the deceased and Thomas Maguire, the man before the Court, and resided with them at No. 9 Prince-street. On the morning of Saturday, the Ist instant, he was sleeping in the yard with his mother, his father having put them out of the house about 10 o'clock on Friday night. About 2 o'clock on Saturday morning witness's father awoke him by hitting him on the side of the head. At the Water Policecourt, witness had said that his father had kicked him, but this was a mistake. When his father struck witness he told him to go inside, and witness went into the house and upstairs, leaving his father and mother quarrelling in the kitchen. Shortly afterwards he heard his mother cry out, "Oh ! Tom, don't hit me," and then his father called out to him to come down and get a light. He went downstairs, and went into the front room, where there was a candle, which he lighted and handed to his father, who walked into the kitchen, carrying the lighted candle in his hand. Witness saw his father place the lighted candle on the table, and he (witness) went upstairs again. A few minues afterwards his father called out to him, and on coming downstairs into the kitchen again he saw his father and mother standing before the fireplace. Maguire had a hammer in his hauct, and shortly after witness came into the room, he (Maguire) struck the deceased on the right shoulder. A second blow followed, but this the deceased dodged. She then, to avoid further blows, got into the empty fireplace, and put her head and shoulders up the chimney. Maguire said to witness, " I'll soon take her out of that, go and fetch me a piece of paper." Witness replied, " I can't see any about," and walked into the front room. Maguire followed him, and pointing to a piece of paper on the floor, said, "Are you blind, look there." Witness handed him the paper, and Maguire took it into the kitchen where the deceased was still standing in the fireplace. Maguire twisted up the piece of paper, and lighting it in the candle, went to the fireplace, lifted up his wife's dress, and deliberately set fire to it with the lighted piece of paper. Witness was quite certain of this. He was in the room when it took place, and saw it all distinctly. The deceased had on a dress of light material, and it blazed up as soon as Maguire had put the lighted piece of paper to it. When the deceased's clothes blazed up she came out of the chimney, and rushed into the yard shrieking " Murder, put me out, put me out." Maguire told witness to get a bucket of water, and witness did so, and threw it over the deceased, who was in a blaze. He then went to get another bucket, and in coming back with it found his father wrapping the deceased in a blanket. The deceased said, "Torn, you done it this time." Maguire said, "No I never, you done it yourself," and the deceased repeated several times, "You done it." When Maguire had put out the names he assisted his wife indoors. About a quarter of an hour afterwards the police came. Witness was sure his mother was sober that morning, but did not know whether his father was drunk or sober. He broughthis father two gills of rumtheevening before. Witness could swear that the deceased's dress did not catch fire through a piece of paper being thrown into the fire-place after Maguire had lit his pipe with it, but it was deliberately set alight to by Maguire. Could swear there was no fire in the fireplace when the deceased got into it. After the police had gone away that morning, witness's father told him not to tell the truth, adding, ' ' You tell them, if they ask you, that you were in bed, and say that I called you down to get a bucket of water to put her out, and tell them that you got a bucket of water, and that I got the blankets and put them round her." After the second visit of the police, Maguire said to witness, " You tell a lie, and I will be all right." When Maguire lit the paper at the candle | witness knew what he was going to do i with it. He knew that from his father saying, "I'll soon take her out of that." Witness gave him the paper, believing that he was going to set fire to his mother with it. Maguire and the deceased were in the hubit of quarrelling. Witness never took his mother's part in these quarrels. The quarrels were generally about the drunken habits of the deceased, who was given to intemperance. Dr Richard Frean, resident medical officer of the Sydney Infirmary, admitted the deceased to the infirmary on the Ist inst. She was extensively burnt over the back, thighs, and arms. Witness did not observe marks of any other injuries upon her. It was possible for a bruise to have existed on her shoulder without its being noticed by witness. The woman gradually sank, and died on Wednesday last from tetanus, induced by the burns. The jury, without hesitation, returned a vardict of wilful murder against Thomas Maguire, sen., who was accordingly committed to take his trial at the next sittings of the Central Criminal Court, on the 12th of May next.