THE FIRE AT THE NORSE WOOD WORKING MEN'S CLUB.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5544, 22 November 1879, Page 3

THE FIRE AT THE NORSE WOOD WORKING MEN'S CLUB.

tEIIbI.CT OF INCENDIARISM : -iLGrAIN|T,,_LAtJ^JRYIG L .._ _. On Thiirsday;afte?/ioon o a#- inquiry was held by Mr-Todd,- coroner, and a jury,, at - th&liJ\tn < ctibi3^H6tfl^ N6f s&w.oad,' jirito } •th.e.r jjaircumatances urfcler ■which the Norse^f V.Q9.4 , recently caught firei Mr Levy was" electee!''foreman of the juryM- Li ~OKLi:r Edward Andewon Xauervigsaid that on&the evening of the Bth instant he t ."jy«r at ; :■&/ bazaar/ '" an s7P | i*?t ;i I mP s hohie KboUt "V ' qjtaMfer ' Jphstf ' eleven?9?he flervantj Matilda" Thoresen, had' locked the bar door 3 / arid 'lie 1 the key and the; ..money. /from his daughter. HeTtpok the lamp from ithe kitchen table, aid'Sfte* gettingra/glass of, beer he went into the reading*!? oottt," HvheVe^he" read- the baper fqf (half-an*ho"dh (While there he, heard the door le'adiiig from the" verandah into the hall .^opened, and someone; called" otlfe" Jim ! Jim ! " in a clear Voice, apparently EngliShr - 7 t'dotsteps sounded as ifpassingQro'm tholialliLnd near th&' reading* room window. lirUne morning a boardf torn the (fenfie waßOfound^to t tfaye 'jbeen knocked- offj jout-hp. Md. fadt-^ heat~it,done., He i tdmea' the 'lamp 1 low, and wenfc'intb tWkitchen, bolting the' door of tliereadingffoopr/by w'hiehVhe'jie'ftj.all tlie.^her doors being closed. He went round ttfe^iouse, but, r could not see anyone^. He crossed thefencej ftnd might himself fiave^ki/obked t^e board off. A He .was i outside about a. quar.ter-of-an^diirV 'after whiclr ! h6 i ; ' s i-e'tiirn^d Y 't6'' the house-and-wenfcidb'ed/Hi^bd^ 1 Frederick sleeping jyitb/hinu > y x Abogt;ha].fTpast(five - next morningjie felt very ill, and got urjj" merely putting onjb.iatfro.user's and socks. fie .wpnt^to, a closet at ,tW rearqf the club, f: and '" as"'he "'was "leaving 'he sm'olce coming from thel-readifig-rbom; /fchiraney. He knew^there had b.een. nQj an^thatj rooni 4 for* several arid lie fain" to th^'door* H£_.knew'jiiti was Jocked_ the previous ~,\ night.jr EUt he^wpuldVv npt^ wait" to 'go" founds to liis c 'su'r-;. prise he \. t found, s ,the,' ,dopr , open.. , _He ' was met 1 -Djr il^m ; Jke J dnd ;'; flame/ 'He ran back to his bedroom- 'door and got an old_kerb;iene tin dirty^jvater, and an u empty tfuc'k'et; yHd-'thrii^- thd^dir^y^ •water over the ¥i?e,iand'itherr«ran to the creek with: the - bucket.; As t he>brQught the" first" bucketf ulf rpm-the creek he saw his neighbor^ Oaf l'Sb]?erißt&^and3 called to him saying there,\xas.;a>nre..in the house. Sofensdnrirdn ,'ufj\atT -dtiee (through! thel gate, entering^ the ireading.=room:< by the 1 , door leading-inta the- hallj witness unbolting it for.hun./.j By thij* time "the,, fire ;was nearlyLoiit,jwltnesßJhay,ing thrqwnjfour-or-five buckets of water on it. ' The kerosen^ ■ tin produced, containing oil^waa on,.a small tabjle. near .the ■\?indojy,\ They eppke about, ihe fire, witness saying that some bad people. ; mtended_to_burn--the-place-down. He L added-thafc th'e^ was in^nred; but th?t he had'nbpapers, except a menioBandunxabou^h'e^remuim.paid. 1 He also s^i^tjiat'He' would.not have "rec'eiyed any-, tfiuigjiiad the . pjace ! ,been.' btirn^d "' do W^. " ThatjW^f^^ :b,elief.' The'iinsuiiance; money was;p^id'.dn the;.l7th- pr.iSth t "of 'bctbber, anS : for i£3oP;On. p thewbu^ding., ( arid ] £sQu.onj the, .'club..; : stock,,\bothV. .in the North British ojffice. .He valued the building at- £3OO, but he could not say what the ir-xjlub', stQck 1 ,.wa8 worth. He did not remember offering the place for aale before. the fire to Mr Seertip YOr Mr Nilson, the pastor. Since the fire he ftad^joffered it^toVMr Sass for £200 ; but however offered it for £60, cash arieL the r re.inainjd.er in a, year, : though he did say he would take £50 cash" arid the balance at a future time. There was a window to the reading-room, which w.as ( not fastened, and could easily l be opened. By Mr Levy : Witness was, reading the advertisements in the ' Hawkb's Bay Heeald when hg ; . heard othe footsteps. He did not know' 'whether the club had £50 worth of .stock.:;., Be could not say whether the place had been burning six nainutea. oHe~faad:no policy of insurance, and could not expect to get the money. ~ Even had the (building 1 burned down and the money paid, he would have received no benefit. ■ Hewas sure the place cost him £300. When he went to bed the ! - : kerd : s'erie' f tiri'lwas r ribt' :; ori the' table, but on the verandah, where anyone could see it and put it "through the window. Thjere. was anian about named Holm, who, in tKe 1 presence 0 of i Johannes' Mlsorf; had .said he would like to see the club on fire, Tbutwitness did 'not-'heair linn say so. By the Corone^: He ljad two insurance signs on the ho\ise, 'which he put lip him- ; did no.t, understand what they ; m§mhif Ui'i ■:•: v ■<:. . : = „!.•:, .-. <.-.■ -. '.'l.' '. j^enijamjn ; Bayl,ey:. Johnson,; of, the firm ; of Newton and Johnson, Waipawa, agentp; for t^eO'J!tbrtb: "British j and Mercantile : Inßuran.6ejGompany, said that two months ago-Lauervig proposed- to insure- his- place for £200. Witness s"aw the place, and} when he returned to Waipawa he wrote to; 'LaTtervi^ '/asktpg 1 Himvfpr : the /ai'npVtrif , of i thef p~r ( emiurn'. •' '^Subs^quen.tly^ ;Lauervig ca.lle)a 'übbh/him'afe' 1 Wdipawa,- and siiggested'that the building, should be insured for "an additional £100.... ..Witness consented to fh'is7 c ahd ; the building was in-' - BUfearfor; £3jOO,r;and the stock for £50. said he wbuld-serid up the 'policies as ; soon as they were made ~ out, - but the place was'- then -insured to all; , intents .;.4rid r purposes. . ' ThTe .fact, .of having no receipt. or policy would not' vitiate.-it. -,, He gave L?ii|ervig two tin signs withl;he hani^e of. .the company, 'pn J them,. and told "'him to'pu^ them on the building. . had.^that ,day through the; Duildjing,^r;d the rooms appeared to be more .bare of '■•,■ furniture than, they were two months ago^- when he. first.saw them. When Lauervig paid the premiums witness said>*Mtiß;allTight now." ■-■ By Mfc Levy : Witness did not remember advising: Lauervig to increase the insurance. • He' thought it a fair risk for ' ; £3OO with the furniture.:- --" B^Mr.Gruy": He , did riot, think Lauervig would.' ha^e'- gained 1 anything if the p]ace,had 7 b.ep,ri.burne,d down. : a-. ,-Matilda TtioVeseri,' servant at the WorklngMenlj Club, corroborated Lauervig s evidenge jas- tophi's? proceedings ; after lie came'froni' thebja^aavi, , 3he Was positive that, she had bolted. lon the inside the "\doors.. leading, from .the reading-room, tb the verandah and, to. the 7 b^ck.. The door' leading to the bar was'" 1 bolted on the bar She went tp ; bed- soon ,afte^ Lauer'"vig came in, ariti was laying awake' J when" she heard -fa" ( .voic'e,v.which; she knew was not Lauervig'sy call;. out, "Jim! Jimlj" : voice was not loud, and it appeared to ''^cdme-frotn' the^ve'rari'da'lr.- ■-! In the itiorning.she was awakened by Lauervig calling . p)s ■jthe/clu6 I l»i7,'Shb r next • ' heard i; S6irensen'' speaking- to : Eaufrvig. " dressed.. and : ten ; min.utes afterwards left neV, r rcjonij, ."^ji'en she'sawLauervigj who was ' dressed? iri darlc trousers, light coat, light 'vest^ boots/ arid hat. : c> -rJ&yN^rfitWS'J^ZWS™*? a widower with' *soren" v childreiii'.'' 'Three" were at home, two sleeping with her and one with j ; him>);yThe kerosene tin was,kep^in,the " ve'nindah, in sight/ol., ; e very one^'and "was • then >a nftarly *^iill^~ „ The . reading-room -..-«T!?ißdk^S^«ripV. J fasten'ed^ '' and anyone "cbuld^get through" it; " She : was" positive either clean br : dirty, -v:aDput-ifie>hQu_se.'''';;'V.' -.' ■.' : „': . J V. , 4 : ! ■ i "', "'*■ ''Carl'Sprensen, who lived next' ■ door to the"' Club) '"""deposed 1 ' to being called by Lauervig between 0 and 7 o'clock on the

morning of the fire, as he was going from the creek, where he had been washing a HSffiS&e|fehief . fra^^an^Lauenfig Met&nfmSift at tHe fifonipilobmf :* ichfcieiylag [ no fire then. LauSrvig was Weaving grey trousers, vest, and shirt, but witness ' did rjqtfnotice wllethefli;ehad> boots on. He saifr, in reply-to rttf obseK^Uori by witness, that if the house had been burned ho would have lost everything. Witness askec if ..he were, insured, to which he replied "N°>" Witness rem'airted there" ajiont tern^ minutes, but lie did"hofsee the last wit-~ s , ness.t -„ Lauervig did not go out at all from ytheibjicK^ooi'. He did not appeftr to be puffing and blowing as though he had -been working very hard, but he looked as if he had been walking quickly. ■William Kolinghi&ni fyiildeiV; deposed that he piit up the building known its the Working Men's Club. Thfe labor cost £50, a,hdthe limber- find' -irifcteri&lg about £95. _ He had that i/ddy^e' lammed {he and considered that; the [tclub and house together would; cost abqut ~£&50 to £300: He did not. think the furniture }vas. Worth "mbre : tha&;g&Q, but he did not ;,'in' this; ; % estimate .consider the st6ck'-in-trade. ' - ; '' ' : ' - '- '•'■•*'-■ J - '■-■ ■'- -'■ '— '■ (Line Christine Thomasen, Anton Bernhardt. Thomaseny ;(*unda ;<phristQffersens [an'ov Ole ChristoiJersen gave, evidence, but b th ! ey did not state anything new. Gunda Christoffersefl, : however, tiorroborated Liiuervig.'s statement as to his dress, saying that he had neither coat, vest,- nor hat on. ' ' - r '- ' - - ■-- tFrederick Johanriseh, laborei-,- deposed thjat oh the'morriibg of the: fire he saw ifrpm his house, which was in an elevated 'position^ someone going from the creek to tne club carrying a bucket. He did not ' sejem,in a hufrry. -At that time- smoke was coming f fdm'Hhe Qooi bf- the club.- J . . ! l A r JHarald Sefer'up,-' Liborer/ilaul he had' "heard Lauervig offer to sell the club and house for £200; L of which'^O' would be cash, and the balance"tc;"b.e~paid in twelve mjontns. -:: ■':...;..•.... \ \ Adolph- r Oberghy < : Pfeoideht'; of ■■*. the ■Working •Men^'€li ! ib, stated'th&t thfecbra- ■ niittee, both : before -and after' the fire, had been considering the removal of the Club from Lauervig's-pretnises,* as they were not satisfied with This management;. '' The.' club stock ?yas. itfstfred by orderi of the _c6mmittLe. ' Tt'was^witness whTo reported ; the, fire f to the pbllce, as; ! when he siigL g^stqd J.ihat'l Xraii'dr'f ig ' shb\ild>db- so the latter's^dinQthing.' 1 ' ' "'~ , ; •.',/., ',' „ ; :■; I By iJtr'LeVy": TSo notice^ had. been giyeii ty Lauprvig prior to.the ffre that the- club would frej removed. from. his. premises, but lib was present at the, committee meeting wlien the subject was discussed.- c: ' By Mr Gtuy : ,On the; Monday after the fire there was a meeting of, the; committee ?of the-fcliib/Uvhen Lauervig shut-up the books, saying he would shut-up the club. liauervig did not sayjhe (Would report,, thefire'toithepoliqeif ■ha.lia^ilns.liorse^'' He t made no objection, to. .witness reporting Jtt^' | John William iThjomsoft^said". that .after the -fire he : asked; JLaitervig ff- he .were, \vlt' sjaredJ - -He replied^that . he., had paid the money, but had not received the, policy *, Witness remarked • that; if he did not. ret , c'eiyeth'e -policy' the company tikight.not' ; pay" the ''-money, to • which he - replied f Won't they!" or something to that effect. / . ... : '" i By Mr Levy :' Witness was a member of the committee of the club, and* was aware that it was the common talk of, the settlement that Lauervig's services were to be dispensed with. Peter- Hoitfield Holm was sworn, but as his nan^e. had been .mentioned in connection t with threats, his evidence was not' taken. . . ■ .I-'-.. . Ole Ericksen , also gave some liniinjDortant evidence.. .. , Sergeant Bullen deposed, that, having received information of the fire from Constable Ryan he went up to Norsewood on the 12th". instant. , He carefully examined' the room in which 'the fire took place, and found a kerosene tin on the table near the window: Witness gauged the tin "with a straw and estimated that there 'wasa gallon or a gallon and a half of oil in it. He observed, that the kerosene was ■spilt ' on the wall in four places, at a .distance of about 2Mt high, or perhaps a : little , more. There were three distinct fires that had been lit against the wall, and there appeared to , have been two lit •on the table. Witness examined the ' place carefully, both inside. and outside. He could see no kerosene marks outside with the- exception of two spots on the doorstep. The grass under the window of the reading - room was killed, apparently from kerosene. . ,Under the house witness found that the kerosene had gone through the floor. Witness examined, the back : do6r,; and* judged from the ;f apt that the kerosene was higher on .the outside than, on the inside of. the door .thattthe kerosene was thrown on tlie* floor while that door was. open. Had it been . pther.wise there would have been, little,' or no kerosene on the outer side of .the, door. Mr Lauervig. ■ was. very .particular in pointingv.out to .witness the impression of four or five nails of a man's boot on ; the table which, stood under the readingroom window. The impression seemed to ; be old.'. There were no marks of any; person having got in through the window. ' The back door showed no marks of ever, having been burst 'dpen. In witness's' ' opinion tli6 value of the stock in the bar ; >as about £20 or £25. The fittings and ] -furniture of. tlie, club consisted '. : d£. '-two! j tables, one,fprm; about two. dozen cheap! .tumblers,, about two dozei^ wine glasses,' and two small kerosene lamps, value! 'of ".'the furnitui'e in the dwelling, was about £25. By Mr Guy : It was possible for any-j one. to enter through the window without -leavirig^marks. ■/ ' : . „•_. • ; The jiij-y retired and at three r o'clock on • oh' Friday morning returned a verdict toj the effect that the fire was caused. wilfnllyF by Lauervig, with intent , to defraud the North British Insurance Company. . ;