PECULIAR EVIDENCE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVI, Issue 96, 10 April 1926, Page 7

PECULIAR EVIDENCE.

BURNING OF A HOUSE, MAGISTRATE RESERVES DECISION. Gisborne, April 9. The circumstances connected with the destruction by fire of a four-roomed cottage at Ormond on March IG, owned and occupied by Frank Harry Doreen, labourer, formed the subject of an inquiry before Mr Lewy, S.M., to-day. The house was burnt to the ground, but the majority of the furniture and chattels, which were uninsured, were removed by the owner during tho fire. Grank Henry Doreen, in evidence, said he owned the cottage and section concerned in the fire. There was a mortgage of £2OO on fhe cottage. The cottage was insured for £275 in the Mutual Insurance Company. 'Sle was home by himself on March 16. He had a fire burning in the kitchen range. He retired at ten o’clock and was woke up at one a.m. by a cracking noise. Bo found the kitchen full of smoke. He shut the door, hurriedly dressed and set about removing the furniture. He took all the furniture out of the two front rooms, with the exception of a washstand and dressing table. At the back of the house was a lean-to or shed, and he went there and removed a gig, harness, saddle bridle and gentleman’s bicycle. The smoke was too extensive in the kitchen to discover where the fire was. He did not call his neighbour as ho thought lie would lose time. It so happened that by the fire he released himself of the mortgage of £2OO and saved the most valuable of his goods, but he estimated his loss at about £6O to £7O.

William Gomm, ’bus proprietor, said he reached the scene of the fire at 2.30 a.m. and on going to the rear of the house saw Doreen watching the fire. Witness asked how long the place had been burning and he said two hours. The building was then all down except a little portion at the back. Doreen was quite cool and in no way upset. A lot of articles saved were 20 yards back from the burning house. The nearest neighbours could not be more than 50 or 100 yards away. After hearing the police evidence regarding the goods saived, etc., Mr Levvy said the evidence was so peculiar that he would have to consider n before delivering his finding. LARGE HOUSE DESTROYED. Levin, April 9. An 18-roomed huse wned by the Government and occupied by Mrs A. Masters, on the outskirts of the borough, was destroyed by fire this morning, nothing of the contents being Saved. The occupier left a fire in the , range, the door of which was shut, while she was absent feeding pigs. When she returned the building was *n flames. There was a little insurance on the furniture. The amount is not as- ' ccrtainable.