SUSPICIOUS FIRE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18116, 5 June 1919, Page 5

SUSPICIOUS FIRE.

bullet hole in window. [Per Press Association.] ' ' OPOTIKI, June 4. A fire started in. the heart of the town this morning- Shops owned by J. C. Arthur and occupied by H. E. Battle (bootmaker) and J. Steptoo (saddler), and,the building owned ana occupied by ii..Laror (tobacconist) were completely destroyed- The insurances total £IOSO, but all the occupiers will suffer heavy ioss. The brigade, which was promptly on the .scene, prevented the spread of the lire to an adjoining building. A large plate-glass window in a shop on the opposite side of the street was shattered- A distinct bullet hole was found in the remaining portion. Tho heat from the fire was not considered sufficient to break tho window. BULLET AND MAN’S CAP FOUND OWNER OF CAP IDENTIFIED. [Per Press Association.] OPOTLKI, June 4. The police investigations into the damage to the plateglass window in Charles Shalloon’s shop resulted in the discovery of a revolver bullet,, a man’s cap and a glass bottle, inside the broken window. Tlie owner of the cap has been identified. Evidently the revolver had been fired at the window at short range and the bottle was used to enlarge the hole. In the excitement the culprit apparently fell through the window into the shop and forgot' to recover his cap and the bottle when making his escape: