THE LATE FIRE AT WAIUKU.—MR. EVETT'S DEFENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4637, 23 September 1876, Page 6

THE LATE FIRE AT WAIUKU.—MR. EVETT'S DEFENCE.

Mr. D. Evetts sends us the following respecting the late fire at Waiuku :—Concerning the late fire at Waiuku I beg leave to state a few facts, as I see my name so freely employed in the public Press. The first I heard of the fire my wife came up to me in my new house. She said, " Gleeson's house is on fire." I said I thought it could not be, as 1 often saw it smoke all over, but she said "It is all in a blaze on the top." I then ran out, and saw it was so, end then went down to my old house. On my way to the fire I heard some one screaming, but I had not the least suspicion that the child was in the burning house. My wife ran away, leaving me with the three little children—one 5 months old, one 2J years, the other 5 years —they were in the old house at the time, and the fire was blazing away, with the kettle on. Would I have been justified in running away also, and leaving my children to the mercy of the fire iu my own house ! I did not say in my testimony that I would have come before but I was mending my children's boots. I said I was mending a pair of boots inside the new house when my wife came and told me first of the fire, and when I had cautioned my own children to keep away from the fire, and quieted tho little one that was crying, I ran over. Gleeson had been to the fire when I got there, and had gone away again in despair of saving anything. My wife and Mr. Dickey were there then, but it was an impossibility to render any assistance, and my wife informed me of the malicious expressions Gleeson had u.sed towards me when she first came up to the fire. I then went away at once. My wife told me she heard him swearing at Mrs. Gleeson also, and that he told her to look at the other end of the house at her milk pans, but she never heard him say one word about his child. Mr. Dickey was harrowing a piece of land a short distance from the tire, not half a mile away, and coming to the top of the paddock he had the houae iu full view. If it had not been for my little girl 1 should have been ignorant of it even then, as Gleeson's house stands at the back of both of mine. I was at work inside the house as well as my wife. I am not quite mad enough even if I were the cold blooded monster that I am represented to be by Mr. Gleeson, to go and commit a capital offence in the broad daylight, and to be plainly seen for miles round. 1 thank the editor of the Herald much for causing a more searching investigation into the cause of the lire, as I should very much like the truth brought to light. I have every reason to believe that the fire originated in great carelessness on the part of Mr. and Mrs. Gleeson themselves. The children were left inside the house by themselves, with a fire. What so likely as that they had been playing with that fire, and when thev came to the door to go out, the air fanned it into a blaze ? Mrs. Gleeson, in the presence of a witness, scolded the older child for leaving the house and leaving a chair behind the door and following her. It appears to mo that it was very providential that I was not first at the fire instead of Mr. Gleeson himself, and this, I think will give the reason to every right thinking man. These are the exact words that passed in the presence of Detective Grace on Saturday ICth, ; between Mr. Gleeson and a poor woman named Clark : " the detective atked me (Mrs. Clark) if I heard Mr. or Mrs. Evetts over mention anythiug about burning ?" I said " JN'o; never." Mr. Gleeson said, " Thero is £50 reward, and you are a poor woman, and you must have heard him .lay it." If this is not a proof that he is determined to make me bear the blame, right or wrong, just tell me what it is. Let it be understood that the length of Gleeson's honse was about 30ft. long, 20ft. was thatched with nikau ; 10ft. was shingled ; the chimney stood in the thatched part of it, 12£t. from the end, where ho first saw the fire. He must have seen the fire some time before me, for when I first saw it the thatch part was all blazing. The child's cot was nearly 50ft. from where he said he saw the fire first. Those are some of the main faoU ; I cau give you more, •_