TEE HIGH-STREET FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6099, 4 June 1881, Page 5

TEE HIGH-STREET FIRE.

ARREST OP BINDON BROTHERS FOR .; INCENDIARISM. In one portion of our issue yesterday morning, the arrest of the two brothers Bindon, on a charge of incendiarism in connection with .fire in their rented premises in High-street, used as an ale and stout bot-tling-establishment/was recorded, but the news of' the arrest only came to hand after the paper had ; gone to press, and it was, therefore, a mere statement of the fact. They were brought up before , the Police Magistrate yesterday/ on a charge of incendiarism, but the facts of the case were not gone into. The prisoners'solicitor, Mr. E. Cooper, applied for a remand; ' Mr. Partly, l for the police, did not object to the remand, and it was granted, bnt he objected to the prisoners' being .admitted immediately to bail, in order that the police ' might further investigate the affair. He intimated that; possibly, the objection might be withdrawn, and, in the event of this being done, the Resident Magistrate fixed the bail in each instance at prisoners' own bond of £200, and two sureties of £100 each. The circumstances ■connected with the fire, in the first instance, aroused suspicions on the part of the police, and Detectives Jeffrey and Brennan were detailed to investigate matters. It was believed thatthe place had been set on fire intwo distinct places, if not in three, at different ends of the building, and one of those places which had been used as an office, and where the fire had taken'the greatest hold, was found to be saturated with' kerosene. It was also found that there was very little stock in the premises in proportion to the amount of insurance, and suspicion, therefore, naturally {lighted-- on" the proprietors,, the brothers Bindon. Other circumstances , transpired by which the'police felt warranted in arresting the accused. Both brothers state that- they left the premises at half past 5 o'clock in the evening, and. went home to Conquest Place, Parnell, but when questioned separately,. the • police considered their- statements conflicted in many material points. ' One alleged that they did not leave-their home in Parnell after returning at -5.30 p.m., the other alleged that they had gone down to St. George's bay to see a boat in which they v/ere interested, but both state positively that they can account fov themselves be-, .tween the hours of 5.30 and 8.30 p.m , when, they went to bed. At about 2 o'clock the detectives arrested W. :V. Bindon and brought him to the station. His answers to questions regarding insurance, • etc., were vague and unsatisfactory, and at about 4 o'clock! they '■ returned to Parnell and:arrested.the second brother. -In the meantime the police are busily_ tracing out the details.; One-man alleges -that he--saw two -persons come out of the premises between 8. and ;9 o'clock. '■• - '■-:;--'. ,--• '■./■ <;■ j ■ The insurances are'as follow:—By Mesirp. Bindon vStock; £380; fixtures, £20, imthe iNorth British Company. The case, stands remanded io'r a week.:<■-. . . ■ .:, i i ,