THE ROKEBY-STREET FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7270, 7 March 1885, Page 6

THE ROKEBY-STREET FIRE.

The charge of arson against " Madame" Valentine, adjourned from Tuesday, was taken before the R.M. (EL G. Seth Smith, Esq.) at the Police Court yesterday. The Court and precincts were crowded with persons anxious to get a glimpse of the accused. After being formally charged with committing the offence, with intent to defraud the South British Insurance Company, by the Clerk of the Court (Mr. <f• Cunningham), the accused was allowed to ait during the taking of the depositions upon the., application of her, counsel. Sergeant Pratt conducted the case for the prosecution, and Mr. Theo. Cooper and Mr, George appeared for the accused. Detective Walker depoied that he waa a surveyor and civil engineer, in addition to his duties of a detective officer, fie knew the premises known as Paddington Villa in Rokeby-street, and had drawn np a plan from the roina of the building. It was drawn out from the outlines of the ruins of the houee. Be would not say that it was perfectly correct as to the internal arrangements. [The plan was put in.] • William Alfred Rigby, clerk, Sonth British Insurance Company, deposed that he knew the premises called Paddington Villa in Eokeby-Btreet, An insurance was effected for £300 in the South British by Haghes and George. [The proposal book was produced.] A proposal was made by Hughes and George for £100 on the furniture in July, 1883, in favour of Valentine Becquet. The building was also insured for £300. At the time of the fire the policy for £100 was void, as the change of ownership had not been notified to the company. The policy of £300 waa drawn in favour of W. H. fckinner for Valentine Becquet. The premiums were paid by Messrs. Hughes and George. The last premium was paid about July or August, 1883. It waa renewed in 1854. The policy for £300 was renewed in 1884 by Messrs. Hughes and George, on behalf of W. H. Skinner, the mortgagee. The proposal was made on February 22, and the policy issued on the 4th of March. It waa current on the morning of the fire, March 2, and would expire on February 22, 1886. A claim had been made for the policy of £100 on the furniture; but it being void, was not met. A claim had been put in by Messrs. Hughes and George for the policy of £300. —Cross-examined by Mr. O»oper: When the house was inspected, Srior to the issue of the policy for £100, in uly, 1883, there was more than £100 value in furniture. The inspection was made by Mr. Moore, now in Dunediu.

William Henry Skinner, architect, deposed that he knew a house in Rokeby-street known as Paddington Villa. It had belonged to him about two years ago. He purchased it in August, 1882, and Bold it in May, 1883, to Mr. Collins. A mortgage was effected at the time of the sale for £375 for two years. It lapsed in November, 1884. The mortgage had not been met. £250 is still unpaid. In the mortgage deed it was provided that the property should be insured. Witness was entitled to £250, the mortgage from the insurance company. Cross-examined by Mr. Cooper : He estimated the value at £375 at the time of the fire. About six months ago a proposal was made to have two rooms added to tbe house, but he was too busy to attend to it. Julia Curtis (known as Julia Wilson) deposed that she resided in Rokeby-atreet, opposite Paddington Villa. The latter was burned down on Monday morning. She occupied the house, and rented it from " Madame" (the accused). She bad a lease in December last. The accused left for Sydney in December, 1883, and prior to her departure witness leased the house for twelve months at a weekly rental of £6. Accused returned to Auckland on Wednesday, February 25. The accused resided in Paddington.Villa up to the time of tbe fire. She occupied the bedroom on the ground floor opposite the staircase. On the morning of the fire she heard the accused mumbling something in her bedroom. Witnesa rose, and went to her door. The accused said "She got no thanks for what she did from any person." (She addressed it to other girls in the room.) Witness replied, "I have paid you for what yon did, and owe you nothing." At dinner hour, she served the accused, who thereupon jumped up from the table, and retired to her room. Madame went out between eight and nine o'clook, alone. She returned about eleven o'clock with a visitor. Accused said she had locked her room, it was untidy and not fit to go into. Witness told her to go iato Lily Cash's room. (This room opens out into the verandah on the plan produced.) Witness retired about one o'clock. S-ime time after one o'clock she heard the accused conversing in her room. She rose at half-past one a.m., and went along the passage and looked down the staircase and out of the window at the back. The staircase led to the kitchen and yard. Everything was right then. There was then no sign nor smell of a fire. A few minutes before one o'otock she had made a thorough search of the house. The window in the kitchen, which which was downstairs, opened on to the side of the house, and was secured by a button. The back door was bolted. Witness went through the house last to see that it was all secure. She was awakened a few minutes after two o'clock by a girl kicking at her door. She jumped up, asked the girl what was the matter, and ran along the passage. She saw the fire, and rushed back to her bedroom. The fire was in the kitchen between the fireplace and the doorway. There were two supporting posts in the kitchen, with a gas pipe running along the beam above them. Witness, after handing her son to some one «t the door, run to accused's room. There was no one there. The casement opening on to the verandah was open, and the dressing table put to one side. Witness went to the door, and saw the accused standing across the road. Subsequently she spoke to the accused, who said she lost her puree. Wit* ness informed her -that she had caved her (accused's) purse, but had lost her own. The accused had left her purse with witness when she came for a drink, shortly after one o'clook. The purse contained four rings, a pair of earings, and £2 5s in coin. There was no explosion of gas prior to the fire. Witness could give no reason why the back door waa fastened. £200 would not cover her loss.. |The inventory of the furniture was put in. ] . At half-past one the Court adjourned for an hour.

After the adjournment, the examination of Julia Curtis wu resumed. The accused vh on the verandah when she spoke to her during the fire. The accused had not removed her clothing from the wardrobe. Witness did not give her any clothing. The fire was Out in the kitchen at five o'olock p.m., with the ezoeption of a few embers. After tea at half past five p.m., there was no fire in the grate. To Mr. Cooper : The inventory produced showed thefurniture which all belonged to the accused, There was a piano whioh was almost new, and she valued it at £50. There were four other girls in the house. Two young men were also there. There was a young man with the accused. Lizzie Hennessy awoke her. The fire had advanced bo much that the piano fell through to the kitohen before tho girl was got out of the room. She usually took eare of the aocused's purse. (The rings were produced by the witness.) The accused did not warn her of the fire. She saw the young man who was with the accused standing at the fence opposite the fire. Witness had reoently purchased property and was quite able to pay the rent of the house. About two weeks previous the curtains caught fire. Nellie Bremner, Wellesley-street, deposed that she lived upon several occasions at Paddington Villa about eighteen months ago. Witness was at the house on Sunday evening last. The accused called there between eight and nine o'clook. The aooused said, " If the girls were not out of the b—— house she would sell the houie or burn it" The acoused further said that the girls would have to be out of the house by Wednesday. The accused when she left between ten and eleven o'clook had a oloak, a black hat, and a white wrapper on. There were two gas jets in the kitohen. One of them ran down the supporting poet. There was no burner, but it was secured by a brass tap. Witness saw the accused at the fire. When-she was at the house in Wellesley-street she was the worse of liquor. Tα Mr. Cooper : There was no one present when the accused made the statement in Wellesleyrs&reet. The other girls of the house were on the verandah at the time the acaused was there, during the progress of the fire. Lilian Cash deposed that she resided for a tnonth at Paddington Villa, previous to the fire. The witness was in the passage on Sanday morning talking to ' < Julia." After the conversation, "Madame" said to the other girls, "That they did not care what was coming to her, and ahe was dying." She stamped her foot at the tame time, and went off to her room. Dinner was carved for her, bnt she got up and left the room. The gas i was turned oat in the kitchen by Uwie

Hennessy after nipper. This w»i about halfput twelve, and they went upstairs. About one o'clock she heard Julia say, " that everything wak all right in the houee." It was a regular habit of " Julia's" to go round and examine the houee. Accrued came to witness'* room after, and asked for a candle to go to the kitchen to get some* thing to eat. Witnesa had no candle. She heard the accrued go downstairs and strike a match. After the accused went downstairs witness closed the door. She did not hear the accused return upstairs. When the alarm of fire was given witness went to the room decupled by the accused. She fonnd the glass door (French casement) open, and the dressing-table displaced. She had occupied this room, bat in the early pjirt of the night gave it up to the accused. To Mr. Cooper : There was a broken handle on the door m " Madame V room. In going down the passage the accused waa singing in her usual way. At five o'clock there were still six witnesses to examine for the prosecution, and it was decided to adjourn the case until next morning. The Court will sit at ten a.m. today.