Accidents & Offences

New Zealand Mail, Issue 764, 22 October 1886, Page 9

Accidents & Offences

PI EE AT W AINUT-O-M ATA.

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES,

An inquiry was held at the Lower Hutt on Wednesday, before Dr Johnston, District Coroner, and a jury of six, into tti9 circumstances attending the destruction by fire of a tix roomed houseat Wainui-o-tnata onthe night of the 28th September. Mr Tnatnas Hall was foreman of the jury. Constable Harnett represented the police. Thomas Woods, farmer, deposed that the house in question was his. Bought it on the 10th Julj, and. took possession on the. lbth August. Alfred Shaw was then occupying it, and witness gave him notice to quit. On the 19th August Shaw gave up the house. He removed his family and stock, but left some furniture which he took away a little at a time. Oa the morning of the 28th September he was there, aud when witness left the house at noon Shaw was there, with John Wfaoda (witness’ brother), and William Johnson, the latter being engaged in shingling the house. Witnein lived about 20. chains off, but was awav from home that night, having been to Whiteman’s Valley. Returning home in the morning, he met his brother, who told him of the fire. Witness went to the house and found that a great deal of the scrim and paper in the kitchen had been burnt. The fi e appeared to have commenced about a qua; ter of the distance from the floor to the ceiling, aud extended the full length of the kitchen. In the front, room the paper and scrim had been ignited in three places—close to the door, about five feet off it, and at the opposite aide of the room, near the fireplace. A fire had been lighted in a corner in the passage, ■ and iu a bedroom upstairs fire had been started in three places." Ascribed the non-success of the fire to t he damp a ess of the roof, which was very leaky. Shavings had been placed in an opeaing of tue ceiling and set fire to, and the wall at the foot of the staircase had been Binged as if by a lighted match being held against it. By Constable Harnett : The house was not insured. Shaw’s furniture had all been removed before The fire, the last article having been removed on the morniDg of the 28th September. Had always been onj friendly terms with Shaw, and had had no particular quarrel with him. To bis knowledge Shaw had not shown any ill-feeling since witness bought the house. Thought Shaw did not care about losing possession. Witness was chairman and Shaw was a member of the Waiaui-o-mata School Committee. They had agreed generally on that body until witness bought the propecty, but since then Shaw had not aided with him. William Johnson, farmer, deposed that he was with John Woods, shingling the house on the 28th. Shaw took away the last of his goods that day. Witness and Woods left the house at about 4.30, and before doing so bolted the front door and locked the back door. The witness described the appearance I of the fires he discovered burning in the

house, and expressed aa opinion that they could not have been accidental. They were a!J of separate origin. To C mstable Har« uett : Had carefully extinguished a’l fires tint he and Woods had used iu connection with their work. A piue of glass was wanting in the btek window of the storeroom, over' which John Woods nailed a sack before leaving. The opening was large enough Cor a man to pass through it—in fact, witness effected an entrance thr >ugh it on one occasion. On going toward the house on the morning of the 29th he mat Shaw evidently coming from the direction of the premises. Shaw, who was on horseback at the time, remarked that ha ba.3 been to the house for a piece of tin, which he was then carrying, as it would be handy a soae time. To the jury: The key of tb front door was always placed just inside the window by an arrangement between witness and John Woods. So far as witness was aware Shaw had no knowledge of its hiding place. To Constable Harnett : When he ente e:l the house he found the back door unbolted.

Thomas Bart, storekeeper, of Lower Hatfc, deposed that Shaw purchased a drzen boxes of matches from him on the 2S h August. Witnets had both red-headed and blno headed matches in stock. Remembered his son supplying Constable Harnett wi'h a box on the 30th September, aud seeing the latter mark the box.

Jno. Woods, farmer, Wainui-o-mata, deposed tli»t when he returned on the morning of the 29th a sack had been pulled down from the window. Iu an upstairs room he found a piece of paper partia'ly torn from the wall, and a hl'f-consumed wax mitcli lying upon the projecting portion. The wall was burned in the immediate neighborhood, as if it had caught, but bad soon gone cut. To the jury : A man could have got through the storeroom window without difficulty, aa a bench was standing under it. Several other witnesses were called. David Dick gave evidence as to Shaw meeting him oa the 3rd instant, and telling him cot to let a word slip about the fire, for if he did he would condemn him (Shaw). Thomas Woods, recalled, deposed that he once met dhow with a gun, which had been left in the house. Witness asked Shaiv bow he got the gun, and Shaw replied that there were more ways than one of getting into, the house. Mary Ann Woods deposed to finding traces of fire under the house. ■'

The jury returned a verdict “ That the house was maliciously set on fire by some person or persons unknown.” >- ;