Accidents & Offences

New Zealand Mail, Issue 880, 11 January 1889, Page 31

Accidents & Offences

“A WOMAN SCORNED.”

Mr H. W. Robinson, R.M., held, an inquest at the Tramway Hotel on Saturday into the circumstances connected with the recent fire on the premises of Alfred Riggs, Adelaide-road. The fire, it will be remembered, occurred on Christmas morning, and was the second which had taken place in the house—a new one in course of erection. Mr D. McDougall was chosen foreman of tho jury. Inspector Thomson, who conducted the inquiry, explained that the police had taken the matter up because of . suspicious circumstances coming under their notice, and on account of strong statements made by Mrs McKechnie (living next door to the house) reflecting on her husband. Evidence was then given as to the carpenters leaving the building secure on the night before the fire. Ellen McKechnie, wife of Alexander McKechnie, (barman at the Prince of Wales Hotel) admitted that she wrote the following letter to her husband :

“Alick—This is nice work you are going on with. You come up cn Tuesday morning and set fire to Riggs’ house. Again you are the very man leaped over the fence and I see you and I’ll take my cath it is it as you dun it and what threats you give me. All the detectives were up with me about the fire. You also Avrote to me and you said you could give me a surprise. I will tell very thing you said to me. You are just as good as a murder to do such a thing, to set fire to that house to bum me and my child. I

will go as far as I can on you. 1 see you stand in my yard that morning, and more than me too. The insurance men are coming up here to-day about it. I could not call you anything but a murder to do such a thing.” She was in a temper when she wrote it, and had no reason to believe her husband lighted the fire. In answer to questions from the coroner and Mr Sinclair (who appeared on behalf the North German Insurance Company), the witness denied that her husband had threatened to give her a warm Christmas or to roast her. She was not aware that she had ever made statements to that effect. She was angry with her husband because ho had not slept at home more than one night for eleven weeks. Mrs Riggs deposed that she and not her husband was the owner of the house. McKechnie threatened, six months ago, to burn down “the places ” because she remonstrated with him for beating his wife. Alexander McKechine was sworn, and denied that he had made the threat. The letter from his wife was brought to him by the driver of the Island Bay ’bus, and witness handed it to Detective Chrystal. After the Coroner had summed up the jury returned an open verdict.