ALLEGED ARSON.

New Zealand Mail, 8 February 1900, Page 17

ALLEGED ARSON.

IMRS BUCK COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. A CASE WITH A SEQUEL. Mr W. R. Haselden, S.M., presided at the Magistrate’s .Court on Saturday, when the adjourned charge. against Sarah Jessie Buck of having, on the 21st December last, wilfully set fire to a house, in Ghuznee street, was heard.. Mr Gully appeared for the prosecution and Mr Skerrett, With Mr Cooper; for accused. In opening the case, Mr Gidly said the house was a nine-roomed one, and unoccupied. It had been used by accused as a boarding-house, but she left it to become part-proprietress of a boarding-house in Ingestre street. The house was left on her hands, and all her efforts to dispose of it failed. Messrs Haigh and. Morrali were instructed to sell the furniture on Depember 22nd. Mrs Buck was pressed for money at the time. The girl- Costellar, a servant in the house, would give direct evidence against’ the accused, but being implicated, ' her evidence would reqture and would receive substantial corroboration. Accused’s reckless statements to ’ Miss Costellar and to Miss Shugliyue would also be placed in evidence, and the fact of the over-insurance of the furniture. From other facts to be laid before the Court it would be seen to be improbable that the fire could have been caused accidentally. . Among, the witnesses called in support of Mr Gully’s statement of the case were : - Captain Hugo,- in charge of Wellington Fire Brigade, recollected the 3 fire at 77 Ghuznee street. Five rooms were alight when the brigade arrived, and nearly all the furniture was damaged. Part of the roof, of a neighbouring house was on fire. He concluded from an examination that the volume of the fire had been round the staircase, and there v as little doubt that the fire had started Sergeant W. A. Haddrell, of the police force, stated what Had come under his notice in examining the premises burnt on December 21st. He had* no doubt the fire started where the cupboard had been, underneath the staircase. The wind was in the south-west, and that accounted for the direction in which the greatest'damage was done after the fire started. .John Fiqckton. deposed that.he made out a valuation of furniture in the early part of January, at the request of Mrs Buck, for—the' purposes of her claim, upon the insurance company, frdin a list supplied- by.,lien ~ He was, sjjljh.tq. check the: larger..- portion of ,the articles burnt by the list.Mrs.Buck,gave:him.' Ethel Mary deposed ; that she went into partnership with / -Mrs Brick as boarding-house keepers inj.lngestre street.:" They took ; possession ;on December 7th. ' Her sister Maggie \rtis looking after the Ghuznee street place, which was not closed till the Sunday. Referring to a conversation that occurred in the Ingestre street house kitchensome days before the fire, witness said Mrs Buck remarked that she would put it (77- Ghuznee 'Street) on ‘fire for £10; -aha turning to Kitty Cps.thtlar, "asked her if she. would do it for; said she; was ,a good- hahd at ;;.niaking fires.. . The two ; of theiri. ivent.' -but- at: 10.45 p.m. by the back door. v ‘ At; midnight Kitty Costellar knocked at her bedroom window; and -asked witness to let her in. She admitted both of them. About 2 a.m. Mrs Buck came to her room dressed the same as when witness saw her at midnight. Costellar was also fully dressed. Mrs Buck called her' at 6 a.m. She saw the two of them in the yard half an hour later looking as if they had just come in. Kitty Costellar said later that they had been round to Ghuznee street. Costellar had entered the cupboard under the; stair and fallen through the flooring, the boards being burnt. The fire was just smoking, , and she had made it up, she said.. In reply to a question, Mrs Buck said she was too. frightened to have anything to do with - -the-; fire.' The evening the fire occurred Mrs Buck was with her until 8.45. At 10 she saw Mrs Buck talking to someone at the door.. She subsequently wrote something, on a piece of paper in the front, room and handed it to the party

at the door. Kitty Costellar stated later that she and Mrs Buck had been-S2-V,s. b y two young fellows coming up \\ llhs street, who threatened to give them in charge. She did not say what lor.' On the following- Saturday Mrs Buck asked her for £2 out of the house money. She had had a letter, which Km: .. . . , -- “Dear Madam,—Would you ,kindly try and let me have £2 of the 1.0. U. money 3 r ou promised me, because lam going away for a . few days’ holidayp” c.C\ -The amount of the .1.0. U. was for £25. Mrs Buck said this young man had caught them in Willis street on the night of the fire, and that she had given him an 1.0. U. for £25. She'said his name was; King.;. Mi’s Buck told ; her , she*, had given King, whom witness • now recognised as the man Kelley then in Court, the £2 she had borrowed offwitness. : v -.i

Catherine Oostellar, general servant,! mr the course of her evidence, stated that Mrs Buck offered her £lO if she 1 would, burn down the Ghuznee street house, the furniture ” ih~ which was insured for £IOO, and mortgaged for £40,. Witness, accused said, would only have to hold her tongue. Two nights later accused donned a suit of man’s clothes in the shed. Miss Sliughrue being with her. Miss Sliughrue saw witness and accused leave the house, and locked the door after them. As they went jto. Ghuznee street Mrs Buck asked witness to look round and see if they were i followed. Mrs Buck tried a window, but it was locked. Then they went, to a broken window, and Mrs Buck; got through and burst the door open. Witness kept watch outside. If anyone came, witness was to knock at the side door and pretend ? to he asking for a family living nest door. Subsequently she saw Mrs Buck take some old newspapers out of a parcel she was carrying: She looked in through the window. She had never been in the house, and could not say anything about the interior arrangements. .0h,.., returning to Ingestre street accused said, “Hurry Up; Frank (her husband) might, miss me.” On their return‘Miss Sliughrue opened the door, as she expected them. Before Miss Shuglifue vnp^nect. the door ;M,rs Buck-put ,liqr,: diiessirig-go.W-ii. on,-after takingoff: hen.man’s clothes.!*in•„ .the wa-sh-hoiisev. She, remembered •.the.iiight of-the fire.iMrs .Buck .asked,,her_.to-,gc down- to -.Ghuznee street, as , she.. . hac) to ..meet a party there. She agreed ;fe go.. They went and bought, sorqe. kero; sene at a Chinaman’s!. ably after 9 . .o’clock. They went.ropn.ci to:* Ghuznee street, and.went iji at tin front gate of No. 77£ . Witness waifcet outside while, Mi's .Buck.dried: to oper the front door,: Failings in .this,,.-she went round to ithe .back_ window. h:.Mri Buck- was carrying!-a. .parcel. , As.'S|n Buck got through! the window:the pari eel burst two. pndhree pjeggl of. candle dropped con .the! ground’,- Wit ness picked them _up,;: It wag raining Mrs. Buck: went*-in; while- -witness,; remained. outsid oj : to watchj;i if-.- ; aUyoiK came .along.. She saw the light .shinin' in', several. of., .the-: rooms fas. ;• Mv§ Hue!; passed nthroughr: - ' Theib’-r-werO and strips; of wood in .the parcel-Ayhieji Mrs. Buck, was carrying,• and: she-had c bottle of . kerosene-. alsov i Witness-. remained outside as, beforef'-.,; and Jiept 'watch. oWheiii Mrs Buck left the house in Ghuznee witness remembered- thafekj smelt, of kerosene. . -The latter,-replied that, she had .spilt somfe-rcjOjiL tllftrjday (fgilowipg .she. told-. Mrs Buck; she thought that she (Mrs! Buck), .had seti-jifto to ; No; 1.7„ She; replied,. “Ho.w- : <can c yoU -. ; say so ?” But she, was :notr;iio tell apyqpe they had been to ..the, house.; wMrs-Blick qffered;.t»ygiye,-ilieE;£p slienkep^’.'eil-: ept. She 'told; Mrs; Buck :#/the,fees asksdj; sbe c -iwqpld cf&- * 0 thefg skdi h^^ifesStoafeQ!. Mrs sfee said; shq tSpM e dr talkgd" J ahput ; d sis .s'ErnMfciCoopejlLda She hKdvnpVArkbkeri inside /thebgafehatss street- v;Miss;,ShughrAief saw!. Mrsrßuck dressed; in men’s -clothes;.on.. the) first night before .thfey tor;. Ghuzned Street- .A; vatf iffiydi-' bi'ea tfat/in 'mod .Margaret. Sliughrue: whol was formerly employed .afciNd;v77s'Ghuznee bub in’: Deeeinber.Twdnfca &0?b In'gdStrd street, - Heard Mrs'rßubk ?sayk once,f'*'e!» t\£ice). buteaviiJiess did >> -hot seriously Tsvp'4aaSb<sif ~bnni? Non. ; 77ih6hnz&eemostreet had .heard) thathshef had firaho etheo house inmGhUZitee- ! : strdbbv Sirs. Buck:) replied ..that .anybody would be: too xglk'd’ to.;'know rfhat/i 'as they woiild . infdrnrlith'e fpolice! and! get kvhab they icoutdkbyi-way o of She asked.witnessewho: told her. 1 i in:-’’! ;.<. J r a fsisleif'of witness’s) tmd 'aHo ;' ah ! - inmate of “the Ingest'rp ; sf reetj .boarding-house, statedfin her 0 e vidence - 'that ' she saw : Mrs. Buck talking to .Mr, Kelley about,'9.so‘o’n the night u ._; that oi' he' made ".a. statef nrent “bgbcti,,that 'Kelley and the girl Cost'ellan .eame.toher after .the hre) 'rheyw Or A) Wet -with the rain). aiid Kelley told:'li^r“tha,t,' i lie 'add the girl' had set fire to the . house and that he wanted her to give him £25 or she would get into; trouble.: Subsequently she gave him ah unstamped 1,0.0., and that Kelley was now summonsing her for the £2d, as t money borrowed, and that she was waiting till the caso came off,

and if the case went against her she would tell all about it. Accused reserved her defence, and ou being asked if she wished for bail, said “I do not wish for bail;” Mr Gully stated, that he wished-it to' bo known that he did not oppose an application; for'bail. 1 ■ • The Magistrate said-he thought accused was exercising a very wise discretion in remaining where she was; • ■ACCTBed was then committed for trial. ; l Other witnesses examined - were-L '- Messrs Harold Hume, clerks at Messmf j a, Bk qud Morrah’s; Norman Alexan-, der Muir. South British; Insurance Goto*, pany.; Charles W. Benhow, manager of,, iMt-nmnea company; Walter Morralrty of Messrs Haigh and Morrali, house, and land agents; John George Falder.o, manager house-lettmg department/, Messrs Harcourt and Co.’s; and A. J* Merrilees. . •