THE PARKVALE FIRE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2583, 8 August 1895, Page 3

THE PARKVALE FIRE.

■ ’ CHARGE"'OP ARSON! ’'

VERDICT? GtirLTT. l r * ?■

1 An .elderly ,• woman named • Martha Richards, wife of tho former head teacher of tho Parkvalo School, was charged.at tho Supremo Court yesterday, before His'Honot tho Chief Justice, with,having wilfully sot fire to :tho ■ teacher’s residence bn. tho 24 th May MrSkerrett defepi}§fl thf) prisoner, who pleaded not guilty! i . Mr 3. Pauli was .fpMman pf the -jury., Evidence was,tgivonlibyiJames IlivHall i and, R. R. Armstrong that Mr -Richards’ furniture was , insured in, the Livorpool,iondon and Globe: office for .filßo. i The -replfiopd value of 'the articles saved after the fire, incbjttos the ‘piano, yas (about X7O, ■ ’ ' ' ‘

~ Miss 'Maya Richards,, daughter of the accused; stated that her. father was away in ■Nelson when the fire occurred. - "Early that evening witness and,-her- sister-and- two brothers went to a, dance a mile and a half pway, .leaving their mother alone in tho h'pupe ifonjng, . . Jameg iforjcrjef,- gottjor, mid that Tfhap ,}je drove up fo'the lira’about Ipp.m, s(rb Richards was standing at the gate. She said she had boon ironing, ; and attributed tho fire to ;a defective: chimney. She told him she-had , rung, the bell to alarm the neighbours, but ho had not heard it. . .W m.' ■■ Ackerman deposed that Mrs Richards said to—himj— , ‘'Don’t - rpn-any danger; there’s.P little insurance oh the things.'*’ ’' 'White 'examiplrig V mpttrpss - which had been carried out from’ bed■room he noticed it amelt pf kerosanp. - . Alice Ackerman stated .that she saw some pillows .fand. a- bundle containing .blanketp lnuthp shelter sheds behind the school, and William Corlett.who also saw the ■ goods there, said they hpd the appearance of having been'tied up in bundles. . , Constable Darby also gave evidence, and this concluded ;tha. case ;fbr the proseou,tion. '' ‘ For the defence, Sir Skerrett contended

that there was no evidence of an adequate motive for the crime, and he also urged that the evidence was not suificient to show that tho conduct of the accused was anything but that of an innocent person. As to the kerosene on the mattress, it played no part in the actual fire, and there was no evidence to show the kerosene'was on it before it was'taken outside.' He suggested that it was spilt on it while it was being removed from the house, and he also pointed out that there was nothing in the evidence to show that the accused had herself removed the goods which were found near the schoolhouse.

His Honor having summed up, the . jury retired at 4.20 p.m., and returned about 15 minutes later with a verdict of not guilty. The prisoner was discharged, and left the Court with her friends.