CHARGE OF ARSON

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7026, 14 January 1910, Page 5

CHARGE OF ARSON

AUCKLAND DBAPEE AEEESTED. eRSSB ASSOCIATION. AUCKLAND, January 13. I An inquiry was held to-day by the city coroner, Mr T. Greskarn, imto thai circumstances- connected with, am in-, cipiemt fire on the night of November li)th in the shop of Falkland James MncFarlane, draper, of Queen street. The ~" inquiry was held without a-jury. Mac'Farlane was the. first witness examined. Statements made by him to tho detectives were'read and confirmed. bv witness. These stated that his stock and fittings ■ were insured in the Victoria insurance- office for .£IOOO. Simco Juno Last ho had never taken stock. Bo valued it at' .£BSO. His business at November 19th was not paying, and. he had epoken to on. agent about selling out. He had bought an assigned stock at Hamilton (valued at .£l-100) for about A'Boo to JZ'MO. Tho insurance was in, the Official Assignee's name. A fire 0C curred, and witness got no insurance., He was not in financial difficulties. With regard to the last fire, witness itatecl that on November 19th he left his oremisos at 6 p.m., having locked up evervtking safe. He returned to ■ the. shop" about 8 a.m. on the 20th. Hanging up on tho wall at the foot ot. the stairs were sheets of brown paper., So far as he could see,, some ot that had been used to start a fire.at .the foot of the stairs in his shop. Kerosene, and methylated spirits, which, were kept in a back room, had been used on tho fire. The staircase wall smelled of kerosene. There was nothing .missing from the shop, and thero was nothing disturbed. After the fire he carried on, business until about the middle of DaqamVjor, whein ho sold oTIt to Mr\ Porter, of Newtown, for 13s in the ,£l. It was somewhere about .£450. He estimated that in the interim ho had sold nbout .8100 worth of stock, and had al» replaced stock to a certain extent, but not to the value" of what ho had §»ld. , Be still retained tho fittings, valued at isbout .£IOO, and was also paying rent For the promises. ,Ho sold at a considerable loss. , , ~, „ ,' _. The coroner found that MacFaxlane did wilfully attempt to set fire to the building, with intent to defraud the, Victoria Insurance Company. . MacF-irlane was subsequently arrested on a charge of wilfully setteig fire to tho premises. He was formally charged before the Magistrate and remanded onj bail umtil Friday week. ■ I.