EXTRAORDINARY ARSON CASE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15063, 9 February 1911, Page 8

EXTRAORDINARY ARSON CASE.

CEEDULITY AND MADNESS.

(Pee United Pbess Association.) AUCKLAND, February 8. Some rather extraordinary disclosures were made by counsel appearing for a prisoner brought before Mr Justice Edwards, at the Auckland Supreme Court today. The accused had pleaded guilty at Waihi to a charge of committing arson. ' 'Che prisoner, John William Butler, a • middle-aged man, baa, according to the . statement made by Mr Reed, lived in the • «aihi district all his life, and for some years past Tesided with his sister, a fc-pinster, till recently. ' H© had built the cottage in which they lived, but had mado ' it over to his sister. Eor sometime the sister was keeping company with a man, but the engagement was broken off. The man told prisoner some infamous story about his sista's-comdnet, as the result of which, in a maddened state, accused rushed across the road to their cottage and frantically smashed the furniture to smithereens, and set fire to tie dwelling. Mr Eeed stated thai accused bore an excellent character as a quiet, inoffensive, sooer, hard-working man, and lived on excellent terms with his aster and neighbours, and' nothing could explain his conduct on the occasion in question but the fact that be had been maddened by ■ drugged drink and by shamefully cruel and malicious stories about his sister. His Honor: If he is a decent man he must explain why ue listened to a man " whom, he distrusted instead of thrashing ; him.

Mr Reed : It seems incredible that such a quiet man would commit an act of the kind.

His Honor: It earns incredible that he listened to lie story about his sister. That Is what I can't understand. A letter TOST«ad from the sister acknowledging that her brother had always been good to her, and generally bore out what counsel had said cm behalf of the prisoner. His Honor: He has burned his future and he nrast make good in the long run what he has destroyed. Prisoner stated that he was earning 9s 6d a day, and had been employed by the Waihi Company for the last 12 months without any broken time. The house was insured for £150, and the furniture for

£50. The sister estimated her loss at £347 10s.

His Honor raid that he did' not want

to send prisoner to gaol, but he would have to make some proposal to satisfy the claim of the insurance company, and the loss suffered by the sister. He did not think the offence was exactly a probation matter, but he could order prisoner to come np for sentence when called upon. Sentence was deferred for a fortnight, and accused was released to give him an opportunity of making arrangements with the insurance company and his sister,