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The Hillside Arson Case.

At the City Police Court on Thursday, before Mr E. H. Carew, R.M., Mary Jane Docherty was charged with having on the 28th May, at HillBide, near Dunedin, unlawfully, maliciously, and feloniously set fire to a certain dwelling-house, there situate, in possession of one Louis Thompson, with intent thereby to defraud the London and Lancashire Insurance Company; and that Louis Thompson, of Hillside, before the offence was committed, to wit on or about the 18th May, unlawfully did counsel and procure the said Mary Jane Docherty to commit the said offence. Mr Gallaway appeared for the acoused, and Inspector Weldon conducted the> case for the police. Sergeant Macdonell' stated that the defendant lived with Louis Thompson, expressman, as his housekeeper. His house was burned down on the 28th May. Just before the fire was put out witness had a conversation with her. She them said she, knew nothing about the fits.

or how it happened. She also stated that she had left the house just after 5 o'clock, and had taken her own boy and Thompson's boy with her to Princes street south. The front door of the house was locked or fastened and the back door simply closed, but not locked. She lost both her own and her child's clothing, except what they had oa at the time. On the 23rd July witness again saw accused. She was going to the police station. On getting there she made a statement, which witness took down in writing. • This statement was similar to the evidence given by the accused in the oase against Thompson. In a second statement accused said she did not know how the fire originated and she had nothing to do with it. Sergeant. Macdonell continued that he got a third statement from accused on the evening of the same day that he obtained the other two -statements. He read it over and she said it was quite correct and signed it. The document was dated the 23rd of July, 1886, and was as follows :— " I, Mary Jane Docherty, do hereby make the following statement to Hugh Downey, police cdnstable — namely, that I did, on the 28th May 1886, at Hillside, set fire to Louis Thompson's house, by his desire, by lighting tho bed with a candle, which was placed on the bed near the wall. He showed me how to do it before going away. — Mary Jane Docherty." The accused was not at this time in custody. Witness deposed that he went to several parties and re--rovered articles of clothing which had been removed from Thompson's house before the fire. Accused was arrested on the morning of the 24th July. Ann Dalziel, widow, living at Hillside, deposed that she had known the accused for a short time. She recollected the fire at Thompson's. About an hour before the fire one of witness's children brought one of Thompson's to her house. Witness saw accused after the fire ; she came with her own child and Thompson's too. They had some conversation about the fire. Harry Didham brought a bundle of clothes, which witness took in. Before this bundle of clothes was brought to the house, accused said her clothes had all been burnt. Mr Thompson, on the Tuesday after the fire, was in her house, and said that the accused, who was present, was entitled to £15 for the loss of her clothes. To Mr Gallaway: Some clothes pegs and lines were brought to her house with the bundle. William Brown, agent for the London and Lancashire Fire Insurance Company, deposed that the house in question was insured for £100, and the furniture for £50 in his office. They paid these amounts. Elizabeth M'Taggart substantially repeated the evidence given by her in the prosecution of Louis Thompson. , v Accused reserved her defence, and was committed for trial. She was admitted to bail— herself in £100, and two sureties of £50 each.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW18860820.2.40

Bibliographic details

Otago Witness, Issue 1813, 20 August 1886, Page 14

Word Count
656

The Hillside Arson Case. Otago Witness, Issue 1813, 20 August 1886, Page 14

The Hillside Arson Case. Otago Witness, Issue 1813, 20 August 1886, Page 14

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