FIRING A BRIDGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1856, 17 June 1887, Page 18

FIRING A BRIDGE.

the City Police Court on Friday,

William Taylor (for whom Mr Denniston ap peared) was charged with that he did, on or about April 23, 1887, at Mosgiel Bush, feloniously, unlawfully, and maliciously commit certain injury to a certain bridge there situated, with intent to render the said bridge dangerous and impassable. Ada Cameron, the wife of Donald Cameron, residing at Mosgiel Bush, said her husband occupied 10 acres of land on the hanks of the Taieri river. Taylor, the accused, lived in the next house to hers. Taylor' also had land on the riverside. The bridge referred to was about five minutes' walk from her house. Witness corrected herself by saying that the bridge she referred to was one over the Silverstream at Springbank. The land she referred to was also on the banks of the Silverstream. On the night of April 21 the accused called at her house. It was at 12 o'clock. Accused said he was going to set fire to the bridge, and asked if witness would come and watch. There was nobody about. It was, he said, a fine night, and there ' Would be no suspicion agiinst her whatever. Witnesssaidshewouldgo. Witnesstoldagirl— Marion Brown— that she was going out to set fire to the bridge. Witness went with Tjtylor to his house. He got kerosene oil, giving witness two bottles to carry. Taylor carried one bottle of oil and a stockyard grape. He also took a box of blue-headed matches irom the mantleshelf . They went together to the bridge. Taylor put two bottles of oil over the boards and tried to light it, but it would not burn. He then put some more about the beams and got it alight with some sticks and straw. When the flames sprang up he ran away and left witness standing there. The fire went out, and he said it was 'no' good ; he would go and get gorse from Charters' fence if she would go back for more oil. Witness could not find the bottles, and Taylor told her to go to hiß wife and she would give her more. Witness went to the house ; Mrs Taylor got up out of bed and got her two empty bottles. Witness took the bottles over to her own house and filled them with oil. The girl Brown saw her filling the bottles. Witness went back to Taylor. He poured the keroBene over the gorse, and the bridge went on fire. Fat was also used. It came from witness' house. Taylor asked her to take it. She got it out of her own dairy. After they saw the bridge on fire they went home. Witness and the girl Brown looked at the bridge burning from a window upstairs and then went to bed. Some time afterwards Constable Burnett interviewed witness. She made a statement to him. She could not say on what date. Accused had called on her several times since the summons had been served. He asked her to deny it, and he would deny it, saving that then they could not be found out. — Mr Denniston said he did not wish to cross-examine this witness now. Probably he would have the pleasure of doing that on another occasion. — Marion Brown said she remembered Thursday, the 21st April. At 12 o'clock William Tavlor, the accused, called at Mrs Cameron's. She did not see him, but she heard him saying, " Will you come?" Mrs Cameron said, "Yes." She then spoke to witness and went away. At 1 o'clock witness looked through the front door and saw the bridge burning. At half-past 1 Mrs Cameron came back with two bottles, which she Sited with kerosene. Mie also took some fat with her and went towards the bridge. Witness looked out again and saw the bridge burning. Mrs Cameron came back about 2 o'clock, and they both went upstairs and saw the bridge burning for half an hour. Witness bad seen accused at Mrs Cameron's house quite recently— since the summons was served. She had seen him there four times since. He conversed with Mr and Mrs Camercn outside the house. Witness heard Mrs Cameron making a statement to Constable Burnett at her mother's house about the burning of the bridge.— Donald Cameron said he was a shepherd residing near the Silverstream at Mosgiel. The bridge referred to impeded the flow of water in times of flood. On the 21st April last witness was away from home at Itocklaod station. He came home about eight days ago. The accused had come over three or four times to speak about the bridge. He said "If I thought the missis would split on me, I would plead guilty ." Accused told witness that he had set fire to the bridge. — To Mr Chisholm: I have seen the bridge since the fire. It is not much injured.— James White, a farm labourer, gave evidence regarding the finding of the bridge on fire at 6 o'clock on the morning ot April 22. He carried water from the stream in his hat and put out the fire. The bridgn was not much burned. He saw some whins and. a piece of fat under the bridge. — Kobert Findlay, a farmer residing near Mosgiel, and clerk to the Taieri Eoad Board, deposed that he knew Taylor. The bridge, which was the property 'of the road board, was near Taylor's property. The board had given no oneany right tointerfere with or destroy thebridge. — To Mr Chisholm: Complaiuts have frequently been made about the bridge obstructing the flow of the water for the last few years. 'Ihe accused did not complain to the board. — To Detective Henderson : There are notices on the bridge with the object of preventing heavy traffic. The bridge was and is still used by the settlers. — Constable Burnett gave evidence regarding the damage to the bridge by the burning. He found gorse under the bridge, and there was a strong smell of kerosene oil. The wood was also stained with oil. He also picked up a large number of matches, some of which were burned. On the 2nd of the present month Mrs Cameron made a Abatement to witness about the burning of the bridge. The statement was made in Mrs Brown's house, and Marlon Brown was present. — Mr Denniston addressed the court, contending that as the bridge had not been rendered dangerous or impassable the information did not disclose an offence. According to the 33rd section of " The Malicious Injury to Property Act 1867," it was necessary that the act must be completed. There was, curiously, no power to deal with the intent to any bridge, viaduct, &c. The act was peculiar in this respect. On this ground the case .must be dismissed. — Mr Chisholm referred to the constable's evidence as to some of the planks and one of the props having been partly burned.— Mr Denniston said it had certainly not been proved that the bridge was dangerous or impassable.— The Bench retired to consider thepoint.and on returningMrChisholm said there was a case to answer. — Mr Denniston said he would prove that the bridge had not been rendered dangerous or impassable by the fire, and he would take his evidence from the enemy's camp. He pointed out that there was no use in the bench committing the country to the expense of another trial on evidence upon which no jury would convict. — James Cullen (formerly chairman of the Taieri Boad Board) said he knew the bridge well. He did not think it had been made dangerous by the fire. It was not impassable. The bridge was an old one, but it might stand for a long time vet.- -W. O. Carncross also gave evidence. He had ridden over the bridge, and did not consider it dangerous. He did not examine it underneath. Thebridge had been condemned as being unfit for traffic long before the fire. John Sutherland said the bridge had not been made dangerous by the fire. He did not examine it underneath.—To the Bench : The beams are only about 18in above the gravel, where the fire took place. After the last flood there was only 6in between the joists and the gravel.— Mr Ohisholm said the Bench were of opinion that there was a case to go before the higher court. The accused would be committed to take his trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court.— Bail was allowed and obtained in accused's own recognisance of £50 and one surety of £50. Ada Cameron was then charged with having aided and abetted tb,e former accused in setting fire

'to the bridge;— Marion Brown/ James-W hite, B. Findlay, Robert Charters, and Constable Burnett §aye evidenced— Accused was committed for trial, ail being allowed in her husband's recognisance of £50. f

— By Way of a Lesson. — Little Francois goes up to his mamma with an air of mystery : " I say, ma, dear, didn't you tell the servant always to lock the pantry door ? " " Why do you ask?" "'Cause last- night she hadn't locked it ; and so, to give her a lesson, I ate up all the cake that was left!" — Independence Beige. ' , , — A newly-appointed official on the Natal railway recently wrote for "a gallon of red oil for the danger lanterns."