SUSPECTED INGESDIARTSM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2647, 7 December 1904, Page 27

SUSPECTED INGESDIARTSM.

Some excitement has been caused a.fc Dun back owing to several fires that have occurred under suspicious circumstances on the premises of Miss Morrison, a local storekeeper. On Sunday. November 20, a fire broke out about midnight, and Miss Morrison, who was sleeping on the premises, with a little girl for her companion, had considerable difficulty in effecting her escape. She was awakened by her room being filled with smoke, and on proceeding to open a door leading to the kitchen to ascertain the cause she was driven back by smoke and flames. Her screams attracted some neighbours, who rescued her and the little girl, and the fire was extinguished* but not before the kitchen furniture and some stores had been destroyed. On the Wednesday following, 23rd ult., afc an early horn 1 in the morning, the kitchen was again discovered to be on fire, but before any damage was done Miss Morrison succeeded in extinguishing the impending conflagration with the aid of a sack. Miss Morrison states that when she got up on the latter occasion she found that the door of the kitchen, which leads outside, was open, as was also another door leading from the kitchen into the shop, and she distinctly .remembers locking both these doors before going to bed. The Palnjerston Times now states that the store was destroyed by fir« about" 10.30 p.m. on Friday, 25th ult. When the last-named fire was first observed the flames were coming through the- roof, and as no water was available nothing could* be done to save the building. Miss Morrison, who had not been sleeping on the premises since the date of the preceding outbreak, states that on Friday evening she left the store about 9.15 p.m., after carefully locking all the doors. Several Dunback residents who passed the store about 10 p.m. stata that there was no sign of fire- at that hour, bub half an hour later the building- was m flames. The origin of the fires is shrouded in mystery, but as the building had been on fire three times within a period of sc en. days, incendiarism is naturally suspected. Detective Hill was in Dunback on Saturdaylast prosecuting inquiries, and a magisterial inquiry will probably follow. The building and contents were insured in the National 1 office for £250, but Miss Morrison estimates her loss at £100 in excess of that amount.

The Port Chalmers Naval Artillery we.ra taken to the Heads on Monday evening in the Government steamer Nile, and exercised for some hours in the use of the search-, light.