HAYSTACKS FOUND AFIRE

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1935, Page 9

HAYSTACKS FOUND AFIRE

CHARGE AGAINST WORKER

GRUDGE OVER WAGES MENTIONED.

ACCUSED’S STATEMENTS DIFFER.

GUILT DENIED IN LOWER COURT.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night.

Two charges .of wilfully setting fire to two haystacks were preferred against Chanel Patrick Murphy in the Magistrate’s Court to-day. One stack, valued at £l2O, was the property of William Rogers, a dairy farmer of Marshlands, and the other, valued at £175, was the property of T. E. R. Jones, Hills Road, Shirley.

Murphy pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. No application was made for bail. Rogers said he was awakened at 1.30 a.m. on March 20 to find his stack blazing. It would have been easy for anyone to fire the. stack without going near the house. Murphy had been employed by Rogers and had been sleeping in the house.

Murphy went out on the evening of March 19 and did not return until about 4 a.m. on March 20. Rogers said he did not think Murphy bore a grudge against him over the non-payment of wages, which Murphy thought to be due to him. A milk war was on at the time of the fire, but the matter had since been adjusted. Jones also gave evidence of being awakened about 1.30 a.m. on March 20, when both stacks were blazing. Clifford Lee said Murphy had spent the nights of March 19 and 20 at his place, going to bed at 9 p.m. after asking to be awakened at 3.30 a.m. Lee called him at this hour when Murphy was sleeping. Statements obtained from Murphy were produced by acting-Detective Bums. In the first Murphy, denied the charges. In the second he admitted them and described what he had done.