CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3355, 9 January 1879, Page 3

CRIMINAL SITTINGS.

CHRISTCHUECH. The following is the conclusion ofye3ter-. day's business : — George Harper deposed : I ana a barrister-at-law and a New Zealand solicitor. lam solicitor for Mr Charles Eeed. I saw prisoner on Oct. 30. His Honor : Is this adinissable ? Mr Gresson : I have no objection, vour Honor. Witness : He came in consequence of a letter which I had directed to be sent to him on Oct. 23. (Press copy produced). He alluded to this letter, and to the sum of £107 10s claimed as rent due to Sept. 24 preceding. The letter was dated Oct. 23. He did not call till Oct. 30. He did not state when he had received the letter. He did not pay the rent. I have obtained it since. To Mr Gresson : He did not seem reluctant to leave, but claimed his right for another six months as a tenant from year to year. James Crosbie Martin deposed : I am clerk to Messrs Hanmer and Harper, and wrote the letter produced on Oct. 23. I could not swear that this letter was sent, but in the office there is a record of a2d stamp having been used for a letter to Cowan. To his Honor : The custom of the office is to send all letters written during the day to the Post-office by a boy at 5 o'clock. This would go in ordinary course, and Cowan would receive the letter before noon next day. James George Hawkes deposed : I am an auctioneer and valuator in Christchurcb. I remember the fire at Malvern House. I valued the whole of the furniture there within a very few days of the fire. I went on behalf of the Insurance Association. The result of my valuation was £317 Is Bd. That was its saleable, but an indulgent value. It included all — in the large house and iu tho small ; it included the piano. To Mr Gresson : To replace those with new goods would cost from £150 to £200 more than the sum I have stated. Some of the furniture liad been very good. I may say that every assistance was rendered me by the occupants of the house. Alfred Taylor, clerk to the Transatlantic Insurance Co of Hamburg, deposed : Prisoner came to our office on t Oct. 24 and said he wished to effect an insurance of £600 on his furniture. I said I could take half, and he said he would insure for £300 in the South British. He insured for £250 for his furniture and £50 for his piano. He paid the premium, £2 ss, two hours later. To Mr Gresson : I did not visit the house, because he had been previously insured for his furniture in our office, for £300, in 1875, and £400 in 1876. James Drummond M'Pherson, deposed : I am manager of the South British Insurance Co., Canterbury branch. A proposal to insure his furniture for £300 was made by prisoner on Oct. 24. It was effected and premium paid. After the fire the policy was cancelled with : prisoner's consent, and the premium was returned. To Mr Gresson : I believe it was at his own suggestion that the policy was cancelled. The day after the fire the junior clerk, under instructions from the chief clerk, inspected the furniture. Robert Hislop deposed : lam chief clerk in the South British Insurance Company. Prisoner came to our office between 11 arid 12. His proposal was accepted and lie paid the premium. To Mr Gresson : He informed me that he was insured in another office. We sent to inspect the furniture. He paid the premium. Detective Walker deposed : I arrived at the fire at ten minutes to one. It was then out. I saw some charred tow in the possession of Sergeant Hughes. It smelt of kerosene. I went into the room where the fire had been. Prisoner was there. I smelt his hands. I smelt kerosene on them. I told him so. He said, " Oh, I have been handling the stuff," and then he added " I might have got it off the handle of the bucket." I scraped up some broken glass in the corner where the fire had been, on the floor, enough to fill a wineglass. The pattern of the glass is similar to that found on the lawn. It is the same thickness, and corresponds. I received the kerosene lamp produced from Mrs Cowan. I saw some of the tow found there. 1 searched the room, and saw a little on the window. I found some dry tow out in the paddock near the pigstye similar to that which I saw with Sergeant Hughes. I produce it. It was quite dry. To Mr Gresson : It is rough dressed flax. All dressed flax is similar. It is what is used for stuffing bedding. There was a large quantity near the pigstye. It looked like llax that had been used as a mattress. This was three chains from the house. The house is very old. The walls and ceiling upstairs are papered. The room where the fire wa3 was papered, except a narrow etvip, which was plastered. There was a small hole through the paper near the chimney-stack. The hole did not go into the brickwork of the chimney. Above where the fire was, the paper and scrim were hanging loose. Detective Benjamin deposed : I got to the fire about 10 minutes past one. I assisted Detective Walker to pick up this glas3, in presence of prisoner. Prisoner said, "Oh that is part of the lamp. The children must have brought it up." There was a strong smell of kerosene. Prisoner's hands were smelt by Detective Walker. I smelt Mr Wilson's hands, they did not smell of kerosene. Ido not recollect saying that they did. I arrested prisoner on Nov. 9at Ashburton. I told him the charge. He was walking towards the train which was starting for Christchurch. He said " All right, I am going to Christchurch now." He afterwards said, " Did I not give you every assistance at the fire. Did I put anytliing in your way?" In the train prisoner said, " This is not much of a line you have got on." I understood him to allude to the case. To Mr Gresson : I believe he informed the police where he could be found in case he should be wanted. The Crown Prosecutor addressed the jury for the prosecution. Mr Gresson followed for the dofence. His Honor Bummed up the evidence very carefully— the summing up occupying forty minutes. The jury retired to consider their verdict, and, after an absence of seven minutes, returned into Court and delivered a verdict of " Not Guilty." . This being the last case, his Honor dismissed fchc jury with the thanks of the Colony.

Onbein^toldthat lie Was discharged, the accused said, addressing the jury, "GentleniJ"; ■*• fc " an k you for doing jour duty." His HonJr s^d " I don't like these observations to the juiy.Tlie Court was then' jidjoimied till Monday I .next at 10 a.m.