ALLEGED ARSON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9914, 1 August 1910, Page 3

ALLEGED ARSON.

GIRL COMMITTED FOR' TRIAL. May Pegley (Mr A. W. Bishop) appeared before Messrs W. W. Cooper and W. Barrett, Justices of the Peace. 011 a charge of having wilfully set lire to the house of A. O. Keating on July 20.

Arthur Oscar Keating said that the accused had been , boarding in his house and working in town. The five •n his house had started in a wardrobe in his room. He was away at work when the fire broke out, and there had been no fire in the room all day. On the following day accused said that her coat and witness's had been taken. The back door having been broken when tho fire was oxtmguished, it was thought that a thief had been at work. , Ho fixed up the door, securing it by means af a sliding bar. At 6 a.m. on the following day ho was wakened by the sound of a choking cough in the hallway of the house. He heard his wife say, "May, what's the matter?" and the girl reply that a room was on fire. He ran into Pegley's room, which was filled with smoke. He went in to search for his little boy, who slept there. The fire had started in a linen cupboard in the accused's 'bedroom. He found the back door wide open. After the fire had been extinguished he found a candle on the accused's bed. The tallow at one end had been broken from tho wick. He heard that the accused had lost a sovereign and two half-crowns in tho fire. They searched for the money, but could not find it. Pegley told , him that she had been at work during the whole day on the occasion of the first fire. After the second fire he found Pegloy's coat in a shed at the back of,the house, and two days later a neighbour returned his coat. If the house had been burnt he would have lost £l5O or £2OO.

James Hunter said t that Pegley ftuti not worked for him sinco July 16, four davs before the fire.

Alice M. Keating, wife of the first witness, said that she was out on the afternoon when the first fire took plate. At about 6.80 on the morning following the first fire she heard the accused in the kitchen. She called to her and received an answer. Pegley told her that the Crown Clothing Company had paid hor '2ss on the day before the second fire.

Bessio G. Sapsford said that at t] p.m. on July 20 she saw Poglcy, who told hor she had lost all her money in the fire.

Detective Gibson said that on July 99 ho made inquiries as to the cause of the second fire. Pegley had made a statement to him to the effect that she was eighteen years of age and worked at the Crown Clothing Company. On the day of the first fir© sho was away from home from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursday night sho went to bed and had been awakened by the little boy in her room coughing. She found the room full of smoke. She admitted having looked in the linen cupboard and let the candle fall into it, but she View it out. She did not know that the candle had caused tho fire. Later she told him that she had caused the <eeond fire, and had thought it would bo a good reason for saying that sho had lost her money. She pleaded not guilty, and was <?omrmtted for trial, bail being allowed.