The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1882. THE LATE FIRES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 642, 8 September 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1882. THE LATE FIRES.

The alarm is gradually subsiding, though there are still many who yet fear incendiarism too much to close their eyes comfortably at night, even with the consciousness that the police force has for the time been increased. Dogs are certainly more than usually in demand for protective purposes, :iml certain rumors aiv perpetually prevalent us to mysterious men, being seen hero, there, and everywhere. :

Thesi rumors, however, are always prevalent when thoie has been any great scare, little incidents, which at other times would nut be noticed, having much weight given to them by the mystery surrounding the prior atrocities, and to most of them we attach little importance, for John will, still woo Mary, and the inviting piece of dry manuka occasionally find its way to gladden the hearts of others than its owners, in spite of tha police or private vigilance.

We do not, therefore, think there is any connection between the great crime, the perpetrators of which we ar.; all so interested in discovering, and these minor puce tdilloes, anil our readers, in our opinion, havo no no.id to worry the.iiselves about t tern.

The more wo thi ik of it, the more one is convinced, that th.xict was perpetinted by some person wh »s-j atttip ithy t> the vendors or' aleoh 1 hud reached a m miaca height. There does not appear to hay been any pecuniary motive to serve ; fo tho proprietors of every hotel fired \v'i!d r have been loi?'. : rs by the success ol up incaiidiiiiism, entirely apart from ti.e fjv.-fc tint i.iieir characters raise them abovj suspicion. It is the fact that id

oi.e w< u'd benefit by the deed—as, lookin" , :.t it from the most rabid teetotal point <-f view, the only result of a successful conflagration would he the rebuilding the hotels in a better, or at any rate m-wer, style—that puzzles the police. If they can see a motive they can understand, but they can son no motive hero ; and if it were a case of pure spite, it is more likely that one house would have been burnt than that three would have been tried.

It ooriainly seems to us to have been the work of some mad enthusiast, whose efforts were solely directed to the destruction of hotels, irrespective of the consequences. It was no individual hate, but a, general abhorrence, that prompted the deed, or else -i spirit of wanton wickedness, which, if discovered, should be at once destroyed.

Whoever it is, however, we think that the owners of private houses should take heart, and, while not neglecting any precaut r ons, recollect that there has not yet been shown the slightest intention , to fire any buildings but betels, and that even in that case it is unlikely that any future attempt will be made, for the fear of detection must be strong in the mind of the offender, whoever it is, and with regularly on the watc'i to note the least circumstance, escape would be hardly possible, if another attempt were made.

Whenever planned, the incendiarist must have made patient preparations before hand ; and how the gorso sticks were cut. <-oakod in kerosene, carried through the town, pi need in their position, and th-'n lighted without anyone's attention being attracted, is a marvel indeed. However, we must recollect that there was such a total want of suspicion amongst us, after so many years of security ami immunity from fire, that really almost anything might have been done under our very noses without any evil construction being placed on it.

An editorial in the Lyttclton Times on the matter has created a great deal of disgust in Akar a and the Peninsula generally. Instead of showing any sympathy with the misfortune, it ridiculed the whole affair. We cannot see the ioke, we confess, of helpless women and children be : ng burned in their beds. It is not good taste to say that the district produces villanous wine and doubtful cheese, and to marvel at the exceeding stupidity of the inhabitants ; but the cold blooded way in which the incendiarism is alluded to, as a good joke, has met deservedly with universal reprobation from the Time's -upporters on the Peninsula.

That the dastardly rascals who wreaked their vengeance at the risk of the lives of helpless women and children, who could never have wronged them, may be brought to justice, is our sincere hope, for whilst we have such persons in our midst we are none of us safe, and we cannot help holding the opinion that it was a person thoroughly acquainted with the localities who did the deed.