THE RUTLAND HOTEL FIRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 741, 14 February 1910, Page 4

THE RUTLAND HOTEL FIRE.

;: : :'V :'SENSATIONAIi;,iSBQUEL. ; < ! ,>": : -'-TWO-MEN' ARRESTED'..- -. '.', .(By .Telegraph.—Prese ■ Aeßoclatlon.l '■■'. .- '', ■■'■■ *'-:'f: '• ';■;■':. Wanganui, Februaryjl3.-:' ■''■• A sensational ' sequel to the Rutland Hotel fire, which occurred.on the night ofj 'January 22, took:place on Saturday.evening, When Joseph 'Davis .and;. Martin.| Haynes, '■■ proprietor . and, manager". respec-' tively of; the: jewellery arid fancy: goods shop, . ui: whlcn'. the outbreak occurred, were .arrested. ; At the inquiry ..held on Wednesday last,. the. evidence , given was : such ae .to lead the jury'and coroner to arrive at the.conclusipn.thatthe fire.was' the result of, an accidental, explosion .of gas,, and a iverdict,was;returned accordingly. . ■ Since the flre,'.-llessrs. Davis. arid Haynes have been staying; at the Arcadia Boardinghouse/ and by , a,strange.coincidence; Miss Bellcney,- the/proprietress, happened ..to;, reouire the services ■ of; a gas man to remedy a leak; ■ The inan.'.was sent to ..do, the work.'.bu , Saturday,, and found it necessary 'to examine the pipes above • the ,-oeiliug. of ■ the. upstairs rooms. He. through a trap-door, and; at the end of the passage! and near- the rooms occupied by Davis and .Haynes; to' his surprise,, ho discovered a. "'swag" com-; prising a large"portmanteau,- four paper packages, and two brief bags. Those) on examination by tho. police, to : whtm tho matter was; reported, wore found I o, : contain a miscellaneous, assortment,of.jewollery, fancy goods, and some of tho; books which wore said; to , have been buried in the.fire. These books',included .the daybook, containing; an entry made on the day on which the fire occurred, aiid the records of sales: effected for weekf- past. The value of: the goods-found is - roughly: , estimated at from £100 to'X2oo,but they: have\not. yet iboen. valued by an (ixpert.The stock ■in the ehop at the time of the fire was valued by Davis at ,£2600, and Has insured for jEIOOO. The insurance I money had not jet been paid over.