ACT OF IVY STRONG.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1685, 27 February 1913, Page 3

ACT OF IVY STRONG.

•OF ST. MARY'S HOME, HER PENCHANT FOR FIRES. A girl of 15 years was charged in' tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, with having attempted.to set fire to St. Mary's Home, Karon, on February 10. Her -name' is Ivy Myrtle Strong:and she is an inmate of the home. Mr. W. G. Riddell was on the Bench. Chief-Detective Broberg represented the police, and Mr. P/W. Jackson appeared lor the defendant. , Doris Cook, a girl of-20 years, an inmate of the home, gave evidence that between G. 30 and 7 p.m.- on February 10 she went into the , dressing-room and there she noticed smoke coming, from a cupboard. She at once opened the cup-, bontd and found that some .rags (which had been'used-for bee's-waxing the. floor) were burning. • Other evidence was given to the effect that the fire had been put out before damage was done. Emily Logan, aged 1G years, stated that while she and Ivy Strong were hanging out clothes on February 10 the latter re-, marked that she had three times dreamt of fire,' and she asked what it meant. Witness replied that ft meant "hasty news." Ivy Strong then said that she had been told that ■ when one dreamt of three times it lfos sure to.come/: then risked what witness would do: if the building caught: fire, and -witness replied, that she : did not know. Ivy Stroug-theli said that the first thing that she would do would be to "grab her .best . Sunday clothes." She then- asked:,, if -witness, thought that the girls in. the .home would be nllowod to go to their own. homes;-if: the place-were burned. ;down, and whether witness would take her (Ivy Strong) tp : her'(Emily Logan's) home. Detective Andrews deposed that the girl Strong had admitted lo 1 him: that she had made the attempt to set fire to' the building, and said'that she had done so' because she thought that if the home-were 1 burnt down she misht.be allowed lo an to her own home. ' ' '. Chief Detective Broberg:'Can you say ' if .she has been assncialcd with -fires in' tho past?' •„ : v .Selective Andrews: 'Yes.. ', vTo/what extent? ' To'a'"'considerable extent? . '" <'«; Where? ' , ', . 'V' .Several houses.' In 'May ;last ' Mr. Jackson; I object-to this cjidiiicfr. ..'■Detectiyq , Broberg.: said , tluii' lic,. asked, the question in -order to. show, the. girl.'s disposition.- "Her. disposition.-I suggcff, is to sel fire-to. places',''.lie ; said. His, Worship .would not, admit'the evidence, and. this clcscd the case., . ■iThe'accused girl pleaded giiilty ahd was committed to tho Supreme Court for sentence. Mr. Jackson mentioned the question.of, bail. '' . . Detective Brobcrg. stated that the matron of St. Mary's Ilqme was willing to keep tho girl there until ,sh»" was dealt with by the' Supreme Cour^.Jf,this were, allowed tho girl would have" to givejanj undertaking to behave! properly—not ',to! attempt any more fires or., fry'to,: carry' out a threat to take poison.: "When she, lived witli iter, people .at Fcildiiig." lie added, "the house, caught fire three ..times, and on two occasions this girl discovered the fires. And Inter, when iliey lived .at Taihapo ( the. house was .burnt, to ' tho ground .when there was not a penny, insurance on the furniture."-The girl would have to understand that if .she did not behave she would have to go to gaol; bail was opt of the question. • Ilis Worship .'cautioned the girl not. to continue acting in, the irresponsible way attributed to her, and he advised her to get her sillv-ideas about dreams out of her head. He also pointed out her folly in talking of committing .suicide.