DARING BURGLAR'S AND ATTEMPTED INCENDIARISM.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1280, 10 September 1886, Page 3

DARING BURGLAR'S AND ATTEMPTED INCENDIARISM.

Riverton Star.’) Quite a thrill of excitement was occasioned throughout the district by the intelligence that early on Wednesday morning Mr R. Poster’s store at Thornoury had been broken into, the till robbed, and the building set on fire. The statement proved only too correct, and great was the surprise when it became known that Benjamin Boivin, a baker in Mr Foster’s employ, had been ar» rested on the double charge of burglary and incendiarism. About 2 a.m. Mr Foster was awoke by Boivin raising an alarm of fire. Mr Foster was qoiekly on the spot, which is situated about eight chains from the hotel and four from the railway station, and on entering the building saw the counter on fire and the place full of smoke. Luckily the flames had not secured a very firm hold of the building, and a few buoketsful of water quickly remove 1 the threatened danger. Subsequent examination proved that the till had been robbed of over LT7. Sergeant Rutledge was communicated with, and accompanied by Con stable Sinclair, he investigate 1 the circumstances. Suspicion fell upon two or three persons, but fo-some time no clue could be obtained to the culprit. Boivin stoutly denied any knowledge of the affair, but on the bake house —separated from the store by the road leading to the railwiy stationbeing searched several articles were discovered concealed amongst some bags of flour that at once aroused suspicion. These consists I of lollies, pickles, c >coa, knife polish, matches, e f e. A key, which had been filed to suit the cbamb r of the s ore door lock, was also found, and further search discovered the money that had been abstracted from the till. Boivin then admitted that it was he who had committed the theft, but be denied having intentionally set fire to the building. He stated that he was disturbed in robbing the till by hearing some f otsteps, and that the fire must have originated from a candle he left burning when he fled from the building. The damage done to the building will not exceed Lls or 20, but the stock (uninsured) to the lvalue of about LIOO has been damaged by rgre, water, and smoke. Mr Foster’s son was’ in charge of the premises, bat he slept in the hotel, . . , , , On Thursday last Boivin was brought up before Mr Chapman and Mr Instone, J.P’s., on the charges of breaking into the store an 1 setting fire to same, when Mr O’Ke’lly appeared for accused.- Sergeant Rutledge, wh* conducted the prosecution, applied for a-ftfpand for eight days to enable him to get np the evidence.—Mr O’Reilly did not object, and asked that accused be admitted to bail. - -Sergeant Rutledge pointe I out the serious nature of the charge, and suggested, if bail were accepted, that it should be very substantial.—The bench concurred, and fixed the amount at—for accused LSOO, and two sureties of L 250 each. Failing to find sureties, Boivin was committed to Invercargill gaol till Wednesday next, when he will again he brought up at Riverton. Boivin has been a resident at Riverton for 10 or 12 years, aud nntil a few months ago carried on business here as baker, etc. He is a married man and hia family reside at Riverton.