INCENDIARISM.

Evening Star, Issue 3667, 23 November 1874, Page 2

INCENDIARISM.

On Saturday afternoon the City Coroner (Mr Hocken) held an inquiry at the Oriental Hotel into the origin of a fire in a house at the top of Dowling stre t steps. Sub-In-spector Mallard watched the proceedings for the police, Mr Barton on behalf of Mrs Clayton, and Mr Lewis on behalf of Mr and Mrs Dick. The evidence of Richard Campbell, ati invalid, was to the effect that whilst in bed on the night in question he smelt rags burning, and shortly after Mrs Dick asked where the fire was. Witness becoming frightened, also called out, and a lady visitor told him it was all over. Mrs Dick afterwards C ime in, and said it was a most peculiar affair. By Mr Barton : Mrs uick said it was but right that the affair should be inquired into, but did not accuse anyone. On two occasions he heard Mr Dick say he would mike it warm and bad for Mrs Clayton before he had done with her. Mrs Clayton was in a very weak state through illn-ss. —W. O. Ball, agent for the London and Lancashire Insurance Company, stated that the whole of Mi s Clayton's furniture—includes plate and everything in her residence, Dowling street - was insured in his office for L 250. W hen he first visited the house there was value for the money, but he had not made an inventory since the date of the fire. —Mary Dick, wife of Frederick Dick, said she resided in Mrs Clayton’s bouse with her husband, who was a law writer. On the night in question a friend of hers named Mrs Alves called and asked her to go for a walk, and as she was preparing herself; she smelt something burning, and searched where it was coming from Witness went to Mrs Clayton, who was in her bedroom, and asked if she had been burning anything, to which she replied “ No,” she had been in bed an hour. Witness, becoming alarmed, exclaimed, “Well, there is fire in the house somewhere,” and returned to the kitchen, from whence she observed the smoke to be proceeding, and removing a clothes-basket from behind the door she saw the flame nea? the flo r, and with some buckets of \yater extinguished it. Her husband took no notice until it was all over. The fire could not have got there without hands. She believed it to be the act of audacendiary. Witness had told Mr M ‘Culloch, agent for the house, that she believed it was caused by Mrs Clayton. Shesaid, “It must be oneof us, and I think it was Mrs Clayton.” Witness had advertised on the 31st ult., without Mrs Clay ton’s authority, that eh© was her suo cessor. Mrs Clayton inserted an advertisement contradicting it. Frederick Dick stated that at the time of the fire he was playing cribbage'with a lodger in the diningroom. Witness, after examining where the lire broke out, believed it to be an incendiarism, and gave information to the police the following morning. He did hot know where Mrs Clayton was at the time of the hro, she walked about so mysteriously. By Mr Barton ; Witness had a shrewd idea who °u US u l t , he fire fle had not told Campbell that he kept a keg of gunpowder under his bed. Some weeks ago he made use of the expression about Mrs Clayton that he would make it hot for her far failing to keep an agreement; he meant that be would bring her before the Court. This was also because she had stated her intention of getting rid of them (the Dicks). Elisabeth Clayton, widow, living in Dowling street, stated that on the night in question she was in bed waiting for the doctor to come, and Mrs Dick out to know if there was anything burning in her room. Witness answered in the negative, stating that she had been in bed an hour, and Mrs Dick anneunced, in a cross manner, that there was something b urmng. The fire was afterwards discovered, and put out by Mrs Dick. Wit. ness had been cautioned by Mr Campbell to remain, if anything happened ; he had something eo pressing on his mind that he could not sleep in his room alone. Witness had not tho least idea how the fire originated. Sue was quite independent, receiving regular remittances of money from her sons in Australia. She bad not been living on friendly terms with the Dicks, and had given them notice, before the tire, to leave. -»y Mr Barton : Mr Campbell waj afraid to sleep at mght for fear of fire She heard the Dicks say they would leave her some day before the 23rd.

, The Jury returned a verdict that the fire had been wilfully caused, but by whom there was not sufficient evidence to show.