Enquiry into the Recent Krai at Waituna.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 62, 7 September 1894, Page 2

Enquiry into the Recent Krai at Waituna.

(Conclusion of the evidence.^ j |¥ Mrs Millard's examination (which;; was interrupted by the luncheon ad-4 journment on Tuesday, but *ras not: continued after as the evidence of several witnesses from a distance was taken so lhat they should not be kept at Waituna for two days) was eontmued as follows : — The furniture witness brought from Halcombe to Wai tuna includod six or seven stretchers worth 7s to 8s each, two washstanda, six toilet sets, two wooden bedsteads (which cost 26s or 27s each) and flux ma? trasses; also, brought one caneliottom rocking chair, and about a dozen other chairs, costing from 5a 6d to 8s each; bought 14 chairs from Mr Montague; also brought from Halcombo 24 pairs of blankets and two rugs ; about 25 or 26 counterpanes (varying iv price from 5s to 35s and were now worth about 12s each); cix pictures, on« cheffonier (value 225) ; had about 200 sheets including the ones she biught from Montague; did not kn >w there was any insurance on the house or furniture when she saw Mr Ashcroft with reference to insuring [the list of sworn statement of loss of furniture made by Mrs Millard did not include the furniture over which Mr Montague had a lien] ; showed i Mr Ashcroft the whole of the furniture and told him she had not paid-, Mr Montague for the furniture she bad I'rom him ; [the coroner had much difficulty to get witness to state whether she wished to convey the idea to Mr Ashcroft that she wanted to get the whole of the furniture insured or whether it was her own furniture only] ; intended to insure the lot if no other insurance existed ; Cavanagh bad two suits of clothes from the store in lieu of money; the value of the drapery was over £100 and nearer £200 worth ; had seven or eight men's suits and about a dozen boys' suits ; there was over £20 worth of boots and shoes; there were two or three bags of sugar under the counter ; had tea to the value of about £13 and groceries, £\l 18s; the spices were worth about £5 ; had some bridles and bits but no saddles ; the saddlery was worth over £2 ; the crockery in the shop was worth £3, flour and oatmeal about £10, chemicals and patent medicines between £25 and £30, the tents and flies at £5 or £6, cutlery and spoons wore worth about £3, stationery 30s, cordials £2, haberdashery t!-2, mats £4, watches and clocks £5, brushes and combs £2, had more than £518 worth of stock in the store when she opened at Waituna ; she took loss than £20 during her term of business at Waituna ; intended to apply for a publican's license for the house .whon she took it ; opened the store at Waituna on May 7tb ; left Waituna on July 29th for Halcombe and went to Feilding on the 30th ; heard of the first tire on either the Wednesday or Thursday ; Cavanagh conveyed the information to Mrs Bilderbeck; the day she heard of it came to "Waituna, and saw the damage ; did not inform the police or the occurrence but scut for Mr Prior ; do not know how the fire occurred ; sent a message to the police the day after she went back to Feilding ; took one box containing wearing apparel for two children to Halcombe ; did not take any case ; did not pay R. Robinscn 6s for the carriage of three boxes to Feilding ; was only once at Waituna between the two fires. To Mr Prior : Sent for questioner after first fire and instructed him to inform the insurance office affected ; after second fire scut for Mr Prior again and asked him to fill up the claim for insurance, which was filled up from dictation this was while witness was in bed ; after the second fire learnt that Mr Elkington had an insurance on the building; the reason she was in Feilding during the fire was on account of her confinement. To Mr Sandilands : Mr Cavanagh has been in the house ever since she took it ; paid him 25s a week ; kept Cavanagh because she bad no other person capable of driving ; since she has been at Waituna bought a ton of flour (which is not yet paid for), half a ton of oatmeal (not paid for), tea named ; had bought no drapery, boots, shoes or saddlery since she had been at Waituna ; got some saddlery previous to leaving Halcombe ; had given in proof of loss, less value than the wholesale price ; brought more than 100 pairs of boots to Waituna from Halcombe. To a juryniaa : No claim for Joss in respect of Mr Montague's furniture was put in. Andrew Cavanagh deposed : Was a baker by trade ; was in Mrs Millard's employ for about four months ; when he first started with her it was with the object of getting a licence for the house; had a three months' agreement with Mrs Millard ; there is £3 or £4 still due to him for wages ; received clothing in lieu of wages to the value of £10 or £12 ; there were no saddles in the store ; there were three or four bridles and about a dozen girths but did not know their value ; remembered August 1, the date of the first fire ; the shop was locked up at about 8 o'clock by witness ; knew that at first the key to the shop door leading from the sitting room was lost and he believed a bedroom key was taken and used to lock the door ; this was shortly after Mrs Millard went there ; there was an ordinary kerosene lamp in the shop and when shut up the lamp was taken to the sitting room ; did not see anyone go- into the shop after ; took the keys to his room ; saw no sign of fire when he locked up ; from the time he locked the shop to the time he was called was not in the shop or sitting room ; there was an ordinary fire in the sitting room when the shop was locked ; Mrs Millard's three boys and Woodgate remained in the sitting room playing cards until they went to supper at about 10.30; | witness corroborated previous evidence as to rooms occupied] ; after supper went to the stable, fed the horse, and after returning locked the kitchon door ; then told them it was bed time and they went to the parlor again ; took the lamp and showed Buddie, Smith and Woodgate to bed ; left the lauip with them ; stayed with them for a few minutes ; lit a candle when he went to bis room ; this would be about a few minutes after 11 ; could not 6ay how long he had been in bpd when be was palled, by Buddie ; Buddie carried the lamp when he awoke witness to tell him the house was ou fire ; got the keys, opened the shop door and saw the shop in a blaze ; ran to the back of building for water ; threw a bucket full of water on the fire and Smith carried a tub full ; got two more buckets of water from the tank ; did not think it took ten minutes to put the fire out of danger ; had no idea how the fire occurred ; did not think it possible that anyone had taken the keys during the evening from his room. The Coroner complimented Cavanagh on the straightforward way in which lie {^iive his evidence Harry Woodgate, deposed: Remembered August Ist ; in the evening was in Waituua and went to Mrs Millard's, between 0 and 7 o'clock; sat in the parlor till about 10 o'clock ; did not think Cavanagh went out while they were sitting in tho parlov ; went from the kitchen after supper to tho parlor, wuero they stayed half au hour or more

iand ife|P^Qtl»l^; later on they fnoticed the fire and, after ascertaining lc^Uty; a^okeClavanagh, who could Tnot at first believe there was a fire. Constable J. J^^>hy) deposed : The first' intimation he received with reference to fi^st fire was from a memorandum which TSe received through the post on August 7th from Norris and Ashcroft, agents for the Imperial Fire Office; on July 6th he visited Mrs Millard's premises, to execute a distress warrant for £55 18s, at the instance of Hatrick and Co ; Mrs Millard told him the pony and cows belonged to the boys, and Montague had a lien on the furniture ; was satisfied there were sufficienJijjoodsJLn • the shop to meet his demand, concluding there was AIOO worth there; Mrs Millard said there must have been some mistake, and guaranteed that the stock would not be tampered> with ; s he, then , went back to Feilding and. communicated with the Wariganui office ; he" was instructed to hold back the warrant till July 31st or August Ist, and if the r amount was not paid then to execute it ; i on July 28th caused a ' summons to be " served at the instance of Macarthur and .- Co., for ±172, on Mrs Millard. . r " To Mr Prior: Did not* see by the r » papers that a fire had occurred on August Ist at the building in question;, >■ thought it impossible that a message should have been sent to the police, station by Mrs Millard without witness' * receiving it after he should return home. Relative to the second fire (on August • 20) Bridget Millard deposed: Wasl ia Feilding on a sick bed when she beard her ? premises at Waituna were destroyed ; all her furniture which was insured in the .Imperial office for £100 and completed the destruction of the store goods, which were insured in the eaine office for £400. > . -. r. To Mr Prior : Had- been at the Court House with Constable Tuoby and gave him all the information she could. . .-> Wm. Millard deposed : Was a brother-in-law of Mrs Millard (previous witness) ; was at Waituna previous to the first fire ; saw Mrs Millard leave for Feilding on- iJuly 29; left Waituna on the first Tuesday following and stayed in Worsfold'e boarding house for one or two nights ; was there on Wednesday August 1 ; on August 19 was on board the Waikora between Wellington and Sydney ; returned to Wellington from Sydney last Thursday ■• morning. ' - " r; » A. Cayanagh deposed : Bememfcered the night of the second fire ; remained in' the kitchen for, about 20. minutes with Robt. OrbelJ, W. E Norman, Walter Turner, and Walter Jobaon ; went to the kitchen for the purpose of getting supper l it was between 11 and 12 o'clock; ' there were only a few live embers on the top of the Colonial oven ; Orbell said he would like a cup of tea and witness then put.the kettle on the embers, boiled the water, and made tea. While they, were drinking the tea Miss Wahle knocked at the door and asked if they had any spirits as Mrs Wahle was ill ; a small quantity of spirits was given to Miss Wahle ; after this the . caller wanted to see Mrs Strain and witness showed her to the room ; about five minutes after Miss Wahle went away . they all went to bed ; did not remember ~ going out that night to lock the stable door, but believed he asked Buddie to fasten it after he took bis horse but; when in bed he was awakened by a knock pn his window ; lifted the blind and; enquired who was there ; Miss Wahle replied that she wanted some candles.; this was her second visit; got out of bed, got the candles from the tuantlepieee in the kitchen and gave them . to her through the side door; went to bed was aroused a second time by the window in his room being broken; when he tried to lift the window he could not, . and asked the person outside to assist him ; his room was darkened with smoke ; ran into the passage, and saw the fire ; when going past the hoys' .. ■ room called them and then ran into a room (No. 2), occupied by J. Garland, and got out of the window; assisted Isaac Millard (the youngest boy) and Orbell to get out of the window ; aid not see Norman or Turner till they were on the road; saw Jobson for the first time when lie was getting over the fence. When they saw which side of the building the fire was witness and Strain went back for the former's clothes; Strain was dressed with the exception of his boots ; did not save his . clothes as the room was full of smoke; lost everything excepting a flannel and shirt; believed that everyone, except Jas Garland lost most {of their clothes ; never heard of anyone sleeping in the stable that night; there was always a fair pile of wood hi the kitchen ; did not. . see a tin of kerosene in the kitchen ; when witness first saw the fire the body . of it seemed to be between the dining . room, kitchen, and Mrs Millard's bed . room; had a strong hold of the front portion of the building; had no idea how long the fire was burning; from the state in which the kitchen fire was in . when he left it did not think " the fire V could have originated from it. * George Strain, a laborer, deposed: His wife was employed for about five weeks at Mrs Millard's boardinghouse j on Sunday was returning home, met his wife (who was returning from Feilding), and arrived at the boardinghouse between 1 and 2 o'clock in the afternoon ; at 4 o'clock visited Mrs Woulfe with bis wife and returned at 6 ; between 7.30 and 8 o'clock went to bed ; Miss Wahle called to see his wife during the night for a minute or two; had his trousers' on as he had to attend to his wife who was. ill ; did not leave his room ; had no idea what the time was as he had not a clock, but Miss Wahle told, his wife it was one o'clock ; after Miss Wahle wqnt got up once before the fire ; had been dozing for some time; a second time when he got up noticed the walls of tb.e room (No. 4) were bright; then looked, through the window and saw a blaze iv the kitchen ; dragged his wife out of the window and saved a few things he had packed up the previous ovening iv readiness for au early start the following morning. Minnie Wahle deposed ; Remembered the night of the fire, August 20th ;. went • to Mrs Millard's about one o'clock to get some spirits as her sister-in-law was ill ; called again about 2 o'clock or a little after for candles ; Mr Cavanagh gave her the caudles; while at the kitchen door saw someone come out of the stable ; ho went to the left-hand end of the building (towards Rankin's) ; believed he saw witness as he hurriedly returned to the stable; got frightened and wenttolkfr Cavanagh's window ; he went to the | side door, spoke to witness and then got ! the candles; could not give any description of the person she saw ; heard sqmeone. riding dqwn .the rqad sqme time afte? the seoond visit but could not fix th@ time; after this heard the noise of the fire and Mr Cavanagh called at their place at 4.15, Robert C. Orbell deposed; On August 19th came to Waituna in company of ; W. Norman : stayed at Mrs MUlard's ; '■■ at 12 o'clock went to bed ; was awakened by a sound in the back part of the house ; heard footsteps proceeding from the wing of the building, where they were sleeping up the passage towards the kitchen; about the same time heard a horse coming up " the road ; laid awake about 20 minutes ; about; the northwest end of the building the noiso of the horso suddenly stopped oppo3ite (it seemed) Mrs Millard's private bedroom ; heard no more until the alarm of fire was given ; there was no kerosene in the kitchen, but there was some in the pantry. ' ' K Win. JG, Nprmaq Reposed \ Stopped at Mrs Millard's boarding house on the night of August 19 ; when witness "got out gu the road during the fire it -was. 2.,§Q

by his watch ; lost some clothing and £l . note in the fire I Walter Turner deposed : Lost between £6 and £7 worth of clothing ; went to bed before Norman and Or bell at about 1180; could not tell what time the fire occurred. To a juryman : Did not hear any body in the passage nor a horse on the road ; there was some drink consumed on the premises that evening ; thought the men were all sober enough to tell the time. The Coroner in charging the jury said that the evidence as to the time was very | conflicting, but that was always bo, and they must not place too much weight on that. It Beemed to be undoubtedly a case of arson, and it was probable something further would be heard of the case. They couldn't possibly fix the charge against anyone, and if he might direct the jury he would suggest that an open yardict be given as the police could then take up the case again. After about 15 minutes consideration the jury . returned a verdict (as stated in yesterday's issue) "That no evidence of the origin of the said fires doth appear to the J ur y;||_________,