INCENDIARY FIRES NEAR AUCKLAND.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1541, 27 January 1879, Page 3

INCENDIARY FIRES NEAR AUCKLAND.

[By Telegraph.] Auckland, January 23. Between three and five this morning several fires occurred between Otahulm and Papatoiioi Rogers’ stacks of wheat and hay, valued at a thousand pounds, were totally destroyed. Ou Taylor’s property thirty tons of hay were burnt to the ground. Pratt’s stacks were also destroyed. A rough fellow seen prowling about this morning is suspected. Detectives Bulleu and Jeffrey have gone in search of him. [Special Wire.] The “Star” publishes the following additional particulars of the supposed cases of incendiarism .-—There were in all fires on three different farms, within a short distance of each other, and the time at which they occurred proved conclusively that they were all caused by one and the same person. ihe first conflagration took place on the farm of Charles Pratt, about half a mile from the Raglan Hotel, on the south side of Papatoiloi. Mr Pratt had retired at twelve last uight, when there was no sign of fire. At six this morning he was awakened by David Burnside, a neighboring farmer, who informed him that some of his wheat was on fire. He ran down and found two stacks of wheat in flames. The fire had got good hold and had almost burnt the grain. There was no chance whatever to save anything. The stacks were valued at £SOO and not insured. The second fire took place about half an hour later on the property of Thomas Rodgers of Papatoitoi. nearly two miles further on in the direction of Otahulm. Mr Gordon, who was in charge of Rodger’s place, was awakened about five o’clock by a number of Maoris who were harvesting on the farm. He ran down, and found seven stacks of wheat and three of oats on fire. The whole of the property was destroy! d, the loss being estimated at £IOOO, and the stacks not being insured. Mr Rodgers is a heavy loser. The third fire was at Taylor’s, about a mile distant from Rodgers’. A neighbor informed Taylor about five o’clock that his stack of grass was ou fire. He immediately proceeded out, and found it had only recently taken fire. There was no chance of saving any of the stack. Like the others it was not insured. Taylor is a loser to the extent of about £l9O. Immediately on receiving news of the fire, Rodgers rode off to give

the information at the police station, and D tective Jeffrey went to Otahuhu. When near Penrose Junction ho met a man named Fidget, and from information received, felt justified in arresting him on suspicion of having caused the fires enumerated above. This man was in the hands of the police some time ago oh a charge of placing obstructions on the railway line, and was fortunate enough to secure an acquittal. Ho was searched by the Detective, and in his pocket was found a quantity of matches and wheat. Inquiries were instituted throughout the district in which the fires occurred, and Fidget was identified as the man who had made threats against farmers in the neighborhood to people in Papatodoi about a week ago. He passed through Papakura last evening iu the direction of Otahuhu, and borrowed a match from a blacksmith there.