INQUIRY INTO THE LATE FIRE.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 134, 5 September 1868, Page 5

INQUIRY INTO THE LATE FIRE.

An Inquiry was held in the Provincial Hall on Monday Afternoon last, before H. "Williams, Esq., M. 8., Coroner, with respect to the cause of the late Fire at the house of Mr. Phillip Lawrence, Maxwell lioad. The following were the Jury:—Messrs. Collie, (foreman,) Syras, McLaughlan, Purkiss, Wrigley, Horton, Jackson, John Taylor, H. Pritchard, W. Parker, Sutherland, and W. Norgrove. The Coroner having stated that the Inquiry was at the instance of Mr. Litchfield, as agent to the Northern Assurance Co., the jury proceeded to view the premises, after which, (all witnesses being excluded) — Phillip Lawrence deposed—l don’t belong to the Church of England, and have not been baptized; would be sworn as a Christian according to my good conscience. Went home between 6 and 7 on Friday evening last, lit the fire and had my tea, went out about 8, leaving the tea-things ou the table, fire right out, and candle burning on the table ; a pack of cards, and a few periodicals also on table, the candlestick was about the centre. There was no other person, or any dogs or cats in the house; cannot account for the house getting on fire. I went to Ewart's till Carruthers came and said the house was ou fire, I said which house ? He said, the one in Maxwell-road, that was about 12 o’clock. I went to tne bed-room, and Johnson was with me, and 1 said ‘ Good God, my money is gone, £600,’ It was kept in a yellow bag, such as they make window-blinds of. The front door was locked. I would not say whether the back •door was locked or not. I do not know whether the windows were fast or not. My impression is, the house was set fire to by someone, as witnesses. By the Jury : I have not lately removed any furniture from the house. The money was there after Mrs. Lawrence left. It was not an unusual thing to leave the candle burning. The £6OO was about three months accumulating. I have never kept a banking account. I have taken as much as £3OO to the Hank "at a time. The last cheque I got was last Monday (£SO), which I changed, as 1 always do, as soon as possible. lam certain the tire was out, as 1 have no heavy wood. My goods might have amounted to £IOO in value. I did not know the house was insured.

By Mr. Litchfield : 1 left a candle burning on the table, as I have done lately. 1 leave a candle burning in the store if 1 leave it. The trap door in the ceiling was up at the time of the fire. 1 have never taken account of any notes, and I do not think I could identify any notes. Ido not keep a cash-book. Gvorge Carter, storekeeper, deposed that on Friday evening, the 29th instant, about 25 minutes to 12 o’clock, my wife was in our back kitchen, and from the window (as 1 had lust taken the candle away), on hearing a noise of crackling, saw the reflection of a light through the blind She directly called me in, and I went back; on looking through the blind 1 saw flames issuing from the roof of Lawrence’s house. I then ran out into the street and called “Fire” several times. The first persons who made their appearance were Messrs. Hoi-grove Bros., whom 1 directed to Mr. Lawrence’s house. Other men came down the road from the direction of Ewart’s Hotel. I then returned to my own house, and took the horse out of the stable, and let him go. I procured what buckets I had, and went through the dividing fence and assisted in passing water up on to the roof. At this time the men on the roof became doubtful as to the amount of the fire underneath. They came down and went round to the front of the house to get in. . They had already tried the back door, and found it secured. The front door was also fastened. Some person broke one of the squares in one of the front windows. Several present got in through the window. I went round to the gable end window, and saw the reflection of fire in the back room. I smashed the window in with the intent of throwing water in, but I saw there was only a reflection. I then passed several buckets of water through the front window, and a short time after the fire was all extinguished. By this time several, other persons, including Mr. Lawrence, entered the house. I went in afterwards, and Mr. Lawrence asked —Who first saw the fire? Horgrove told him it was me. He asked me how I discovered the fire. I told him as before stated. I can give my opinion how the fire originated—on the left-hand side of the fireplace, on the top edge of the skirting board. This particular spot seemed more burnt than any other portion of the house, except the hole in the roof. I saw Mr. Lawrence running from one corner of the house to another, looking for books and

papers, and. he seemed satisfied they were not destroyed. I heard nothing spoken of the money till next morning. If the house had been broken open, the person must have

taken the key with him. I was outside during the evening, but saw no suspicious person about. I should imagine the roof had been burning ten minutes, and the inside of the house a quarter of an hour. I think a candle set there would have set fire to the house; could see nothing else to set the house on fire. By the Jury : I cannot say whether the carpet extended to the skirting board ; it was burnt about there. I did not see Mr. Lwarence about after dark. It was a murmuring noise about the books and papers I heard Mr. Lawrence express. The dog barks at strangers ; did not hear him bark that night. If any one came to the back door, I think he would bark. Bid not try the bedroom window ; have not been in the house for a considerable length of time. Horace Norgrove deposed: On Friday evening last, about twenty minutes to twelve, hearing an alarm of fire, I went for a ladder ; when I got there, several persons were about the house; on throwing a bucket of water on the shingles, it put the fire out there ; looked through, and saw no fire in the roof, and said, “ all hands below we then proceeded to get inside ; I broke open the back door, and got in that way ; some broke the glass, and got in the front window, which was fastened ; we met in the middle of the front room ; I noticed Falconer and Smith; they were throwing water, some of which got upon me, as they did not see mo coming ; they succeeded in putting it out, as it appeared to have burnt itself out ; a little was burning on the table from what had fallen down ; the skirting and flooring boards near the chimney were on fire; am certain the lire originated between or on the floor and the skirting; saw only an empty candlestick on the spot where the fire originated, and the candlestick was very much burned; it was our opinion that the candle had gutted down and set the floor on fire; examined the other rooms, but found no more tire ; during the time 1 was there, Mr. Lawrence unlocked the front door; he said he was glad we had been there to put it out; there was a hat-box over the bedroom door, which had caught; the back door was bolted, and the front one locked ; the inside doors were open ; I did not hear that Mr. Lawrence had lost any money.till next morning; he took a running survey of the house, and opened a desk in one corner and papers in another, and he seemed to think them all right; that is the candlestick produced, and must have been in a very hot place, as the chain is melted to the metal itself; if people pick a lock, I don’t think they would shoot the lock back in leaving; 1 don’t think anyone had attempted it. By the Jury : The candlestick was lyingon its side, but whether it had been knocked over in putting the tire out I couldn’t say. I went as far as Lawrence’s in the evening, and turned back again, but I couldn’t say I noticed the candle burning. The value of the furniture and things in the house I am not prepared to say. It was not worth £SO ; perhaps under £2O. There was a round table, a chair or two, bedstead, and some bedding. I did not see any boxes but small boxes containing papers. Nothing in the shape of furniture was very large. The floor was burnt more than the skirting. By Mr. Litchfield : When Lawrence came in he got a candle from the back room. After that he came into the house, and we showed him the hat-box, and that he went and looked into the desks, &c. He did not go as to a hiding-place to save any money, as far as I saw.

John Smith Carroll deposed that between 11 ond 12 on Friday night, on hearing the cry of fire, I rushed out and went to Lawrence’s, where I found Campbell and Farley at the front door. I saw the fire through the window ; went round to the back and saw the fire coming through the roof. On coming back to the front I met Horace Horgrove with his trussels, and we both got on the roof. .Some one handed a bucket of water, and I threw it on the fire. We then got down, and found some one trying to break the door open with a ladder; I told them not to do that; I saw Falconer trying to open the window. He could not open it, and I said “ stand off till I open it.” I put my foot through a pane of glass, then put my hand in and lifted the sash up. We both entered, and I took a bucket of water, which I threw down by the fireplace where the fire was. The room was in darkness. I found I had no matches in my pocket. Carter I think fetched a candle, I did not go into the bedroom till Lawrence came. I think thefire originated on the floor, beccuse it is burnt most. There is a hole through it. Saw a candlestick tnere ; it was lying an its side. The candlestick might have been upset by the water which we threw on by ourselves. I do not think the house had been broken into. Saw Mr. Lawrence afterwards; he seemed to be annoyed, but I did not know at what, and he afterwards went to a desk, and said that a book was'

safe. Afterwards he called someone inte his bedroom, and I followed. He asked me one or two questions, but they were nothing to remember. I never heard anything about money till next morning. I did not see anyone go into the bedroom before Lawrence arrived, as there were only three or four of us. 1 should say the tire had been burning a quarter of an hour. By the Jury : I did not see the hat-box on fire, I think it was only scorched with a candle. You could see the fire through the windows, and a periodical burning on the table.

Ey the Coroner: The canvas was burnt most near the skirting board. By the Jury : Have never been in the house but once, and that was 5 months ago. W. Falconer, cabinet-maker, deposed: About 12 o’clock on Friday night I heard some one call fire. I was in bed, but got up and x’an out. When 1 got to Lawrence’s saw fiame coming out of the roof, and several people on the roof putting it out. I looked in at the window, and saw the fire right opposite. Went round to the back, and met some one with a pail of water. Tried the door, but found it locked. Johnson and Smith were at the window 1 had tried and found fastened. Smith and I both entered by it, and I took water in and dashed it up where the fire was. By this time the fire was pretty well out, and it was dark. A good many people came in afterwards. A candlestick was lying at the bottom of the mantlepiece. 1 was standing at the bedroom door with Mr. Johnson, and Lawrence came forward and took him by the arm and pulled him in, whilst he put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me out. 1 did not like it, and I watched him closely, and saw him go round the room he euteied fiist. He looked into a desk, then went to another corner where was work-box. I asked Mr. Johnson why he pulled him into the room, and he told me he showed him where had lost some money from. I afterwards saw him take Mr. .Nelson into the room, and close the door. The candlestick was lying at the side of the mantlepiece, bu. 1 could not say whether it was upright or lying down. I think the candlestick accounts for the fire. I cannot state its distance from the skirting. Ey the Jury: I did not sec anything about the chief site of the fire but the candlestick. It might have been knocked oil' the table in putting the fire out, but I have no idea of such a thing. I don’t know who first drew attention to the candlestick. I could not state the value of the furniture.

Mr. H. Horgrove asked the Coroner to add to his deposition, as he had been since reminded of the circumstance, that he passed the house at 10 o’clock, that night, but saw nothing unusual. Samuel Johnson, printer, deposed : About ten minutes to 12 o’clock, when 1 arrived, the fire was running along the ridge, and I could see through the, window that the fire was burning inside. Several got in at the window. I waited till a candle was brought, and those inside had extinguished the fire. I went in with the candle and lit it, and proceeded to look round the place to see where the fire had originated. Presently Mr. Lawrence came in, and he examined round about the room, in some boxes, and on the mantelpiece, as if to examine the amount of damage. Some of the paper was still smouldering, and I throw water on it. A fter I had done that, I was standing with Mr. Falconer close to where the fire appeared to have originated, when Mr. Lawrence came up to us, and taking hold of me by the arm, drew me into the bedroom, pushed the door to in a mysterious manner,, and said he wanted to see whether his money was gone. He looked* down on the floor behind the door, and said emphatically that his money was gone—that they had taken every penny, and that he was ruined. I asked him to calm himself, and be certain that he had put his money there that night, and not in some other place. He simply repeated the story. He asked me to look into this bole, which I did by the light of of the match which 1 held in my hand. After that 1 left the room and looked for some other person, as Mr. Lawrence did not make it public, and I did not want to be the only- recipient of the matter. I mentioned it to Mr. Litchfield.'*’ As the best thing to be done, under the circumstances, 1 enquired aloud, of those present, what state the doors and windows were in when they entered. They replied to the effect that all were fast. The candlestick was lying down beside the wall, where it was burnt. It was colored with some wet paper.

By the Juiy: There was no carpet on the floor that I saw. The space where the money was said to be taken, was a cavity in the lining between two studs. The bottom was formed so that nothing could have been taken from underneath. The candlestick, if capsized,! think wo uldgo out.

John. Kennedy, police-constable, corroborated the previous evidenced John Ewart, hotel-keeper, deposed that on Friday night Lawrence and I were talking together, when some one came and told him that his place was on lire. He ran directly towards the house, and I followed him. The tire was out when I arrived, and I took a candle and looked round. I found a candlestick lying near' the fireplace ; it was capsized, and canted from the wall. A minute or two afterwards Lawrence called me into the other room, and told me his money had been stolen from a certain place behind the door. The boards were much scorched where the candlestick lay ; it might have been knocked off the table with throwing water. As near as I can tell, he came to my house about two hours before. Have seen him there occasionally, but he was there very late the two previous nights. Don’t think he went out between the times named, until called by Carruthers. Lawrence went into his bedroom first thing ; he was there before me.

The Qoroner said that after the very voluminous evidence that had been taken, he felt convinced that the fire was the act of an incendiary, but there was no ground for supposing that thex*e had been any burglarious attempt, but with respect to the loss of the money they had nothing to do. The Coroner again rose, saying that Mr. Johnson wished to say something respecting what had fallen from him. Mr. Johnson (who had taken exception to the Coroner’s concluding remarks) then said that he considered the Inquiry as concerning the money was quite as important as the origin of the fire, since it might be said that all who were present on the occasion were concerned in it, directly or indirectly. (Applause.) Tixe Jury then retired, and after an absence of a quarter-hour, found—“ That a fire occurred at the house occupied by Phillip Lawrence, on the night of the 28th instant; and although there are suspicious circumstances connected therewith, there is no evidence to show how the fire originated.”