Incendiarism at Invercargill.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1481, 15 October 1885, Page 2

Incendiarism at Invercargill.

(DNITBD PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Invercargill, Tuesday. An inquiry into the fire by which the Carrier's Arms Hotel, Invercargill, was destroyed on the 28th, was held yesterday. Some evidence of a peculiar nature was given. Mr McLean, a farmer, who slept m the house that night, said that he was m the room where Crawley, the stableman of tho hotel, was asleep. He woke »upr and WitneSSTnlcetniimlo get' ' ' him a watch key. Crawley got up to go for it^ and witness noticed that' he had , been m bed with his clothes Qn.^afld^ again lay down m the same condition. When the SfrqJb/qUei qu( ;}witil^sil was forced out of the house by. the politre without his clothes, althpush Jhere was no fire m m^rpoia.> Olo|hes wer& after- I warcls a brotiglitrHim j hyCfawleyV 'ithcf W * examining them he found that his watch wais gone from the vest pocket, and. ninety pounds from the trousers, which he hajl rolledfup^and rjnt JipderJiis B'H' v low. Margaret Spjers,a§prostitnte.* whose ] house Crawley frequented, i deposed v tbat :* she had a conversation with him alter tho fire,- when, TieV said that he hud: put plenty of matches and a,,piece of- lighted | candle among the h;iy m the stable (where the fire originated), ancLran-np ito/bed and pretended to bu asleep till" the' dont stable avousedy. lum. t On^the, fpllowinff house, a constable being concealed there^ m. Crawley again spoke of the fire, and Siiid that he and JueksHughes (the landlord) knew all about -fy& Constable *Young corroborated- the'w^pan's statement of what Crawley^jjiiJaid. Crawley was muddled with drink at the time, and gave this us a reason for sleeping with his clothes on on the* night ot "the fire The jury, after three minutes* deliberation, found that the cause of the fire does not appear to .the jury. The Underwriters' Association offered £200 %a a reward for the convjetion of the. incendiary. The hotel waspoudemnediiy^he Licensing I&ncfj m June,, and sis^ months .allowed for commencing to rebuild it iij "■ .--! ' -h^ ■.;?{:%'■ '