THE LATE FATAL FIRE.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 76, 20 September 1879, Page 2

THE LATE FATAL FIRE.

From advices received from Dunedin, it would appeal* more than probable that the lamentable catastrophe; resulting m such a woful loss of human life, has not; been caused by accident, but through the of a scoundrel whose only n^tn was to secure the insurance money. Of course we do not say that such is really the chse, but certainly judging from the evidence taken at the Dunedin Police on Tuesday, one would be led to that conclusion, We take the following account of the proceedings from the report telegraphed by the P,ress Agency :— At the City Police Court this, morning, William Waters, alias Wa%n Clair, and nr.nu™ ■nr^^ji^»y v,.. ; ..j_lnjlj vr .._^ ing feloniously and maliciously set fire to Ross' buildings on or about the Bth of Sep-. tember. Inspector Mallard "ajapjiad for a remand, and it was granted, pending the' result of the coroner's inquiry, which will dontinue to-day. Solicitor Denniston appeared for the accused. , . At the fire inquiry yesterday, Inspector Mallard gave evidence to the effect that he visited the cafe from, time, to tyne, and found it fairly conducted ; obber fcim©3 not so well. On Saturday night, the 6fch September, lie visited the cafo, and it was a scene of disorder. The room, was filled with young lads of 12 and 14 years of age,, and men from 18 and 20 up to all age 3. Some one said, "Mr. Mallard, you are just m time." There was hooting, shouting, and there had been a flght, Of course, the word passed round, "Here*s Mallard," and the uproar speedily ceased. He asked for Mr. Waters, and spoke pretty authoritatively to him. He said, " Mr. Waters, this is the last night I shall permit this. >' On Monday I shall see the Town Clark, anJ 1 tell him I am going to close this place ; or thai:, if you don't close it, I shall take pro ceeding3 against you forthwith." Waters replied that it was a good paying business, and he would do anything if witness would only allow him to keep it open. . Witness told him that when he aaid' it must be closed he intended to keep, his word. Hjsintenlions were to have informed, Waters. On Monday, afternoon fye found a note lying on his table. T^ie letter, was dated I7*h of September, and to the -effect that he was sorry to hear of his (Mallard's) ; disapproval. The. concern was only an adjunct to lm business, ;but if no provision was to he mado to curb the blackguardism, he would, of his own account, discontinue it. He. offered to pay for special police surveillance. Witness tossed the letter.; to one side, thinking to himself that the writer was rath,er late. The Inspector ppiceeded to allude to some conversations' he had. with Waters, m the course of which the latter told him he had once kept a public house m Melbourne, and had then gone to Sydney. He was a printer by trade, and had worked on the Daily Times-ofßizs. He did not attache, much importance to the m^tar. then, but viewed- by the light of whan had since transpired abo,ut Waters and his antecedents,' an entirely new expect had been cast on the vviiolo matter. The statements of the man Hall he took '-a I first with groat distrust, but an investigation of thepoli c records tended to confirm his statement. In the police records he found mention oi a m.-ua p.v33iiitf by the very name referred to by Hull, viz., Walter' Clair, answering m description to Waters .m every respect, who was, committed to Pentridsre for burglary for fou,r years, with threa reirs' police snpervi^on. ' D.etoctive Bain gave this e»nden.ce with reference to the parcel of rugs referred to by. the witness Ritchie : — On the aSternoon of the Bth one, of tho Corporation workmen who was turning, over the debris, m the reading- room called my-, attention to some thing smelling very strongly of kerosene. 1 at once went into the reading-room, got n sliovel, and turned over -.the debris, and found the, rag* now produced str ngf -*»t - Kited with kerosene. oil— rin-foct, this oil « r a running off- them. When I lifted them gjobules of oil ran ok my hand. -I do not tli ink W-atera couM have touched them, a--thev were oompletejy covered witV'J&&m\ and flat on the f^oor. They were lying just about two feet ' from the fireplnee of thp of- the rea.ding-K)jmj and close, to the wooden partition. About 10 o'clock the same, morning I- saw this kerosene tin standing on the lower floor- of the huilding under tlae^ sfcairway leading from the rea ling-room to, Wa ters' private room. Ritchie declares that the, dresses shoul- . have bpen m another, room, and that tlv kerosene was always kept upstairs iri> a cup-_ board, not where 8.-iin found it. The disclosu/ea have caused intense exeitenieut.

11, 15 a.m. The inquiry lias taken an unexpected turn, A witness swore positively that Waters had threatened to set fire .to the building if he got it insured. The witness (Hall) thought him m earnest and quit* capable of doing it. « Why?" asked the Coroner. "Because," he replied, "a man who would ran away with his brother's wife and child is oapable of doipg anything, especially after saying so, and also on account of his previous career:" ~ •-.-■--. G-eorge Eitchie, Stewart of the cafe, identified the parcel of rags producad, winch smelt of and appeared to have been strongly saturated with kerosene, as being dresses? used on the cafe stnge. After the fire, Waters accused him of saturating the dresses with kerosene, but he denied most ppintedly that he, did so. Waters, the coffee-house proprietor, who was detained by the Police at . the close, of the fire enquiry last night, was brought up at the Police Ooxirt this morning, charged • with arson, and was 'remanded till Monday next. The Fire enquiry was resumed this afternoon." . Mr, Peniston, on behalf of Waters, who is m gaol, applied to have the enquiry adjourned till Waters could be pre- \ sent. The gaoler refused, to present him before the Coroner's Court. After along discussion, during which the Coroner main-' tohred-thafiiti was not necessary the accused should be present, the enquiry was adjourned till to-marrow. Mr. Deniston m the, mean time applying for, a judge's- order for the production of Waters at the inquest.