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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4230, 10 October 1874, Page 3

The Waikato Times reporter supplies the following account of the destruction by fire of a portion of the Royal Hotel, Hamilton East :—“ About five o’clock in the morning the ostler to the hotel was dressing himself preparatory to commencing his duties, when he was startled by loud cries of ‘ Fire.’ He rushed downstairs and out of the house, when he found the cookhouse, which stands a little in the rear of the hotel, in flames. No person was visible, but shortly afterwards a man of the name of Doyle came in sight and gave the following particulars of the fire : He (Doyle) had requested the ostler to permit him to sleep in the stable for the night. This was refused, but be was shown into what is known as the ‘forage-room,’ and was locked in. Between four and five o’clock in the morning he saw the light of

the fire, and immediately dashed out the window of the forage-room in order to pass out and extinguish the flames. The cookhouse was burned to the ground, it is perfectly marvellous how the whole building escaped destruction.” Doyle has since been arrested on suspicion of having set fire to the place. He is a man very well and unfavorably known to the police, and has just finished a term of imprisonment in Auckland gaol. On the evening preceding the conflagration, he was heard to utter several threats that he would burn down the Royal Hotel if not allowed a bed within it. He also said that if a man of the name of Murphy, with whom he had been fighting, were sheltered in the house, it would be in ashes in the morning.