THE MORRIS0N CASE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 131, 21 September 1876, Page 2

THE MORRISON CASE.

The charge against John Morrison, of pouring kerosene over the person of Isabella Johnston, was heard to-day, at the Oamaru Hospital, before T. W. Parker, Esq. The prisoner was defended by Mr. O'Meagher, and was present in custody of Sergeant Carrol. Isabella Johnston, deposed : I was a married woman, but my husband is dead. I know the prisoner Morrison. I have been living with him for between seven and eigmfyears. I have been living in Oamaru, near the Town Boundary. Mr. O'Meagher requested that Sergeant Carvoll being a witness, be ordered to withdraw, but Sub-Inspector M'Cluskey objected. Mr. Parker decided that if the counsel for the prisoner pressed the point, it must be conceded, and the sergeant left the room. Examination continued: I remember Friday, the 10th of August last. I was in Morrison's house. He left a little past eight o'clock that morning. Ho returned, to the best of my impression, about midday. After lie came in we had some wine to drink. There are two rooms in the house, but we had the wine in the kitchen. He then turned into the bed-room, and stayed them a little while. After he cams out he caught me by the hair of the head and said, '-"What are you doing?" or "What are yon up to V He then let me go. He does strange things occasionally. He turned into his bed-room again, and in a few minutes he came out and closed the doors, but I do not know whether he thought I was going to leave. There are two dooi-3 —one in the front, and one in the back. I was about the stretcher, which stands on the west side of the house. I felt something cold dropping on | my head, but as i had had drink I can't ! say what it was. We had both something to drink, but I cannot say | what state the prisoner was in. After i I felt something being poured on imy head I felt all in a blaze. I don't know how it came on my head, whether it was poured or not. I put up my hands to the side of my head and beat it as well as I could. My hair was in a flame, and in doing so my hands were all burnt. I took a coat from De-hind the door and put it round my head to put it out. Ido not know what position I was in when I felt the stuff poured on me, but I was standing by the stretcher. After putting tlie coat on my head, the next thing I recollect was standing in Mrs. Milligan's hall, and sayin" that I was very bad. My head and face and hands were all badly burnt. I then saw Dr. Fleming, and next found myself in the Hospital. We had two kerosene lamps in the house, one green and the other blue—that is, the founts are of those colours. The green lamp was for nsiiK', and the other was kept for the holdin" o'f kerosene for rubbing the furniture with. The green was perfect, but the bine had no burner and chimney, and could not be used. I kept the broken one on the mantelpiece in the kitchen, and the other on the bedroom table. I kept oil constantly in the blue one for the furniture. I did not go near tlie tire that I am aware of ; but I might have done so. Ido not know if there was any fire on the hearth, or not. I was not burning any pepper that I am aware of. When °I found myself in the Hospital, I felt very bad, and could not see. I expact it was from the burns I had received. I remained some time in the Hospital. I believe while I was there, the prisoner came into my room; but I told Mrs. Moore to take him away out of that. I left the Hospital about an hour and a-half before daybreak on Saturday morning, the oth inst. I left partly of my own accord, and at Morrison's suggestion. He said I would get better quicker at home. I do not think I would have thought of leaving if Morrison had not made the suggestion. I left by the window. After I trot out, prisoner carried me away. lam stfll suffering from the eh'ect3 of the burns. Tiie blue lamp produced is the one the kerosene was kept in. The green lamp produced is the one I had for lighting. I sometimes had a burner on the blue lamp, and sometimes it had none. There was oil in both lamps that day. There were no persons in the house but the prisoner and myself.

I To Mr. O'Meagher : I might have been j sitting on a chair at the time of the occurrencej but'not on a stool. I am perfectly certain of that. There was no shelf in ! the room beside the mantel-shelf. The shelf was loose. . I once saw the mantelshelf come down when a party pot their arm upon it. I was not sober at the time. I cannot nay how the cold liquid came on my head. Prisoner did not lock the doors when he closed them. I saw him cloße

the door. I saw nothing in his hands. When I had a quantity of kerosene it was kept in the ordinary four-gallon tin. The tin with the oil in bulk was in an outhouse on the evening in question. From the time Morrison came home until the occurrence he was not outside the house. I cannot say whether he had either of the lamps in his hands any time during the day. When he closed the doors, he came over to where I was, and then went into the bed-room. I did not either see or hear prisoner strike a match in the bed-room or kitchen. I sometimes wore my hair loose, and I think it was hanging down on that day. Prisoner's dinner was not ready when he came home. I cannot recollect whether I was making any preparations to cook Ins dinner or not. Ido not remember putting any sticks on the fire after he came in, but I will not swear that I did not. When my hair is loose, it reaches about to my shoulders. If I stooped, my hair would hang below my face. The stretcher was close by the fireplace. It was about twelve inches off. It was an open fireplace, and the stretcher was about a foot from the opening. The reason I did not turn round and look when I found the something cold pouring- on my head was that it was immediately in a blaze. I did not see Morrison or anything, as I was trying to beat it out. My hair must have caught fire first. I must have been a little bit giddy, but I came to myself in a moment, and. tried to beat it out. I sometimes used kerosene for the purpose of cleaning my clo tiling. I did not use any on that day for the purpose. I had no dress on that I had previously cleaned with kerosene. I was not tidy on that daj r . There was nothing on the broken blue lamp to make the top fast, more than on other days. I could not swear how near I was to the mantelpiece. I will not take it on myself to swear I was not touching the mantelpiece itself. Neither will I swear that I was not doing anything to the fire; but I don't think I was. There was no wick in the burner of the blue lamp. I could place my hand on the mantelpiece without rising from the chair. When Morrison came to where I was sitting, I did not see anything alight in his hand.

E,e-examined : The fire, I think, began on the left side of my head, as it was the most burnt. To the Magistrate : The mantelpiecedid not fall, that lam aware of. There was no light on the chinmeypiece.. Immediately before I found my head. on fire, Morrison was either in the bedroom or the kitchen ; I can't say which. During the time my head was on fire, I 'was cod and collected. I went to the door to get the coat to cover my head. I screamed once when I found myself on fire. The coat was on the back-door of the room in which we were sitting. I did not see Morrison. Morrison's temper is extremely exciteable, and he doe 3 things which I don't think he would do if he had no drink. The mantelshelf is about four feet six inches from the ground. I have kerosene for cleaning clothes, with a brush. I would first brush the article, and then put the oil on the surface. I would not saturate the material. I could not say how much fire there was in the grate, whether large or small. There was nothing cooking at the time. Morrison might have had something in his hand, but I did not notice anything. To Mr. O'Meagher : On that particular day I could not say how many bottles of wine I drank. It was some light wine. • I don't believe I drank six bottles. They were small bottles. I swear I did not drink six bottles. I cannot say how many bottles I.drank between twelve o'clock on ■ the previous night and twelve that day ; but I drank nothing but what I received from prisoner. This concluded the evidence of the prosecutor, and when our reporter left at 3.20 Dr. Wait was about to be examined.