THE LATE FIRE AT THE TOWN BOUNDARY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 377, 9 July 1877, Page 2

THE LATE FIRE AT THE TOWN BOUNDARY.

An official inquiry into the circumstances attending tlie fire at the North Town Boundary on Friday morning last was commenced this afternoon before T. W. Parker, Esq., P.M. and Coroner, and the following jury:—N. Lane (foreman), J. Eu.slie, John Cogvin, Jolin Cahill, Peter Pussell, Walter Smith, Charles Goldaminer, Thomas Glass, H. H. Coggins, E. Harking, F. Earle, Stewart Rich-

mond, and Michael Pooney. Tiie jury, having been sworn at the Shamrock Hotel, proceeded to view the scene of the fire, afterwards returning to the Court-house, where the evidence was taken.

Sub-Inspector Smith conducted the inquiry, Mr. Balmer appearing to watch the proceedings on behalf of the New Zealand Insurance Co., and Mr. O'Meagher for the owner of the property, Mr. Wm. Collins.

Thomas William Hislop deposed ; On Thursday night last, some time i etween twelve and one o'clock, while on my way home, he saw a glare in the direction of tSie house burned. I could not make out what it was, and after looking at it for some time, I walked on towards my residence. On getting upon higher ground, I looked round again, and noticed that what I had seen before had increased in brilliancy. There seemed to be clouds of smoke about it, but no flame. Almost immediately afterwards the flames burst out. I thought it was a house on fire, and ran as fast as I could to the house of Mr. Wm. Collins, who I knew to be the owner. I went to the front door and knocked pretty sharply with a stick. I knocked twic . Mrs. Collins asking on the second occasion, "who's there." I said "I want H-ll ; it's Mr. Hislop." She add, "Oh, L'jyouMr. Hislop; what's the matter ?" I said, " Is Bill in ? I want him at once." S le replied, "Yes," and said something else I think to the effect, " I'll send him out," or " he's coming." Ju3t as I was speaking I thought I heard some one coming round the north end of the house. I turned round and saw Collins, who was standing with his face towards me. At t.us time the fi - e was at its brightest. I said to Collins, " Well Bill, what's this you've been up to?" He looked at me aa if he did not understand what [ meant. I then said,

stockings veiySjmcfrty; When did pat them on?" He said, " I put the on when I heard you calling." I Sll j " Both your trousers and soci ( and he answered, " Yes." I Bill " You put them on very quickllet me feel them." He had his troiisj buttoned, and his braces on. I unlm toned the top button of the trousers feel if they were warm, and if they In been on some time. He had drawers | also. 1 felt both the trousers and dratve. I also felt his drawers near his ankli The drawers and trousers seemed to j to be somewhat warm, as if from tholn of the body. I also felt his shirt at t same place, and under his arms, to see there was any difference in the temper ture. He was very warm under the arm as though he had been sweating : in fat his shirt was damp. The warmth of |, shirt inside his trousers did not dili much from that of the trousers thcmsclve I said to him, " Where have you hA to-night, Bill l" He said, " I have be, nowhere." I said, "You had belt | come on with me over to the fire." if then went to put his boots on. I went | the front door, and called out, " Has B | been out to-night, Cecelia V She sail "He has just gone out now." I sai'j "Yes, but I mean before I came." S!l said, "No, I do not think so ; not sin J he went to bed." I asked, "What tin I was that?" and she replied, "Eilf o'clock." 1 came to the northern end°|| the house again, and Collins came oiit.fl told him to show me the way over, at''s to be quick about it. The two honil are about eight or ten chains apart. M had some conversation going over ; aiyJ when we came to a paddock which bii[| rounded the burning house, I niadoll movement as though I were going thruiijg the fence. He said, "You'd better &'| go near the tire." I went through, s;|| ing as I did so, "I intend to have a lull at it." I went round the house to sou If there was anything to show where til lire had commenced. Tiie hous.i was M ablaze except at the western and southui end. A* I came back to the western a of tiie house I met Collins, and said him, " Yon know, Collins, some 01 must have done this."l said also, " Tli is not the first attempt; I believe it k on lire some few nights ago." He said must have been set fire to by some pi son. Mr. M'Nab was named as the pe son who had put out the fire on the pi vious occasion. Collins said, "Yes; should like to know what he wasprowli about at that time of night for." 1 said it in such a tone as to noi that M'Nab had had s.»methin b " t % with it, and I said, " Why, you i™ mean to say you suspect M'Nab ( having done it." He said, "Well, don't know what he'd be up to at tin time of night." I told Collins to coin over and see if lie was in b d, and mail a move to go that way. He said, "01 don't go and wakrt the people up." Aftc a little while he asked me where I w when I saw the fire. I said, " Ah, Bil you did not think I was knocking about there's always some person in the \va when these things are going on. You ili not think there was anybody seeing yon. I looked at him straight, and said, "Yo set the place on lire yourself." He did n« reply for a time, and then said, " Don say anything about it, and I'll put tli thing in your hands. I'll have to oniplo either you or Mr. O'Meagher. Mr. an Mrs. Powell shortly afterwards came out and Constable Johnston and two otlie men arrived. I had some conversatioi with Collins, during which I asked himi the house was locked, and he replied tha it was, but that the back dor had bed previously broken open, and might hav been again. He said the front door \va locked from the inside, and that ho ha< the key of the back door. I looked to am if the back door wa3 shut, and found thai it was, but the fire was too hot to alio" of my seeing whether it was locked ffl not. Afterwards Constable Johnston am 1 went with Collins over to his house In reply to questions put by Constabl Johnson, Collins stated that he oouli not say when he had been over at tin house, but that he had turned the cattli into the paddock in which the house was, and said he had not been over then since then. He said he had not been of the premises since eight o'clock. Hi repeated what he had previously statci with reference to the house having beci locked, and gave information as to the insurance in the Trans-Atlantic OJhce. Hi also stated that the house must have beei I set fire to by some person. He said In had gone to bed between 8 and 9 o'clock, and that he had not been out sincfl. When questioned about this, he said that he might have been outsidi the door, but not off the premises on which he was living. Johnston said to him, " If a person says that he saw you over there about half-past 12, will you contradict him ?" Collins did not answer him at once, but hesitated some time, ami then s.-iil, "I do not know whether I would contradict him, but it would not be true ; I wasn't there." Ho afterwards said that he had not been there since six o'clock. Johnston had a looi round the house where Collin's wa« living, and found a kerosene tin containing some kerosene in it. He aßked him how long ho had had the kerosene, but he could not tell us. The tin was a third full. Johnston and Collins then went over to the fire, and I left From the appearance of the fire when I first saw it, I should think it commenced inside. \

[Left sitting.]