A PENCHANT FOR FIRE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 241, 1 March 1913, Page 6

A PENCHANT FOR FIRE

■ - J AC'T OF IVl' STRONG. OF ST. MAkY'S j ''' home. v 1 girl of.lfi years was charged in the ' Magistrate:!,, Court at Wellington on, '• iptl} havinif attempted to J set! fire to Bt> Mary's Home, KarorV'inj February .ly. Her inimc is Ivy"Myj , se'! Strong,. and,. sjie is an inmate of fclie 1 Home. ' " Mr. \Y. ("!.. Kiddell was on the fieiWh.' ' Chief-Dftteetiye Broberg represented ' the ; police, and.Mr. P. W. Jackson appeafed for,'the defendant. Doris C°Pta a.;<?vl of 20 years, ati .'inmate of: the Home, gave evidence th;f"t between O.SO anil 7 p.m. on February 1.0she 'went into the dressing-room,,'and. there she noticed smoke coming frdm d" cupboard. She at once opened the cup-, board and foi^id'.that .some rags r <wjii'ch' had,been.used ior.liee's-waxing tlid ftbioif}'' were burning. . ! ' Other evidence was given to the Effect that the fire had been put out' Wore' damage, was done. ( " Emily Logan, aged 1G years, 'statecl'; that while she and Ivy Strong were/'j hanging out clothes on February 10 the i latter remarked that she had three times dreamt of fire, and she asked what it meant. . Witness replied that it meant) "hasty - news."' Ivy Strong then iftfd' that she had been told that when one' dreamt of five three times it was sure! to come. She then asked what witness would do if the building caught fire, and witness replied that she did not know. Ivy Strong then said that the first thing' that she would do would be to "grab hei 1 best Sunday clothes." She then asked-> if witness thought, that the girls in tlie Home would he allowed to go to tlieir homes ,if the place were burined down,' anil whether ' witness would take : tier (Ivy Strong), to her (Emily Logan's) 1 homo. '"''l ("n ief Detective Broberg: Can you Bay'J if »he has been associated with fires*in' the past? • • >j Detective Andrews: Yes. ■ ■>!' To what extent? ■ To a considerable extent. >j Where? Several houses. In May lastMv. Jaekson: I object to this evidence.* Detective Broberg said that he asked', the question in order to show the girl's.< disposition. "Her disposition, I suggests, • is to set fire to places," he said. ■ '.»>•' His Worship would not admit the evi- , denee.'awl this closed the ease. The accused girl pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court: for sentence. . ... Mr. Jackson mentioned the question• dfr bail. ' . Detective Broberg stated that the mat-' ron of St. Mary's Home was willing to-: keep the girl there until she was dealt, with by the Supreme Court. If tfus: were allowed the girl would have to give: an,undertaking to behavo properly—not ' to attempt any more fires or try to carry out a threat to take poison. "When she i lived with her people at Feilding." he added, "the house caught fire three limes, and on two' occasions this ■ girl ! discovered the fires. And later, when they lived at Taihape the house was ) burnt to the ground when thore was not a penny insurance on the furniture." I The girl would have to understand that if she did not" behave she would have to go to gaol: hail was out of the question. | His Worship cautioned the girl not to ronliiiue acting in the irresponsible way attributed to her. and he advised her lo get her *illy ideas about dreams out of her head. He also pointed out her follv in talking of committing suicide.