THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE AT BLENHEIM.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2955, 20 July 1888, Page 2

THE MYSTERIOUS FIRE AT BLENHEIM.

In reference to tlio telegram in our <* yesterday'B issue, relating to an-;' 4 exlraordiuary circumstance in con-: nection with a firo at Blenheim, it will' ■'■; be recollected that a man jiving Jiis ' name as Longman was foil gagged ; rt and bound. This man stated he hud 3 been thus treated-by two burglars, "'■ who aftor robbing and sottjk fire to i'the place, decamped, xrhe tale-':"; seemed too farfetched, and was.disV:;| believed at tho time. ' Sooaaftera v : i quantity, of furniture and stuff war&j found planted on a portion of the - '•! Wesleyan Churoh grounds, and mail was arrested. The claimed to WiT recently out from Melbourne but W' ; %i his being searched, papers found on his person clearly that he had business connections mth' ; vs llastorton. Ono bill was found him boing an invoice of goods Williams and Darker, sawmilttof'*? 1 this town to Mr A/6. Smith. ThVS}?| Blenhoim pohoo promptly put them.sßs selves in communication with officer, Sergt. Price, who' informedll them that a. man answering l to; name of A. G. Smith, and to the;des-ff oription of tho party arrest&bad beeittf; a resident of this town forUme but left, it is supposed, for BklHeim^l 1 some three or four weeks ago.V .; H§^|; An inquest will be held on the firjn|| and one'may look forward with interffi est to some further development' of 'M this strange affair.: .- ..''.'■ r':'Sv^f Mr A. 6. Smith will be by_ many Mastertou claimed to be of American extraclion/P und to have been educated Ministry. He. gonerally wore\ a>-Iprigif? double breaated frock -i^at, ; commonly/ caM " ParrfSiwteli

• He wag a regular attendant at Church . and Sunday School, and earned for himself amongst the young ladies the . soubriquet of " -Tarn" Smith from his too utterly sweet manner of ad- - dressing them. He had a varied experience whilst living here. At one ,'W time he was in custody at Grey town for threatening to commit suicide, being at tne time overpowered by love. Later he had tlio misfortune to lose Bomo effocts by a iiro at a house whero •-lie had recently boarded, He had fortunately removed almost everything a week before. Ho then started to build a house for himself on tho Keaton estato, and before its final completion that was destroyed by fire, i He had a lawsuit over a building for a V resident in Bannister street, in which V 5 it was stated that ho altered the plans to suit the building. Ho built a house; lor a settler at Hastwell, which was destroyed by fire before lie was paid . J»r its erection. Altogether, his MasTerton experience if not lengthy was livoly,