THE BLENHEIM ARSON CASE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2990, 30 August 1888, Page 2

THE BLENHEIM ARSON CASE.

The Speech Which the; Jury Did

'Not -Believe.

" Prisoner/ addressing tho Jury, explained that ho nevoi'. said he was John Long,i He; signed H. Long,. Then lie went baok a few months, and' ■ said he had 1 received a letter from' a friend ;of- his in Australia, one Long; . asking him to bailiihim a house ! jn Wellington;, afterwards, Mr Long arrived in Wellington, chaotjed his mind, and said he would bare a house built in Blenheim instead. Long ordered him to go' to Bleiiheiib, and lie agreed to do Long's business for him iii his name. Long saw Compton's house, and ordered prisoner to take it in his name. He rather demurred to this, but Long comforted him by saying " Oh, wait till they find you out, and theii you can give your own name. Don't mind. Tell 'cm you're getting the house ready for your father and mother." After lie had bought the things, Long came down one night, saw the house, but objected to the cheffioner, 'and told him to get a washstand for it. Long said he wanted a carpet, hut did aot give him (prisoner) any money to buy it with. Prisoner; then got it on trust from Mr Smale. Long objected lo this carpet being got, and put another down, and packed up the things in tho two boxes, Farmer would not remember his pointing oat those boxes, but he did. Prisoner described his modo of life, and then came to the visit of the two men he had spoken of. He said lie refused the men a-lodging, because they were greatly the worse; lor drink, One man. grew angry, and threatened to kick him out. He (prisoner) then fancied the man was no other than Loug himself. TliiV troubled and puzzled liiin, and he : thought it best to clear out before Long came' to do him any violence. He cleared out his baggage. He had before been to : Vercoe's to get some tow, but it was for Long, not for himself that ho sas getting the tow, Afterwards bespoke to Compton about the visit, and ' talked with him about one or two . matters., It was a • lovely : moonlight night, On> the night of tho fire he was at the flax mill, looking at the maohine, and he picked up some flax. Afterwards he called at Mrs Shepheard's and was invited to have a warm. Ho was told to come in.and warm himself, and he then told M's Bhepheard of the visit of.the two men.: Afterwards, he went to bed, and being aroused in the night, heard someone walking along the road/ He put bis boots on and opened the door, when hewas.khbckud hack and dazed. There were two men' and they secured hira and tied him up, One had a pistol and said he would shoot him, but the other dissiladed him, and said there was no need. They took his watch atid money, and left him tied. -He lay still until the houso took tiie, when; he wriggled outside, There he lay,unconscious, till somebody came to him. : He was undergoing fearful agony from the" thongs. He remembered being at Mrs Shepheard's that morning when he recovered consciousness. Since the fire he had been in Picton gaol, and he. was astounded that things had como to light as they had.' What swindle had been worked against him, he really did not know. He never put the boxes in the churchyard. He never went to breakfast before nine o'clock, and the boxes were found ir, the church yard before ho borrowed the hammer. He could say no more; he took Long's name in Wellington, at his request, He closed by remarking that he had never been in a Court before, and he was a little confused,. However, lie had told the whole truth, and if lie got ten years, he could say no more, The Jnry retired and after one hour's deliberation they returned into Court with a verdict of guilty. Prisoner in reply to tho usual charge had nothing to nay. The learned Judge said the prisoner did well to he silent. Tho evidence was overwhelming, and it was surprising that a man should expect to impose on a judge and jury with such a preposterous'story. He felt bound to pass a substantial sentence, but he should not make it as severe as in another case , where; a man lately endangered a whole city. Prisoner would be sentenced' to seven years' penal servitude,—Marlborough Express, ' '