The Fire at Searl's. Hotel.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4746, 13 June 1894, Page 2

The Fire at Searl's. Hotel.

The Inquht (From Our Own Correspondent,) r^M Tuesday, The enquiry into the Club Hotelwas held before the,Coipftnir.,T.i.Hutchi.' ■ son, andthe following jury i—Messrs" Book <;H Spoarinck.;"'- ■ -■>'■■■:.<»•.-'•■■•;>■» - |H Mr Pownall watched HVe proceed. vH ings on behalf of Mr Searl, ,and Mr\ V Achespn on behalf of ; Mr W. Cundy/ k l •Mi- H. H. Wolters represented the -■ Phqmix office and Inspector Ponder , ■ appeared on behalf of the police „ ,'■ _ Before commencing, the Coroner I informed'the jury that.somo.com' 'I ments had been made ai the oriqniry 'M not being held earlier. Ho informed I them that there wasserioussuspicion J of incendiarism,, in which -'case timo" "l was wanted to.collcct evidonce, for r] the Court was ono of Jnstico and not ~ c -l of Judge Lynch. Hefurth'qrstoy, 3 that an enquiry did not want Jflflt entered into 'j soon it stateU«fe some of- the wit- ' liesses had left tiie district, Hu wished to'iuforav the jury-that wit- '? iiesses for a Coroner's Courtcoiildbo subpoenaed'just liko any other witnesses,/ 1 ; .', .-■'■ The first witness called was E J. Searl, the liconsce of the Club Hotel, who gave evidence as to his Having locked the place up on the night l 4 before the firo,befpre ho retired to his cottage across tho road. Ho stated that he had spent £4ooinim. proving the house jnsido, during seventeen months, and £l5O .'during the past three months. Tho furniture was insured for, £250 \in Mi's Seai'l's name, as this was furniture tlioy had brought .with"them from Mastciton, ' There was a policy for £soointlieGommei'cialUnionoffico ~" "- on tho hotel furniture, stock Rnd fittings, This policy he took over from Mr Bilton. The furniture in his cottage was all now. The furniture insured was in the hotel,, with the exception of a piano, which ho had sold eight months since and replaced with a better one! ,Thp premium on tho hqtej furjjiturb was not paid up,; as itlflffle due on tho 15th May. On the 14th ho wrote to Mr Harbroo, asking him if ho sent him a clicquo dated May 25th, would lie keep the place covered, and not let the polioy'lapse. On the samo day Mr Harhroe wired saying ho would do so. On May 25th ho was in Mastertonj anddid not got, homo till 9 o'clock, Next day ho went to tho Bank of Australasia, and tho manager (Mr Knowles) informed him tho clicquo had been returned dishonoured. He informed tho manager if tho chequo came hack again to let him know, .as he could pay it, Thoqlioqueivas{oril3 2s 6d. On May 31st (tho day proced. ing the fire) horepeived alottorfrom MrHarbrae, asking him if ho pre. sentcd the chequo would it bo met. Ho vopliod on Monday by letter, stating that any time.tho chequo was presented it would bo met, Tho lire took place onthofollowing morning. Tho chequo has never bcen.presented by tho company, who said the policy had lapsed, and iepudiated the claim, Tho first thing he knew about the fire was somcou* knocking at and' saying his holeT ,, lf!Fon file, From his house he could 6eo tho fire was under tho hotel, and when ho got over it was under.the skirting board. Thore was a hole where some of the gravel had been Bc*rapcd away, Mr Searl then jjrpceet(e4 fq de|aij the measures which v/prp takon in " saving spmp qftim fenituw, Ho ■" stated that he was not in financial difficulties, though temporarily pfes« . ;"■;' sed for. cash, His takings were about £4O per week. He reckoned.ho would loso about £6OO oven if ho Ms insurance, .•.•'■

In reply to Inspector Ponder he said ho had enemies, and had a sus,picion as to who set tlio hotel on firo, Ho had good both by threats and circumstantial evidence. One of tho threats was made by Mr W, Cundy, who said.ie would di-ivo him out of tho place in six months, On being questioned further, \yitnesssaid that Mr \V. Curidy was the person ho suspected, as. ho (Mr Oujidy) had said to him:" I will drivo you out of Feathorston in six months, If I cannot get your license takon away Iwill find other means." Ho admitted ho had recently had a, , court caso with He ljaif i just'recently bM offoroll £if(JQ tq sell out, provided tho license was granted.

I In reply to the Coroner, witness informed him that ho locked all his doors at night, All were fajtoneij with catches' inside, except tho oho on tho oast flido, wliioh locked with a koy, It was about 4 a.Uh when ho was first awakened.

Walter Gresty, a carpenter, who was living at tho Club Hotel, gavo evidence as to tho fire being outsido under the skirting; there being a hole in which the tiro was all aglow. ■Frank Meredith, a watchmaker and jeweller, residing at the hotel on the night of tho fire, said tho fire was in the extreme corner of tho building, but could not say whether it was inside or out., Ho had novcr seen fumituro removed ■ from 'the hotel to thpcottagq, ''"■' _ John Sqwry gave evidence of having seen sparks'when he looked out of his wiudow, He wei)t qverand called Searl. T|jq firo wa,s iyn fho walls, inside and quti'whpn ho sjyw it. : James jjunter, wlttlop} iri'thfl .' same roqm as Mei:editij,%d Ije gqfc down before Meredith,' Ho sa\f § largo j|qlc and ingsabqufi, Thohjrifeikiiil'as'if it had been scqqpedqutr'Tlie fjrein the hole looked as though, kerosene had been used. Saw, tl)crq'was no holo there on tho previous day, Ho liad had no conversation with Spai'l relative to his evidence, ; William MoLennan, who also ■ Hoarded in tho hotel on tho night of : tho fire, stated that tho firo was in tho extreme corner of tho building. He looked through the window and saw the fire had burnt through the raised platform in tho' rooms, Tho floor was on fire andburningtowards the west wall of the building. . ... Jqsiali Viles, .whq lives three, oljains, qf fto hqtej, saidhewas, awakened by thecnesof"firo.'' He could see frqni hisSyindow tljat the fire looked no bigger than a lamp, over before Mr Searl. When ,■ lw gqt qver tho firo was vwma un > tho wall inside 'and it fflust havei ljeen on fire between the lining and vfoatherboards.. was uo'fire .outside,. .',•"•" ::"''[""

' l Asked of the police ns to whettor ' he Bad statemoqt '.■'■;' oiie, about Mr '%., Cundy,fitness': nl said atrfirst:Jpdid;not:rarfleinb.er r c ; b!ut eventually, admitted having, told ; S | Constablo'SmithTlhat 'fc'Cmiily;' $$ |was delighted aMtKiiiiohißMiidTep^ls'

'■ ■''' ; so jolly sinco ho had • .Bioffn-him*' -"-'• ■• "• ■ ; , son ,of- tho lost ■wit, ' W-'iWM'VKmt oyoi- to'thi) fire I More his fttJW.. Theroomra all nblaze, Was posfeeihat there was no fire outside. '.'Th'o life-was in the corner of the building. Ho had not been .discharged by Mr Gundy for helpiagMvSetivlfttthofivo.thoughMr • Cnndy Had found fault with him for helping to savo other property when his;- property was in (langp\»^|pCf --At this stage the onquiry was adjourned, till Friday next, atniuo o clock, ■