AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3142, 11 February 1911, Page 5

AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

MAX BUIIX3 HIS SISTER'S COTTAGE. • [PER PRESS ASSOCIATIONS ! AUCKLAND, Feb. 10. Some rather extraordinary disclosures were made by counsel appearing for a prisoner brought before Mr Justice Edwards at the Auckland Supreme Court. The accused had pleaded guilty at Waihi to a charge of committing arson. The prisoner, John William Butler, a. middle aged man, has, according to the statement made by Mr Reed, lived in Waihi district all his life, and for some years resided with his sister, a spinster, till •recently. Fie had bni.lt the cottage on which they lived, but ■ had made it over to his sister. For some time the sister was keeping company with a man, but the engagement was broken off. The man told prisoner some infamous story about his sister’s conduct, as the result of which, in a maddened state, accused rushed across the road to their cottage and frantically smashed the furniture to smithereens, and set fire to the dwelling. Mr Reed stated that accused' bore an excellent character as a quiet, inoffensive, sober, hard-working man, and lived on excellent terms with, his sister and neighbours l , and nothing could explain Iris conduct on the occasion m question, but the fact that he had been maddened by drugged drink, and l by shamefully cruel and malicious stories about his sister. Prisoner stated that he was earning 9s 6d a day, and had' been employed by the Waihi Company for the last 12 months without any broken time. __ The house was insured for £l5O, and the furniture for £SO, the sister estimating her hiss; at £347 10s. His Honor said that lie did not want to send prisoner to gaol, but lie would have to make some proposal to satisfy the claim of the insurance company, and the loss suffered liv the sister. He did not think the offence was exactly a probation matter, but he could order prisoner to come up for sentence when called upon. Sentence was deferred for a fortnight, and accused was released to give .him an opportunity of making arrangements with the insurance company and his sister.