Charge of Arson.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 518, 14 October 1890, Page 3

Charge of Arson.

Yibtebday morning John Bryant Lane was brought np on remand before Mr Booth, B. charged with arson, and also with false pretences. Sergeant Carlyon conducted the case for tbe police, and Mr C. A. DeLautour appeared for the accused. Constable Eeddell, in the course of his evidence, deposed as follows : In consequence of a conversation with the Sergeant be took down a list of the articles which the accused gave as having been burnt in the building, and accordingly searched for the remains of the articles, but could not find any trace of them. The accused pointed out where the bedstead and chest of drawers stood, and said that the latter contained a lot of clothing and sheets. Going to the spot indicated, he only found a piece of scrim, and some wall paper, but there was no sign of clothing or anything else there. After finishing tbe search in the old house, he and the Sergeant, were going towards tbe new house, when accused said ' Never mind going up that way, I will put you across in the beat.” The new house was eituded about 150 yards from the old one. They entered the house and went into the bedroom, where they got all the articles produced in Court, including a bedstead, and chest of drawers which accused said he purchased with other things some twelve months ago at auction, and that none of them bad been down at the old place. In the skeleton room he found

a sewing machine, and accused then said, I brought it up from the old house four or five months ago for protection. He also found the colonial sofa and mattrees, Ac. Accused said, • They have never been down in the old house. They have been stoved in the cowehed. lam not sure whether I got them at the ssme time as the bed, &c., or from Townley’s. 1 Afterwards they went to the

storeroom, and Lund the articles enumerated on the list. The accused said, • I have brought all those things from tbe old house about four months ago.’ Referring to a small box that had been found with wood and paper at the bottom of it, accused said, “ 1 do not know who could have put it there. Give

it to me, and I will throw them out. Some one has been packing up firewood, and I don’t know bow it has got there, or what it is there for ?” Sergeant Carlyon then arrested the prisoner. On going into the bedroom after the arrest, he noticed that the two watch pockets which had been on the bed were torn off. They had been on the bed the first time thev went in. accused produced them from the bottom drawer of the chest of drawers, at the request of tbe Sergeant. Accused got very white and nervous about it, and said, ‘Miss McKay would identify the bed by the watchpocket, and she is my bitterest enemy, as she accuses me of llltroating her sister. Her sister worked the pockets. Miss McKay is my wife’s sister,’ On a subsequent occasion the witness searched tbe property, and on the 6th inst, he found some shelves concealed at a safe distance from the fire, in a drain. There was also a tobacco press and a bit of planking. They could not have been there longer than a week at the outside. The witness was then examined at length by Mr DeLautnur, and in answer to a question put by the Sergeant the witness said the accused stated that he had been in the habit of sleeping in the old house and having his meals in tbe new house, The case was then adjourned for a week. Bail was allowed, accused in £2OO, and two sureties in £lOO each,