The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-29 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.—CROYDON, Aug. 28.
(Before Baron Bramwell and a Special Jury.)

WOOLLEY V. POLE.

THE CAMPDEN HOUSE FIRE.--EOURTH DAY,
This trial was resumed this morning,
Mr. Bovill, Q.C., Serjeant Ballantine, Mr. Mereweather,
Mr. Henry James (specially retained), and Mr. Rosher,
appeared for the plaintiff.
Mr. Lush, Q.C., Mr. Denman, Q.O , and Mr. Garth
were for the defendant.
The case for the company was proceeded with.
The witness Temple was further cross-examined by Mr.
Bovill. He said that when the final claim was sent in by
Mr. Woolley in the month of Sep+ember, 1862,it was shown
him by Mr. Randall, the solicitor to the Fire Office, but
this was not done until the spring of the present year, He
was aware that at the end of this claim there was a state-
ment by Mr. Woolley referring to him (Temple) as being
able to give further information in reference to the property
and the value of the different articles. He was aware that
Woolley also stated in the claim that the list had been sub-
mitted to every member of his family, and to all persons
who were likely to be
,able to give information with regard
to the furniture. Witness did make some written observa-
tions in the margin of the list in relation to the different
items.

Baron Bramwell observed that it would be very material
that those observations should be produced, in order to see
whether they corresponded with his present evidence.
Mr. Bovill said he had not got the paper containing these
observations, and he called for its production.
Mr. Lush said that every one of the papers in the posses.
sion of the Fire-office had been handed over to the solicitor
to the plaintiff. They had no other papers. There waa not
the slightest ground for a suggestion that any papers had
been kept back.
Some entries were then read, from which it appeared that
Temple did suggest some alterations in the list of articles.
One of these entries was, " Mr. and Mrs. T. do not believe
those articles were there." This, however, it appeared, was
in the handwriting of Mr. Randall, the solicitor to the Sun
Fire-office,
Some further discussion took place with regard to the
non-production of a document, but Mr. Lush still persisted
in asserting that everything called for had been produced.
In answer to a question put by the learned Judge,
Temple said that the observations he made at the time
referred to were similar in effect to the evidence he had now
given, except that at the present time he was more positive
that certain articles were not in Campden House at the time
of the fire than he was when he was first questioned. He
said that he did not wish to give an offensive answer when
ho was first questioned as to certain articles being in the
house, but if he had been called upon to give his evidence
upon oath he should have said the same as he did now-
The cross-examination of the witness was then continued,
and he admitted that some of the articles he represented
net to have been in the house might probably have been
there, and he said that the transaction referred to a period
18 months back, and his recollection could not be expected
to be perfect.
Baron Bramwell interposed and asked Mr. Bovill whether,
supposing he should be suddenly asked what furniture was
in any room of his own house, what would be the result ?
Mr. Bovill said he :should not he able to tell, "or any
other man." (Laughter.)
Cross-examination continued—When he gave the infor.
mation relating to the purchase of the candles he stated that
they were bought only two or three weeks before the fire.
Witness knew Mr. Clinch, a tradesman at Kensington, but
he would swear that he did not tell him that he was
frying sausages in the greenroom on the night of the fire.
He would swear this positively, and that Mr. Woolley was
not present when he made the statement. He might have
said that he believed the fire broke out in the theatre.
They did have sausages for supper, but they were cooked
at Mrs. Temple's sister's. They were neither hot nor cold
—a little "each wise." (A laugh) There was a fire in
the room, but it was very low.
Baron Bramwell—Then you ate the sausages nearly cold,
although there was a fire in the room.
Witness—They were not cold.
Cross-examination continued—Witness remembered a
beam in the drawing-room being found on fire. The beam
was under the grate, and there had been a large wood fire
on fire-days on the hearth, and this he believed was the
origin of the fire. He always had a decided opinion as to
the origin of the fire, but he had never mentioned this
opinion till the present time.
Mr. Bovill—l believe at one time you considered you were
likely to die ?
Witness—Yes.
Mr. Bovill—And at that time you asked Mr. Woolley to
pay your wife and child what he owed you, and confided
them to his care ?
Witness—Yes.

I asked him to pay Them what he

owed me.
Cross-examination—A. similar fire took place on another
occasion, but it was discovered mid put out before any mis-
chief was done. But for the discovery the house would in
all probability have been burned down ; but it would have
taken a good deal of time first. He told the Sun Fire Office
of these fires. They were aware of one of them, because
they had to pay for the damage. It took about 20 minutes
or half an hour to put out one of the fires. They had to re-
move the panelling, and if they had not done this the panel-
ling would very soon have been on fire. One of the beams
had evidently been smouldering for more than an hour at the
time it was discovered to be on fire. Witness never did any
varnishing to the panels himself; but one of his men was so
employed in February, 1862; and when the man had finished
Mr. Woolley and Crozier went on further with it. When he
got out of the house on the night of the fire he knocked at
the first window he came to in Mr. Egg's house, and when
he was let out he found he was very much burned, and he
asked a policeman to get him a cab to take him to the hos-
pital, and he advised him to go to Mrs. Stevens's. He
heard his wife's voice the moment he got into the house,
and he exclaimed, ' 0, Maria, how glad I am you are here.'
He did not attempt to go to the back of the house before
this to look after his wife, because at that time he fully be-
lieved she was dead. His wife read the account in the news-
paper which represented that he had exhibited lamentable
want of presence of mind in deserting his wife and child at
a tinge when they were not in immediate danger, and when
a ready means of escape was at hand. His wife was very
angry with Mr. Woolley for having made this statement,
'but witness was in so much suffering at the time that he
did uot think at all about it. He remembered having a con-
vemation with one of Mr. Teesdale's clerks, but he denied
haying said to hint that the report was correct, except that
portion which charged him with deserting his wife and child.
He knew this statement was not correct, and also that the
report was incorrect in several other particulars.
Re-examined—There was not a word of truth in the state-
ment that his wife and son were not in immediate danger, as
a portion of the staircase between him and his wife actually
gave way as they were about to pass over it. The beam
that ignited in the drawing room was cut away after the
fire, so that no danger remained from that source, and the
other was cased over with brick and cement. Those fires
took place in 1852, and there was no fire afterwards until
the one in question. He formed an opinion upon the fire im-
mediately atter it occurred, but Mr. Randall, the solicitor
to the fire office, first applied to him upon the subject, and
ho told him to give Mr. Woolley's solicitor all the informa-
tion in in his power.

By the Jury—Ha passed Mr. Woolley's windows as he
was going along the leads, but he did not knock at the
window, and it never occurred to him that he and Crozier

might possibly be burned to death. His hands were dread-
fully burned.

By the Judge—The beam did not catch fire by an ordi-
nary fire in the grate, but there hwi been a great quantity
of shavings and wood burned in the grate.
Baroa Bramwell—Did you suspect anything when you
went to bed ?

Witness—Thore was one remarkable thing, but I should
not like to state f.t.

Mr. Lush submitted that the witness ought to state what
ho allud©d to.

Mr. Bovill-11 it was a fact that could be contradicted,
he had no objet tion to the witness stating what it was.
The witness maid it was something he had been told.
Baron Bram% vell said that would not do.
Mrs. Temple deposed that she was the wife of the last
witness. She gave similar evidence to that of her husband
as to how the plaintiff and Crozier were engaged down to
the period of the fire, and to the hanging up of the paper
and the covering of the windows, &c. She said that Mr.
Woolley told her he wanted her to repair the tapestry that
was hanging up at the window, and she said she could not do
so, and she did not understand such work, and Mr. Woolley
appeared confused. On the night of the fire she brought
home three cooked pork sausages from her sister's, and she
wanted to warm them, but could not do so as the fire was
so low. She. met Mr. Woolley and Crozier on the staircase,
and she exclaimed. " How strange that we should all meet I"
and then went into Mr. Woolley's bedroom to see if there
was any fire, and found that it was burning. She tried
to warn the sausages in a fryingpan, but could not do so
owing to the fire being so low. Crozier came into the room

while she was doing so, and asked for some wood. Witness

.-.
asked him what he wanted it fcr,_ and- he replied, " He is
goiAg to work late. I think he is going ' per-
crazy ; he is a
feet eure.' " (Laughter.) The witness then said that Cro-
. ..

zier told her that Mr. Woolley was going to sit —up all night.
St.e knew that sometimes Mr. Woolley and Crozier used to
IV steaks and chops in Mr. Woolley's bedroom for supper,
teea.nee Crozier had told her so, and she had found fragments
of meat in the room in the morning. There was no light in
the green-room when she went to bed, and the gas in the
kitchen had been put out when she met Crozier and Mr.
Woolley on the stairs. When she went to bed she was quite
certain there were no clothes or boots in the passage or in
the kitchen, or any where about that spot. She was awoke
by the smashing in of the windows of the bedroom, and she
and her husband both awoke at the same time, and her
husband exclaimed, " Get up, Maria, the house is on fire,
follow me." She went to an adjoining room, and snatched
her Bon from the bed, and attempted to follow her husband, ,
but could not, as a portion of the flooring gave way. She
then made her way to another bedroom, and on looking out
of the window she saw Mr. Woolley and Crozier walking
leisurely about with their arms folded. lie looked up to the
window, and said to her "Dont jump down, Mrs. Temple,"
She was quite sure that sho heard no screaming or cries of