The Sun.
London, England, 1814-01-18 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS FIRE, &c.

Mr. SISETCI-ft•E`i, the Magistrate, before .whoin
William tSturOwt, and Mary his wife were exa-
mined on Saturday last at the Public Oifiee, Bow 7
street, on suspicion of being concerned in setting
their their house on fire in Half-mOon-street, Picea-
with an intention of defrauding the, Globe
Insurance-office, very humanely dccrined commit-
ting, them to a prison, but sent them to Covent-
Garden and St. Martin's watch-houses. The pri-
soners were 'nought from. the watch-houses yes-,
terday morning, and the business underwent a
further investigation before a Bench, of Magis-
trates.

The. prisoners' :Ittorney moved the Magistrates
to postpone the examination till Mr. Adolphus„.
the Barrister, who had been retaincd.for the pri-
soners, could, attend, being then prevented by his
engagements at the Sessions House in the 014
Bailey. The Magistrates intoi mcd him that could
not be complied with, as the business of the office
must he kept a t a stand-still, and a number of
Gentlemen were present who were interested in
the examination : but that Mr. AdOlphits should
have every accommodation on his arrival, awl
should know every thing that passed, which would
be equal to his being present, as he would not. be
allowed to cross-examine the ‘Vitnesses. The*
examination, which occupied the 'Ma&istrates
nearly the whole of the day, had proceeded -4t
considerable length before the Learned Gentle-
map arrived, when he was allcwed the indulgence
Of reading the evidence, which had been 'taken.
in writing. Both the prisoners were placed' at
the -Bal., but the wife was afterwards removed
from it, and taken out of the Office.
Mary Wright, their servant was calikl, who stated in sub-
stance that she had been in the prisoner's ?ervice on the day
of the fire nine days, having entered on it the Monday week
previous. On the Tuesday morning at, nine o'clock,' when
her mistress came down to breakfast,-she told hs: that she
and her master were going out for the day; and she might
go out for a few hours, hut to return home at half past
eight o'clock in the evening, desiring her to take care and
secure the house properly before she left it. Her mistress
and child left home about • half past twelve o'clock. After
she was gone,' her master asked if she i knew how to lock
and unlock the street dour, it hiving one of Bramah's
patent locks ; she tried, but could not accomplish it; he
taught her to do it. told he when.she left this hous,,e
to 'leave a lamp burning in the .passage, that es:it:disposed
persons alight trot suppose the. house was, empty. Her
toaster went out at one o'clock. She was asked whether
she was sure that he left the house", She .J-eplied;slie saw
his'baeli, and had no reason to dontrt it. She left the house
at four o'cruck, having fastened the window-Shutters, and left
a lamp, which they were in the habit of using in common,
in the pa.isage, with the additional'precaution of a tinder-boa
dose to it, in case it.wcnt out Site din net stay out so late
as her mistress told her; if she had, there is no doubt hut
the whole house would have hi-en in flames, and probably
burnt to the ground. She riot knowing exactly what o'clock
it was, rethrned home nearly an hour:sooner than she was
' told, which she stated ,to be twenty minutes before. eight.
•o'clocke On her opening the street-door, she discovered
that the lamp was not burning as she left it, but the house
• Was on fire: she gave an alarm of ' tire. Captain Kempster's.
servant, who resides at the next door, No. s, came in and
assisted her with s ,'te pails of water, by which with the ex-
ertions of some Gentlemen, the fire was put oat. 'She stated,
that during her absence, the eloaths horse and a pair of
wooden steps had beep brought out of the kitchen, and placed
against the wainscot of the parlour, near the stairs, with a
quantity of matches on them. The door posts and other.
parts of the back-parlcoar were in flames, a hat-box filled with
wood and paperwere near the flames. Some duster cloths
which they rubbed tables and furniture with, some Spin-
. cloths, frocks, and other cloaths of the child, and also souse
rags, all of which' hid been dipped in turpentine, were strewed
in different parts of. the parlours, passage, and stairs., The
fire; -of the stairs was distinct _from that of the back
parlour, and both were Burning separately. The 'front
parlour was strewed with wood, :such as • is used for
lighting fires, hs bundles, but the strings were cut, and the
wood distrit;nted about so as to make train for the fire,
mixed with different articles that had been dipped in turpen-
tine and matches, in-different parts. They did not keep but
one fire in the house, when she had done her work she sat
with her master ,and mistress in the front-parlonr. When
she left the house there was scarcely any fire in the stove, and
on her return there was a very large one," with two pokers in
it, both of thena were red het, The curtains of the parlour

since sS,e heft bank. She tlitit all the Ati
tersteefore she left home; the first and second floors were i
the sable state at File left them. Iler waster and mislfesS's
tiett,room on the third tkOr WZIA trot, the Afintters were put to
kvhieh she lic!ft'open, and lie window was'inien she left
shut; Out lif thiS room the hat and band liaises were
and filled with eatahnstible articles td assist the fire
on the grditud &Or. From the clol'eness with which the
houo_t had been shut up', it was evident that the Planner of
the horrid daad iuteneled that the effect of the &attics should
not be seen till the harhie was eenerally in flames:
The witnets was aSatil a:+to laar Master and,MistrbsS basting
a. I:Aorta-4e canary bird, which the admitted,-and that it was
.in the house on the Tue May; the cage hanging- in-its usual
place' in the parldar, add, on her. return in the. evening,
. when she observed the curtains of "the-'window were not in
the same state as When she Went out, site discovered that the
cage and bird was gone. She had ilo doubt of its being there,
on the Tuesday morning, as she, recollected her Master send:
ing her far some seeds fur the bird. • •
John Leboine, a Bookseller, of Portman-street, Portman-
squa re;'stAted, - that on TtieSThiy• evening', soon afterlialf-past
7 o'clock, he was passing through Half Moon-street, when he
heard-the cry of " }are!" b'e made towards where the voice
ea me.frouband found, it to be at No. 9, from the last wiiness.
He entered the himse, and discovered some boards which
were placed against the door uu tire, with some wood used for
lighting tires under the hoards partially lighted; the floor
of that' room was im tire, which he extinguished by trea‘litig
on it, &c. He confirmed the general state of the house as
described' by the servant. He . retnaired there till about a
quarter past,eight o'clock, and then left., having an appoint-
ment with a Lady. 1k returned again to the house, and
was there when the prisoners came home,- at halt past nine
o'clock ; he did 'not know how they gilt into the house ;r
when he first saw them they were in the passage , the cpti-
*let and behaviour of Mr. Sturenian did not appear to him to
be such as he should have expected; he did not appear•to be
alarmed, hut' on being told that his writing desk was missing,
he exClaint2d he was reined, went and threw bienSelf on tao-
chairs in the. back parlour, and said he was very ill.
..William Dean, Esq. of dermyn-strect,stated, that on 'rues,
'day eitenitig,-about half-past seven ii.cloch, he was passing
along Pict•aelilly, and at the cod of Half aloon-street, he heard
•a screaming, ettc. he went hitt; the street*, and inquired the
pause of seems people who were assembling in consequence of
the sereamiug; they*told' him there Was a tire at No. 9; he
knocked at the dater and was admitted by the servant-girl,
Mary -Wright; he cautioned her against admitting other peo-
ple. He emiiirmed the dreadful stile .of the house as-before
described, and assisted Mr. Lehoine, the last witness, in 'tread-
ing out same of the fire. 'About live or six mintites after he
had been iu the house, he ea:ered t be door pf the front.para
lour, whea he saw a female, rather tall, initSiarh-frrea;•ith a
round hat on, ind her back towaras -standifiaa:at a b “ek-
case which bad a secretary under it ; she appeared to be iu
the act of taking some valUables out of a diawer into her lap,
or something at hee.tront; he, not. knowing of what. deserip-
tion'the' house was,' etincluded it wit's either the mistress
the. house, or a iadynleu.lodged in it, taking care of some Va-
luable property. She did- not turn round to see who he was,
nor did he speak, but withdrew Oa his ascertaining that the
lire was completely extinguished, and all danger over, in tht'ee
or four minutes after he went again to the front parlour, Hui
ou openiug the door he observed the same female figure •
in the same place, mad in a similar attitude. lie assured her
the five was entirely out, and all danger over, Land advised
her tee keep her doors shut. to preveneathe 'Smell and smoke
from issuing, which would stop the alarm in the neigh-
bourhood. The female flid not, turn round to him, or did
She snake any reply; he therefore withdrew, cynceiving.him-
self to be -intruding, and left the house at the same
time Mr. Leboine did the first time, whets the servant girl ap-
peretinueli distracted, not knowing what she did., lutreated
them to call again the next day, to-report to her master and mis-
tress the state they had found tbet'aouse in, &c. He could not •
call the Mit:a-Ma-oy, hut ealleel on the Thursday, when he saw
the female prisuner, Mrs. Stuvemati, when, so far as her
figittle went, he conceived himself to be talking to the -same
person he bad seen emptying. as he supposed, valuableaanto
leer lap from the drawer at the time of the tire, but not set-
ing her front, he could not say it was her.•
.John Reeve, the landlord of the house, who resides op- .
posite, proved the state of the house, and that he wa.! in
it 'till Bacon, time Condo ;tor of the Bow-street Patrule, came ii. •

The Magistrates took a very impartial view of
this complicated and mysterious case. The in-
surance which the prisoner had made at the Globe
Office for 30001. included 1500/. on the house, of
which he had a lease, and a,dause in it compel-
led him to do that. *However, under all the
circumstanoes, the Magistrates committed hire.
•
for trial, and admitted his wife to bail.