The Sun.
London, England, 1829-09-09 00:00:00

GUILDHALL.

llfary Ann Noakes was re-examined on suspicion
of having maliciou,ly set fire to the Portugal Hotel,
in Fleet-street.

From the evidence, it appeared that the first
alarm of fire occurred at nearly half-past nine o'clock
on Sunday evening, and the two waiters depose
that they observed the prisoner to be stupid from
intoxication as early as seven o'clock, and the effect
of liquor was working upon her the rest of the even-
ing. They had before noticed her to be partl)
.4 intoxicated. About ine o'clock the prisoner went
into the coffee kitch 1, where the house-maid was
sitting, and borros d her lighted candle, saying she
would return it, it without stating any reason feu
borrowing • an to maid, after sitting in the eark
a quarter of '. went up stairs to see what had
become of her h . and found that one of the beds
had been discovered to be on fire, and had been just
extinguished.
Mrs, Oakes deposed that she was in the bar when
the prisoner left it, and had perceived no smoke nor
smell of fire. At half-past eleven she ordered the
prisoner to go to bed, as she seemed to be in con-
siderable confusion. She did not mean to charge
her with being intoxicated, nor had she ever seen
her in that state, though she had heard strange re-
ports from the other servants. The prisoner was
very obliging, and conduCted herself with great
propriety.
- -' -.-..,
The second alarm was made air-- ill minutes past
12, when Master J. Oakes, perc-ii'vyglistnell of burn-
ing woollen, got out of bed, 'azidlbSking over the
banisters, saw one of the rooms on the floor below
was on fire. About five minutes before he had
heard a rustling, and looking out of his door, saw
the prisoner looking over the banisters, just as he
afterwards did, and having said, " Oh ! is that you,
Mary Anne ?" she returned to bed. The prisoner,
in descending from her chamber on the fourth floor,
opened one of the doors on the second floor, and
was the first who discovered the fire there. A Mr.
Anderson, who sleeps on the third story, heard his
door opened, and upon asking who was there, was
answered by a female, " I beg your pardon ;" but it
did not appear whether this occurred after half-past
eleven, when the prisoner was sent to bed, and the
circumstance was deemed favourable to the prisoner,
inasmuch as she knew Mr. A. was sleeping there.
The prisoner's defence was, that she was the vic-
tim of a conspiracy between a Mr. Daniels, a lodger,
who had been repulsed by her upon attempting to
take liberties, a Mrs. Goodin, a sort of confidential
servant, and the cook, the two latter being compa-
nions in tippling, and the prisoner having recently
caused the dismissal of one of them. Goodin was
so dismissed on Saturday se'nnight. The waiter at
the Hole-in-the-Wall public-house, in Fleet-street,
was also heard to say, immediately after the fire
broke out at midnight, that he supposed the cook
had done the mischief. Hume, the waiter, now ex-
plained his reason for saying this : it was only be-
cause he knew she was a very cross bad-tempered
old woman, and he had heard site was going to leave.
Mr. Oakes explained that she was not under warning.
The cook denied having been up stairs at any time
on Sunday between the period of her leaving the
bed-room in. the morning, and returning to it at
night about half-past eleven.
None of the servants, except the two waiters,
could say they had ever seen the prisoner intoxicated
in any degree; nor bad the cook been heard to utter
any- malicious expressions respecting the prisoner.
Mr. Daniels swore he was absent the whole evening,
and arrived at the hotel just after the second fire
was discovered. He denied having made any at-
tempts upon the girl, and what she had complained
of was this—about a week ago, on going up to bed,
he saw the prisoner leave the room, N 0.30, in which
he supposed Master John Oakes was sleeping, and
that there was an intrigue between them. He slapped
his hand on her back, and said, " What are you doing
here, Miss ?" and she, slipping under his arm, ran
into her room without saying any thing. He inquired
about her character next morning among the servants,
and communicated some circumstances to Mr. Oakes;
but he found the room No. 30 was unoccupied.
Mr. Oakes said, a young Frenchman had been
sleeping there, but he was not at home on the night
in question. The prisoner had complained to Mr.
Oakes in the morning, that Mr. Daniels had tried to
pull her into his bed-room.
The prisoner repeated this accusation against Mr.
Daniels, who denied it on his oath.
Mr. Harmer, on the prisoner's behalf, insisted that
the evidence was inconclusive, and that she ought to
be immediately discharged.
Sir P. LAURIE said, that the vice of this age was
drunkenness, and drunkenness led to all kinds of
crime. He considered intoxication proved against
the prisoner, but the evidence did not support the
charge against her. He had personally inspected the
premises, and had no doubt the same malicious hand
had caused each fire, but whose hand it was still re-
mained a mystery. He would remand the prisoner
till Thursday, when perhaps he should discharge her,
or at most, lie believed, hold her to bail ; but as Mr.
Oakes thought he could produce further evidence, lie
was bound to give him an opportunity of doing it.