Star.
London, England, 1823-05-15 00:00:00

CHARGE OF HOUSE BURNING.

Yesterday, at Bow-street, the sitting Magistrate,
G. R. MI NSII Int, Eq. was occupied nearly the whole'
of the istorning. in the investigation of au extraordi.
nary case of Arson. The: person accusea was .1044
Gottie, the man whose house New-street, Covent.'
Garden, was burnt down on Monday night last, upon
which occasion an elderly Lady, who lodged there
unfortunately perished in, the flames. The present
charge was preferred by Mrs. Anne Gibbs, the wjk
of one of the Conductors of Patrol of Bovv.stree
Office, and froth her testimony and that of other Ma
nesses, the following circumstances were collected:
In September, 1811, Gibbs, who was at that time
a cabinet-maker, in a respectable way of business
had occasion to change his residence for premises
more convenient, and Mrs. Gibbs, when page-4
through Whitecross-street, C:ipplegate, saes a bill
a window announcing that the greater part of the
I house was to he let. She found the prisoner eat
the occupier; that lie carried on a small besiness a!
a pastry-cook in the lower ;Torments; and that
he and. an apprentice were the only inhabitente_,
She tired the rest of the house, and removed her
furnitare, of which she had a very considerable stock,
nearly new ; but they had not been many clays there
before she expressed to her husband a strong dislike
to remain, on account of the singular. habits of the
prisoner; he had not mole than 3/. worth of fermi-
tore in the whole house ; he scented to do little or no
business, and was morose and distant in his manners
and behaviour. When they had been there about x
we-k, he requested her leave to put three sacks of
shavings, which he said 'he had bought cheap, in one
of her rooms np stairs (he oefupied the lower pan)
and she consented. Oa the following Saturday,
Gibbs told the prisoner !le was going to St. Alhan's
on Sunday to see his aged father and mother. The
p:isouer asked if Mrs. Gibbs was not going also? :old
being told that her health• would not pci mit her to
go, he said it was non,ente, the journey would do her
good. She did not go to St. Alban' s, but went cat
ion Sunday ailernoon, and on her Rutin at 'an Calle
hour she found the prisoner had reatoved the heartfo
stone of the room immediately over his oven, and tea;
engaged when she entered the room, which she did ra
tiler suddenly, in sttang.shavings with a chiselinto
the crevices between the boards, and spreading then
over the place whence he had removed thelicai di-stone
IShe asked l;itn why he was doing this, and he said he
only wanted to dry the shavings. On Monday bight
just before bed time, he conversed with her and her
huhaod, and when they wished him good night, he
said he should go to the-top of the house to look at
the Comet, which was visible at that time. They
heard him ascend the sstairs, and went to bed them-
selves. About one o'clock in the morning Mrs. G.
was awakened by the scratching of a ,iog at the
chamber door ; and the animal whining at the slime
time, she called her husband, and said she was sure
there were thieves in the house by the noise Pincher
was making at the door. By, the time lie awoke,
however, the room was filled with black smoke, and
Gibbs jumped out of bed, and on opening the door
the flames burst into the room. Ile closed it,
again, and exclaimed in despair, "'We are lostr
but at the same moment he recollected having
a small working-bench in' the room, and forcing
out one of its legs,. he wrenched away an iron
bar which secured the window, and opened it.—
He then took his wife, naked as she was, under his
arm, and dropped her from the window on a wail
belonging to a brewery adjoining. He. followed in
the same condition, and they were rescued from their
still perilous situation just as a stack of chimneys tell,
which must have crushed them to death. The house
was on fire in every part, and in ten minutes was
burnt to ashes, not a thing being saved ; even the
faithful Pincher perished--(Mrs. Gibbs, when she re-
lated this fact, burst into tears).—When the fire was
first seen in the street, the prisoner was observed
standing opposite the house with hi, arms folded, and
being recognized by a young girl, and asked where
his lodgers were? he said they were safe; they had
escaped, and gone away. This was before Gibbs and
' his wife were getting hom the window.
The prisoner, a few days before the fire, effected
a policy of insurance upon "house and furniture'
for 5001. at the E:tgle Insurance Office. He, however,,
absconded on the morning of the fire, and never
claimed the amount for which he had insured. He was
seen no more by the Gibbs's until about eight years
ago, when Mrs. Gibbs caw hint in Holborn, andion
mediately seized him by the collar, but he threw her
from him, and ran away. •On Tuesday, Avis, one
of the patrol, wag describing the person of the Mail
who had his house burnt down in New-street, in hit
'presence, and she said it must be the same 1122110
,•She was taken yesterday morning to a plact wPace
he.was appointed to meet other persons, and shepas
him in charge to Davis, another officer.
Davis said, that whenhe Apyrebetuled theltiOW
there was another man welch him, withaththotjE4d:
taining a policy of insurance with the SuliPtienlct,
effected some weeks ,ago for £BOO, for the boeskand
furnitul in New-street.

rniture i: _ ~ .
James Bradley, one of the principal firemen olds
Sun Office, was sworn to the last-mentioned fact.
It vas further. stated,: that the entire house.AsC.
street, with the exceftion .of the shop, aritistball
back room, were. let out to lodgers, avid the pus4s
had scarcely-any furniture is the house. • The thule•
box was almoit the only article Lived; It waill4fle4
also, that the prisoner had been burnt out feoin 010
ther house at Shadwell. • .
The prisoner said nothing in-his define& •
Mr. J. ImAts, 'Who, in therAkstrice of IN.=
to the: Fire 011ke,-Atoluntaerect his services tb
erg the promcutloni requiated that the prison
remanded, . to give. tiiperttr picture' funhbe •
'The prisoner was rettoisiltnt for Lftelitit
__, I
. • ::. !TM
tion on a future day:

itaiTiik- - .
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aaa,s. • - i .driiila, "liii. •
Dublin '• 1 0 France . '.i 0 1.
Waterford ' : 2 0 Hamborgh 1 0 1
Guerosei alidlersey 0 0 • Flanders 0 0
Lisboa u 0 Malta 0 i
Holland 0 0 GotteptOrpgli 0 I
Anterleaßrazu 0 0
EIGH-WATZIt at LONDON HUI Deil TO-1101141, .
Morning - - 33 minute§ V. 1%
Afternoon 1 mink te .1 .
' • *
--L--
LONDON; /tinted and pubiimbaglitir Limos • .
. 6-1
Place, Temple-Jim . -:s.: - •*_.:-P.

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