The Sun. — 1861-01-09 (London, England)

FIRE.—Mrs. Hogg, a mechanic's wife, of 2, Turner's-buildings, Penny-fields, Poplar, and Dennis Donovan, a cooper, of 4, Dolphin•.lane, Poplar, appeared before Mr. Selfe, on a summons, charged with using abusive and insulting words to Daniel Donovan, and calling him a robber and a murderer. The defendant Donovan, a respectable and industrious man and his, family, were great sufferers by a fire which broke out on the premises of the complainant, Daniel Donovan, a shoemaker, in Penny-fields, Poplar, on the 18th of November last. Dennis Donovan's eldest daughter perished in the flames. Another of his children was burnt, and is up to the present time in the hospital, and Dennis Donovan, whose head and arm were severely scorched, his wife and two other children, by "God's providence," to use the defendant's own words, narrowly escaped with their lives. Mrs. Hogg, her husband and daughter, who were lodgers in the same house, also narrowly escaped with their lives, and got out at the front window. The complainant said the defendants called upon him a few days ago and demanded' compensation for the loss they had sustained, and upon his refusing to comply with their request, they abused him, and applied very bad language to him, and among other things Mrs. Hogg called him a robber and a murderer, and said he had set his house on fire. His namesake and countryman Donovan was no less turbulent, and threatened him.  The defendants said the complainant had led them to expect some compensation for tho serious loss they had sustained in the loss of their household furniture and effects when he obtained the insurance money from the fire office. Last week Daniel Donovan received £lOO from the fire office, and when they asked him for a little help, he said he would see them d-d first, and used other harsh expressions.  Dennis Donovan put in a written statement regarding the fire, the loss of his child, and other matters, and it conveyed some very extraordinary suggestions. Mr. Selfe examined the complainant at great length, and he said he and his children were from home on the night of the fire. His wife was also with him. They went to a raffle in Southwark. One of his children was three and a half years old, and the other two years old. It might be one o'clock in the morning when he heard of the fire. He was then about to depart for home. He did not think it strange to take such young children to a raffle and keep them out until one o'clock in the morning. He occupied the shop, parlour, and back room upstairs. He left the gas burning when he left home, and he supposed it set fire to the house.  Mr. Selfe—How could the gas set fire to the house unless the burner was improperly placed ?  The complainant supposed there was an escape of gas, and in answer to other questions said he insured his goods for £l5O on the 13th Aug. last. That was the first time he insured.  Mr. Selfe put some other questions to the complainant, which were not answered in the most satisfactory manner. Dennis Donovan stretched out his left arm, which was bandaged, and said this was burnt, and I have been unable to do any work since. My head was also burnt. My daughter was burnt alive.  The complainant said that a subscription was opened in Poplar for the relief of the defendants. M rs. Hogg said £27 was subscribed, of whioh £l2 was laid out in furniture for her fellow-lodger, Dennis Donovan, and the funeral expenses of his daughter paid. She did not press her claims on the committee, because Dennis Donovan and his family wore the greatest sufferers.  Mr. Selfe said the circumstances of the disastrous fire were well calculated to excite remark, if not suspicion, but the peace must be preserved, and the defendants must pro mise not to go near the complainant again. The kindhearted magistrate having exacted that promise from the defendants, ordered that Mrs. Hogg should receive £2 from the poor-box fund, and:that Dennis Donovan should receive £1 from the same fund. He gave the larger sum to Mrs. Hogg because she had not received any portion of the subscription, and had acted generously towards her bereaved neighbour.  The defendants expressed their thanks to the magistrate and left the court.  The next monthly return of the Bank of France, to be published at the end of the week, is looked for with much interest. According to some reports, which require verification, the bullion has declined from £17,300,000 to about £14,000,000,