The Poole Telegram. — 1881-08-26 (Poole, Dorset, England)

SETTING FIRE TO A HOUSE.-NARROW ESCAPE  OE CHILDREN.  On Saturday, at the County Police-court, before J. M. P. Montague, Esq.—James Higgins, a married man, of Hook, was charged in custody with having maliciously and feloniously set fire to a certain feather bed and bedding, the property of Charlotte Cornick, of Hook, with intent thereby to burn the house, thereby leloaiously injuring the said Charlotte Cornick.— The prisoner, who is about fifty years of age, appeared to suffer from aberration of intellect, and behaved very strangely during the hearing of the case. His application for a seat was granted him, and he remained sitting throughout the hearing. Higgins rsceived a sunstroke about 12 mouths ago, and the effect probably was we tkening of his intellect.—Charlotte Cornick deposed : I live at Hook, in this county. The prisoner Higgins and Caroline, his wife, lodge with me, and have done so for about four years. Prisoner has been very ill for a twelvetnonth. Yesterday, the 19. h inst., I heard prisoner call his wife upstairs to him, and the (witness) went up also. Prisoner drove us downstairs and threatened to murder us. We both wsnt out, and prisoner at )ad at the door, b it afterwards went upstairs and dashed in the windows. I seat for the police, an I ca'led George Parris, a neighbour. I saw smoke coming out of prisoner's bedroom window, the same window he hail broken. I heard prisoner say the day before he would set it alight. I went for assistance, and prisoner was removed from the house. I went upstairs and saw Geotge P..rris there. The rooms upstairs were full of smoke, a quilt, two sheets. feather bed, bolster, arid two pillows were burning, There were two young children in bed in another room Upstairs. Only the prisoner and the two children were mastaird.—George Parris swore: I am a smith and live at Hook. I went to prosecutr ix's house yesterday, and prisoner came down partly dressed. He said " There is nothing the matter with me, those -- have robbed me of my marriage lines, and I will kill the —." I smelt fire ami asked him what it was. Ile said " It's no fire that I am aware of." He came down again, and I said " There's something burning." I went up and saw two little children in bed in one rcom. Its another room I found fire in the middle of the bed. About a yard wide of the bed the bedding was burning. The prisoner was then downstaira, I took the children downstairs—water was thrown on the fire ; there was so much smoke that I was almost stifiel, an i could hardly find any way out. The neighbours at last pet the fire out. The prisoner was in the kitchen all this time. He made no attempt to put the fire out. Prisoner was removed by the polic..—Ellen Clothier, deposed : " I live at Hook, and am the wife of Torn Clothier, labourer. I went to Charlotte Cornick'e yesterday with others, I saw her driven out of the house, saw smoke coming from the two upstmig  windows. I heard prisoner say "I have put a light to the old -- bed." He said this after his wife had accused him of burning her box of clothes."—P.C. Sansom, of Hook, deposed: " yesterday apprehended prisoner on the charge of setting fire to Charlotte Cornick's houte. He said," Its the two have done it themselves to kill me."—ln answer to the charge, prisoner, said" I never set tire to 'no' house. My mother-In-law or my wife did it. They got up and left me asles,p—the smoke in the house woke me. I pt up and put on my trowsers. They stole my certificates of baptism and marriage and the children's (live in all). I promised the certificates to my two Alb-iron., &maid and a boy. Percy Minterne saw my motheron-law flourishing a knife about me."—The Bench committed the prisoner for trial at the next Assizes, and he was removed in custody.