PETERSFIELD.
Agent—Miss DUPLOCK.
AT THE MAGISTRATES’ CLERK’S OFFICE, ON WEDNESDAY—Henry Carpenter, alias Turner, was brought up in custody, before the Hon. J. J. Carnegie, charged by Mr. Superintendent Fey with having, on Friday evening last, wilfully set fire to a cottage in the occupation of Thomas Leman, situate at Rake Heath, in the parish of Liss.—William Gale, on being sworn, deposed as follows:—I am brother-in-law to prisoner, having married his sister. I know the cottage which was burnt down last Friday night, I lived there for two years; it was lately occupied by Thomas Leman. Prisoner lived in the adjoining cottage under the same roof. I held the whole of the property under Sir C. Taylor, and paid a quit rent of 2s. 6d. a year; the prisoner built his cottage about nine years ago, in my step-mother’s time, whose name was Maria Turner. I left the cottage about twelve months ago, and let in Leman as my tenant, he has occupied it till the fire happened. I left because the prisoner threatened to burn me out, he threatened this the day after my wife’s mother was buried; we had disagreed about the property all the time I lived there, he wanted the whole of it. He has assaulted and struck me more than once, and swore he would kill me; he was summoned before the Magistrates, and bound over to keep the peace, this was in 1858; he has repeatedly since that threatened to burn the place down, and turn us out of house and home. I left the cottage entirely in consequence of the prisoner’s threats.—Thomas Leman, a labourer, deposed to the fact of the premises being burnt down, and to threats being used by the prisoner on various occasions.—Daniel Knight, Ellen Leman, and Caroline Bone, deposed to witnessing the fire break out, although no alarm was given, and to seeing the prisoner removing some of his own goods.—Charles Stone, P.C. 172, stationed at Liss, deposed:—I was in Liss village on Friday evening, the 20th, about half-past eight. I observed a fire in the direction of Rake Heath; it appeared very small, about the size of my hand, when I first saw it. I immediately went to it and found it to be at prisoner’s and Leman’s cottages, the roof had fallen in when I got there; I saw a quantity of furniture lying near the ruins; saw the prisoner and asked him if he knew how the fire originated; he said he did not know, but supposed that a spark from the chimney had caused it. He said he believed he had saved all his furniture, though it was rather knocked about. I asked him where he was when the fire broke out, he said ‟I was in-doors, sitting by the fire, when I heard Leman's people holloaing and making a noise next door; I could not think what was the matter, and went out of doors to see, when I saw the house was on fire, I then came out, and began getting my goods out.” I saw him again about half an hour afterwards, and asked him what he was going to do; he said he thought of putting his goods into the turf house, and stopping, there. I saw him again on Saturday at the house, clearing away the ruins, and getting the ashes out, he said it would not have stood much longer if it had not been burnt down. On Sunday morning, about eight o’clock, I apprehended him and, told him it was on suspicion of setting fire to the cottage, he replied, ‟Who said I set it on fire?” I told him I had received information that justified me in taking him into custody, he said. ‟Then they've got to prove that; haven’t they?”—The prisoner was remanded till Tuesday next, and it was intimated that he would probably be further remanded from time to time until Mrs. Leman should be in a condition to appear and give evidence.