Burning of Hotels.

Coming down to more recent times than this work treats of, there are two or three striking incidents which are worthy of record. Life on Banks Peninsula has been one of serene prosperity in the main, but like every other community Peninsula people have had their periods of storm and stress, insignificant it is true in comparison with those of other less favoured localities, but marked enough to leave an impression on the minds of older residents. One event which is worthy of note is the attempted burning of the Akaroa hotels on August 28, 1882. The incendiary was never discovered, but It was fortunate that he only succeeded in burning down Waeckerle's Hotel, though he evidently wanted to destroy all. We give an extract from the "Akaroa Mail," of August 29, 1882, which gives a general description of the fires in the Borough:—

"On Monday morning some incendiary or incendiaries committed one of the most atrocioua acts ever perpetrated, In cold blood the fiend, or these fiends, in human shape, heaped a mass of gorse, saturated with kerosene, against the walls of three hotels in the borough, and, regardless of the fact that there were women and children sleeping in the upper storeys, set them on fire, "Whoever he or they were, they were thoroughly acquainted with the place and its customs. Sunday night, or rather Monday morning, was selected—the night of all others when the fewest people are about, and the time, 2 a m, was the very hour when the constable, who retires at 1 a.m., would be off the beat, There is a considerable distance between the hotels, though all are in the main street, and yet it appears they were all set on fire within a few minutes of each other. This was, no doubt, to so distract attention that the destruction of one, at least, might be assured. The attempt page 371was but too successful, Mr Bayley, of Wæckerle's Hotel, suffering very heavily, though in the other cases the insurance will cover all damage. It is a queer coincidence thai in all three cases an invalid stopping in the house gave the alarm. We shudder to think what the result might have been, but for the timely discovery in each case. The police have no clue to the discovery of the criminal or criminals. Not a soul was seen in the streets by anybody, and the one who heard anything was Mr Dench, at Wæckerle's Hotel, and he unluckily, thinking Mr Bayley was stirring, took no steps to ascertain the truth. Some people hold the idea that it is the work of a fanatic, who, in his blind fury against the liquor traffic, resolved to destroy the hotels, regardless of the consequences; but no one brings an atom of proof forward An enquiry will be held, and it is to be hoped that then something will be elicited. We append all the information we have been as yet able to gather on the subject.'

The same copy of the "Mail" gives a minute account of the fire at each hotel, but, though want of space prevents these being reproduced in full, there are one or two particulars of interest. The Bruce Hotel was then in the occupation of Mr. Grange, and it was only the determined efforts of him and his son and their neighbours which saved the hotel. The roof had to be knocked off with an axe, and water poured in before the fire was quenched. A boarder noticed the smoke in the first place, and called Mr Grange. At the Criterion Hotel, which was occupied by Mr. Rich, it was the baby which saved the situation, and he e again only the determined efforts of Mr. Rich and a number of boarders quelled the fire. As stated in the a tice quoted, Mr. Dench, of Waeckerle's Hotel, unfortunately thought it was Mr. Bayley moving about, and when he smelt smoke attached no importance to the fact. When be did call Mr. Bayley it was too late, and all that could be done was to get the people out and save what furniture they could. The enquiry was held a fortnight later before the magistrate (Mr. Justin Aylmer), but no light was thrown on the matter, It is a significant fact that the page 372hotels at Little Akaloa, Duvauchelle and another one in the County were all burnt at the same time, Mr. Dench distincily heard the incendiary who lighted Waeckerle's Hotel, and he considered it was an insane person, as he moved about his work clumsily, making a great deal of noi-e and thereby disarming any suspicion. Mad or not the criminal, or criminals, escaped detection altogether, and, in spite of the strenuous efforts made to discover his identity, the name of the perpetrator of this extraordinary hotel incendiarism was never forthcoming.

Murder at Little River.

Another incident worthy of record here is the murder committed at the Lake Forsyth Arms Hotel on October 2, 1887. Mention is made of this in the article on Little River in the second edition, but, as it created such a stir at the time, the story is worth fuller record. We give here a reproduction of a "Mail" extra published on Wednesday, October 4, 1887:—

"About ten o'clock on Monday night a murder was committed at Little River on the verandah of the Lake Forsyth Arms Hotel. It appears a party of three Russian Finns, working at Mr Coop's saw mill, went to the hotel about nine o'clock, Mr McNae, the late proprietor, was bidding good bye to his friends, and there was a good deal of joviality, songs being sung and soon, The men came in and stood there while a song was being sung, and then all three went into the dining room, where they had some refreshments by themselves. Two of the men had words. The men's names are not known, but there is one much bigger than the other two, and it is said it was the bigger man who was quarrelling with one of the small ones, while the other held aloof. After a time, however, the quarrel seemed to cease, George Robinson, the half caste, having gone in to pacify them; and they went out together at ten minutes to ten by the front door on to the verandah, No page 373noise appears to have bean heard, but a short; time afterwards a man named Leon on going out saw a man lying on the verandah, as he thought, dead drunk, and the big Finn standing a short distance off, ready for going away Leon spoke to the Finn about leaving his mate, saying it was not the right thing to leave his mate there, drunk. The Finn replied in his own tongue, as Leon understood him to mean, to the effect that his mate was all right where he was. Leon then went in, but shortly after went out again with a man named Ray, and a lad named Hichens. Hichens lit a match to look at the supposed drunken man, and holding it to his face, noticed it was ghastly white. There was a general exclamation that he was dead, and then they noticed blood on his clothes. Looking further, they found the clothes were in places saturated with blood from dreadful stabs, one of which appeared to be right in the heart, and the other in the entrails below the navel. They then ran in and gave the alarm, and it was ascertained that the man was dead. George Robinson then at once saddled his horse and started in pursuit of the big Finn, and overtook him some 200 yards from the hotel. He went up to him with a bottle saying, "mate, have a drink," and threw the man quickly, being afraid of his knife, and bound him with a strap, and others coming up he was taken to the lock up, George Robinson meanwhile going after the other Finn, whom he found between Joblin's store and Coop's mill. This man came back quietly also, and they were both locked up. Constable Ryan was away, but they were safely locked up after tibeir being searched and their coats taken from them. Nothing was found on them but some matches and tobacco. There was a little knife, quite incapable of giving the stabs, found on the smaller man, and there was a slight wound on the right hand of the bigger man, but this might have been caused by his falling on the ground. It was at once decided to communicate with Akaroa. The Telegraph Office called Akaroa, but without avail, and then there was a difficulty in getting horses. It was getting on for 3 a.m. when young Mr Hichens got page 374away with the news, and he reached Akaroa between 6 and 7 a.m., and at once Informed the police, who seat Constable Crockett off to the River. The body was left where it was till the arrival of the Constable."

There is little to add to the information already given. The murdered man's name was Max Johnson, and the murderer's Nils Jacobson, while the other man was Anders Nyman, At the inquest held at the Lake Forsyth Arms Hotel on October 5th, 1887, before W. B. Tosswill, Esq., Coroner, a verdict of wilful murder was brought against Jacobson. It seemed to be the general opinion that the man committed the crime when maddened by drink, and at his trial before the Christchurch Supreme Court on Saturday, January 14th, 1888, before Mr Justice Ward, he was found guilty of manslaughter alone, and was sentenced to penal servitude for life. The sentence was commuted later to a few years imprisonment. It is worthy of note that the residents of Little River made a presentation to Mr Geo. Robinson in recognition of his bravery in capturing the murderer.

An amusing incident is often told in connection with the Little River murder. Some of the residents, who were watching the other Finns with interest shortly after the murder, saw two of them steal away into the bush one night, and following, found them digging a grave, Thinking another tragedy had occurred, they sent a man post haste for the Akaroa police, who arrived on the scene in time to find the Finns carefully burying an old white horse of theirs, which had succumbed to old age.