Daniels v. Commonwealth

Roger Daniels, a married man who lived with his wife and three small children, was convicted of arson and has appealed.

The burning occurred on the night of September 5, 1937. The fire was of incendiary origin; gasoline and oil had been spread upon the basement floor and set on fire. None of the family was at home on that occasion but had gone down to the bay shore for the weekend. They left late Saturday night, and the fire occurred on Sunday night or early Monday morning, which was Labor Day. The house itself was owned jointly by the husband and wife.

Edward Honesty, a colored boy, had worked…