Commonwealth v. Cockfield

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Benjamin R. Jones,

The basic, question raised upon this appeal is whether the search of an automobile and the seizure of some of the contents of the trunk of that automobile were incidental to a concededly valid arrest.

In the early morning of April 7, 1960, a dwelling house, located on North Frazier. Street, Philadelphia, and occupied by a Mrs. Quattlebaum (the deceased), and her two small children, was destroyed by fire and its occupants burned to death. While the fire was still burning, Detective Raifer went to the scene of - the fire where he learned that “the fire had…