SINGULAR SUICIDE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 60, 3 June 1942, Page 5

SINGULAR SUICIDE

CASE AT TE TEKO MAORI WOMAN'S DEATH The Te Teko district was horrified at the manner of the death of a well known and respected! young Maori woman, Nora Teua, who committed suicide by setting fire to herself last Mond'ay, after first having Saturated her clothing with kerosene. The ycning woman was aged 30 years and was the wife of Kakalio Teua, their home, being situated on the Galatea Road. On the morning of Monday, June Ist, she locked herself in her room prior to her luis-* band's -departure for Te Teko. it was- obvious that she was depressed. When he returned, that evening she "was still in her room but from the way she was speaking he coneluded that something was wrong and triedi to force the door. Not being successful in this he next went to an outside window and smashed the pane intending to unfasten it from the inside. Immediately he did this, lie states his wife whose clothing had been apparently saturated with kerosene set herself ablaze and in a mass of flames came running across the room to him. Teua with his' bare hands broke the frame and. pulled her bodily through, burning his own hands and face in the process. In spite of hisi efforts to put out the flames; he was unsuccessful and his wife died within five minutes of being taken outside. The inquest will be held to-day.