ELDERLY SPINSTER BURNED TO DEATH

Chronicle (Levin), 4 September 1947, Page 4

ELDERLY SPINSTER BURNED TO DEATH

WELLINGTON, Thursday. One of Petone's grandest figures, 7-2-year-old Miss Hnda Peacn Manning, lost her life when trapped in her burning cottage at Campbell Terrace this morning. Petone firemenj breaking into the cottage a few minutes after the alarm, found her lying just inside uiie door which it seemed she had tried to open when she coiiapsed and was overcome by smoke. Ten minutes later she died. The interior of the cottage presented an extraordinary scene. Practically the whole of the dilapidated littie building was fillecl with pile after piie oi' newspapers, * in some cases leaving only a- narrow passage from a small heater to the door of the room. Miss Manning had coilected them there over her residenee oi neany fifty years alone. Long rumoured tovipossess much wealth hiaden m the cottage, Miss Manning was well-known not only in Petone but in Wellington. She frequently was known to walk along . uie jciutt Ruad mto the city,. even in heavy ' rain, . oddly conspicuous m uiacx cooton stockmgs and men's white tennis snoes obviously too large. me fire is believed to have originated near the fireplace ih which a fire was burning close to a heap of paper which ignited. The firemen had some. aifficulty ih opening the door and were unable to enter by a window which was also blocked by stacks of papers. Despite the paper, however, the brigade saved most of the cottage Irom destruction. Miss Marixxiiig was a member of a pioneer Petone family., She had oeeh visited twice daily by a rela--tive living not far away.