Mysterious Death

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 28, 19 August 1884, Page 2

Mysterious Death

The Wanganui Herald says : — About noon on Sunday Sergeant Bissett received notice that a dend man had been found by a child in Churton's Creek, near the residence of Mr Bayly, on the Industrial School estate. Proceeding to the spot with Constable Crozier, the body of a man was found lying in the creek in shallow water. The body presented a horrible appearance, the unfortunate man's clothes being all in rags, having been literally burnt off him and large burns appearing both on the legs, arms, and face. The unfortunate man, whose name was William Henry Paice, had evidently lain down under a hedge, taken off his boots, and fallen asleep. The fire did not awake him until he had been severely burned. Then, waking up, he had made for the nearest water, and in doing so he evidently mistook the course, as from patches of his clothing lying about, it i* seen that he had run into another gorse fence in the dark. A; out 20 yards from where he was sleeping was found part of his pants torn off in a race to the creek while further on were his purse containing a £1 note, and still nearer the creek his watch There were also large pieces of skin which had peeled off the feet as he was running. How the hedge caught fire, whether it was by ashes from the pipe of the deceased or set fire to by some person, is not known and probably never will be. The deceased was well-known here, though he worked in Feilding with Mr Simpson. He hud bern for a number of years past a memof the A.0.F., and during his connection with the Court his payments were always made promptly. He was seen in town on Friday, and had his dinner at Forder's Hotel that day.. Where he spent the intervalis not known, nor whether he slept anywhere in town that night. He has always been known as an honest and; sober man ; not at all addicted to intemperate habits. It is stated by Mr Forder, who has. k^o^cn him ior some , ysanj, that Paice had two sisters at Home, „A^ the inquest the following >erdict was returned: That the deceased died from 1 the effects of being burnt in a furze hedge' on the night of the 16th iust. or on the morning of the 17th inst., but how the fire occurred there is ho evidence to show.; i