DEATH BY BURNING.

Kumara Times, Issue 1520, 11 August 1881, Page 2

DEATH BY BURNING.

The Palmerston Times furnishes the following particulars of a distressing accident at Waikouaiti :

A distressing and painful accident happened at Waikouaiti on Monday last to a daughter, the eldest, we tie? lieve, of Mr Andrew Affleck, of that place. It appears that the unfortunate woman was in the act of lifting a kettle of boiling water off the fire when her apron caught fire. There being no one present at the time except a younger brother, about thirteen or fourteen years of age, who did all he could to arrest the progress of the flames but without avail, in which he and another lad who was passing got considerably scorched, the fire spread with alarming rapidity. The tcreams of the suffering woman, however, attracted the attention of some neighbours who were inspecting the wares of a hawker a short distance away, and they at once ran to her assistance, hut by this time she was enveloped in flames and presented the appearance of a hurnino' effigy. Bv great exertions the flames were gradually put out, but only to expose the body of a human being’ presenting the appearance, literally, of

having been roasted alive, the skin and 11i‘s!j being fearfully charred and burnL Ihe spectacle was heartrending to behold, and the sufferings of the unfortunate woman were of the most excruciating nature* Such applications td alleviate the intensity of pain as the exigencies of the case suggested were obtained until the arrival of Dr. Brotvn, who had been telegraphed for. Within a short time after the accident the doctor visited the podr woman, lout found the injuries to be such as to IsaVe no hopes of her recovery. About twd o clock the following morning death put an erid to her sufferings.