BURNED TO DEATH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3776, 15 October 1907, Page 4

BURNED TO DEATH.

A tragic incident occurred at Te Karaka (Poverty Bay) on Monday night of last week resulting in the death of Mrs Maria Morris, aged 63, and well-known throughout the district. She was at home at her house with a little boy, aged eight. It is not quite clear whether hei clothing -caught alight from the embers or from a candle she had beside her. She was subject tn epileptic fits, and had a habit of sitting by the fire reading by candle light. The candle had burned to the socket and the melted wax had run through a hole made by the heat in the bottom of the candlestick. The linoleum on the floor was set on fire and the woodwork around the hearth was also ignited and burned slowly. Mrs Morris had evidently been seized with a fit.

When the boy rose early in the morning he did not detect anything out of the ordinary until he noticed smoke issuing from the room where the fire was burning. He became bewildered at the sight of the place being on fire, and he ran out and caught his horse and rode off to Mr J. Poynter’s residence, about a mile away, and gave the alarm. Mr Poynter soon got back to the house, and found the woman lying as stated, on the hearth, the room being dense with smoke and the house on fire. He pulled the burning clothes off the poor woman, and after giving her hasty attention set to and extinguished the fire, which was quickly increasing its hold on the building. Dr. Hallam was speedily sent for and did all that could be done for the sufferer, who was badly burned about the body and legs. She succumbed to her injuries at 10 o’clock at night.

The woman was conscious after being rescued and remained so until near the end. She stated that she felt no pain at all, the burns being so severe as to have deadened all sense of pain. She was able to give her depositions to the constable. The deceased had an adventurous career in the early days. She was a daughter of a business man in Napier. At the time of the massacre she was residing at Matawhero. She was captured at the same time as the Hon. Wi Pere and others. They were taken beyond Ngatapa, and Te Kooti, elated with his terrible triumph, danced about them, threatening how he was going to kill them by stabbing and otherwise. After the engagement at Makaretu, or “the first Ngatapa,” as it was called, they succeeded in getting over the range and escaping. Mrs Morris was able to supply the Government forces with reliable information concerning the movements of the rebels. She, at considerable risk to herself, conveyed to Major Briggs and others warning of Te Kooti’s intended raid. On that information precautions were taken, but as the awful after events proved, the precautions were not sufficient and the massacre was the outcome.