GIRL'S MYSTERIOUS DEATH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 1025, 3 August 1911, Page 4

GIRL'S MYSTERIOUS DEATH.

“I DREAMT THAT I WAS BURNING.

Extraordinary stories were told at an inquest held in London recently on Elizabeth Prideaux Mantle, an assistant in the jewellery department at Messrs Dickius and Jones, Regent street, who died from blood-poisoning caused by burns.

Louisa Owen, assistant housekeeper for the firm, stated that Miss Mantle screamed and knocked at her door at 2.15 on the morning of May 28th. “ I opened the door, and asked her what was the matter,” Miss Owen added. She replied, 11 It is nothing; lam sorry I disturbed you. I dreamt I was burning. ‘ Are you sure you are all right ?’ I asked her, and she answered, ‘ Perfectly right, thank you. Good night.’ “ Three minutes later, not feeling satisfied, I went to her bedroom and saw water running from under the door, ‘‘She opened the door, and I noticed that she was wearing a red dressing-gown. While talking it flew open, and I saw some red flesh. I asked her what it was, and she replied, ‘ Only a burn,’ and expressed a desire that no notice should be taken of it. However, I called the head housekeeper, who rubbed oil on the burn. 41 Miss Mantle said, ‘ I will never use one of those horrid lamps again,” but I saw no lamp. Candles were afterwards found mixed up with clothes in the room, which is lighted by electricity.” Mary Eleanor Theaksgor, the head housekeeper, stated that Miss Mantle did not explain how the accident occurred, but frequently said, “ I will never use methylated spirits again. It is all my own doing. No one else is to blame. I am thankful I kept the fire from spreading.” Eater she found some methylated spirit in a claret bottle under the washstand.

Mrs Emma Jane Whittaker, of Derby, stated that she saw Miss Mantle, who was her cousin, at the Middlesex hospital. “ She was conscious,” Mrs Whittaker added, ‘‘and said, ‘I could not sleep on the premises on Saturday night on account of the heat. I lit a candle, and my flimsy night-dress caught fire in consequence of the draught from an open window. ‘‘ ‘ My one thought was to prevent the fire from spreading. I slipped out of my night-dress and poured water on it to extinguish the flames.’ “ Miss Mantle added that she was badly burnt, and did not think of it for the moment, as she was so thankful she was able to prevent the fire spreading. “ By pouring water on the burning night-dress she actually extinguished the flames. The night-dress was of thin cotton.” Mr T. C. Summerhayes, who represented Messrs Dickins and Jones, said that one of the regulations of the firm was that methylated spirit and caudles were not to be used. The coroner stated that as methylated spirit had been mentioned, the case must be reported to the Home Office, and he adjourned the inquest for a week.