Burnt to Death.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 958, 9 July 1881, Page 2

Burnt to Death.

An old denizen of Auckland, and a wellknown resident in our midst, named John McCarthy, met with a horrible death last Wednesday morning. He was a L shingle splitter, living in the Pipiwhaka Bush, with a mate named John Smith. Smith it appears brought home two large bottles of schnapps, and invited several persons living near, to ,-jmn him'in-consuming them. Early on Wednesday morning cries were heard close to where McCarthy had been living, and those near who went to the spot, discovered the deceased in a fearful state. His whare was .-.in flamesy-apd the unfortunate man, who had crawled out of it, was fearfully burned, from the thighs upwards. From the effects of this he subsequently died. Whether who were living close by were suffering from a drunken orgie, or whether it is that they are utterly devoid of those feelings which are supposed to aiimhtffthe hjitnsHirace, we know not, but , this we do know, after reading the depositions taken at theinquest, that the man, during his death agony, was fearfully neglected, and that even when one <n». his desire to w tell him something that individual turned calmly away, in order to get something toent, and after having eaten, he, as he himself tells'the jury, came back and found that the man was dead. i ’ r I / McCarthy was well-known to old Auckland residents, and at one time kept a public house in Queen-street. He leaves a wife and three childi’Cn. iii but for years he has npt seen them, nor, we are informed, corresponded with them., . ;• < . j kIL ! - 'v J