A HUMAN TORCH

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 27, 23 April 1927, Page 1

A HUMAN TORCH

MAN’S GHASTLY DEATH DISCOVERY IN SCRUB PRACTICALLY BURNED ALIVE A bottle of kerosene, a razor and box of matches played a tragic part in the death of a young man at Whangarei yesterday. His body was found in circumstances which go to show that he had. apparently, burned himself alive. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WHANGAREI, To-day. A ghastly tragedy presented itself to the horrified eyes of searchers for a missing young man yesterday evening at 5 o’clock. Francis Daniel Rumbal, aged 27, employed as a porter at Whangarei Hospital, was reported missing at 10.30 o’clock on Thursday night. He was last seen alive on Maunu Road, by which the hospital is approached, by another member of the staff. Jessie Price, some time earlier. It is apparent that his intentions were suspected by his father, who stated early yesterday mornirg to a newspaper man that he did not expect to find his son alive. The fear was confirmed on the arrival of the mail at Mr. D. T. Rumbal’s house, Kamo, with a letter written by the son on the previous day intimating that he intended to commit suicide. The search party, which included the father, came on the body in the bush off the Maunu Road, only a short distance from the hospital grounds The body was found with practically every stitch of clothing burned off the trunk. Nearby was an empty bottle which had contained kerosene, a box of matches and a razor. It was evident the unfortunate young man had poured kerosene over his clothes and set fire to himself, allowing himself to be burned to death as he lay on his back in the scrub.