TRIAL BY FIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 8, 10 June 1913, Page 8

TRIAL BY FIRE.

' SUPERSTITION IN CANADA.

WOMAN BURNED TO DEATH.

(Sydney Sun Special.) / Vancouver, May 31.

A '"trial by ordeal" in the old Saxon way resulted in a young Galician woman being burned to death at. Winnipeg yesterday. Steve Zahrynuk, accused his ' wife, Annie, a bride of a month, of having been unfaithful to him. She protested that she was innocent, and consented to being tried by the ordeal •of Are, to show the truth of her declaration.

With his wife's full approval, Zahrynuk then saturated her clothing with oil and touched a lighted match to it. He firmlv believed that if she were not guilty her clothing would not burn; but the match no sooner touched her oilsodilen clothes than the woman was envelope! in flame.

Dr'en mad with anguish, she burst out of the house. Her now terrified husband ran after her and tried to beat out the fire, but could not do so until nearly all her clothing had been burnt oil. She was taken to a hospital, where she died.

Zuhrvnuk was arrested, and will be tried for manslaughter. [Trial by ordeal existed in England till late feudal times. A man accused of a crime would consent to or be subject oil (o a form of torture. If he showed 110 sign of being in pain, it was taken to mean that he had vindicated his innocence.]