A NORTHERN TRAGEDY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10154, 28 December 1910, Page 5

A NORTHERN TRAGEDY.

FATAL FIRE. MAN AND HIS WIFE LOSE THEIR LIVES. By Telegraph—Press Association. DARGAVILLE, Last Night. Kaipara's toll to the list of the Dominion's tragedies has been pretty considerable. Following closely on top of the Helensville murder comes the sad news of a tragedy at Na\tmai, resulting in the death of Mr and Mrs J. R. Davies, two highly respected residents of that district. From the meagre particulars to hand, it appears that about ten o'clock last night the servant girl (Miss Mort) was awakened by a noise of the crackling of nre, and she immediately saw that one of the walls of her room was' ablaze. The terrified girl leaped out of bed, and seeing the whole house in flames, she rushed to awakeen two men on the premises who were engaged as milkers. The house was all flijmc and smoke, and it was only with difficulty that they got there. The door was locked ,and there being no response ,they forced it open, and plunging into the room fell across Mrs Davies' prostrate body on thefloor. It would appear that fiiey had got up in alarm, and been suffocated. The men rushed to Mr Davies, who was in bed, and pulling him, they found the charred body of a dead man. The appalling trutK was then all too evident that both man and woman had perished in the flames and smoke. It is surmised that getting home very tired, a candle was left burning, which was the cause of the fire.