A HORRIBLE CHARGE

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 184, 6 August 1898, Page 5

A HORRIBLE CHARGE

BURNING A WOMAN TO DEATH.

AN ADELAIDE SENSATION.

ADELAIDE, July 30

A tragedy occurred to-day at Enfield, a suburb about three miles from Adelaide, which resulted in the death under most agonising conditions of

a young1 woman named Georgina Woodling, who had been filling the position' of housekeeper to Mr W. Simmons, milk vendor, of that suburb. For a considerable tame, from the story told by 'the dying" woman, Mrs Simmons, who is the second wife of the dairyman mentioned, has on more than one occasion been committed to the lunatic asylum, whence she was last discharged about- two years ago*. During her incarceration Simmons engaged Woodling to look after the home and the family. Since her release Mrs Simmons lived with her husband only occasionally, and the housekeeper continued to manage the home. About a fortnight ago she returned home and has since lived with the family on fairly friendly terms, although when angry she has been known to threaten to kill them all. On Friday morning Simmons and his eldest daughter, the step-daughter of the present wife, got up as usual shortly after two o'clock to do the milking. The deceased also got up to attend to tlie breakfast. After the milking was finished Simmons started on his rounds and the daughter returned to bed, but left for business in the city . shortly. after 7 o'clock. Nothing seems to have been seen of Mrs Simmons until about 9 o'clock, when she entered the kitchen where the deceased was engaged. She was then carrying something under her apron, while in' the other hand she held a roll of paper. As she entered the room she remarked, 'Oh, what a terrible smell,' and at the same time set fire to the paper she was carrying. Before the other woman had time to reply to the remark, Mrs Simmons drew the object, which proved to be a bedroom utensil half full of kerosene, from beneath her apron and flung the contents over Woodling, ait the same time dashing the lighted paper against her clothes, which at once took fire. She then rushed out of the house and ran up the road, leaving1 her victim to her fate, which proved to be terrible in the extreme, for she rushed out of the house, makingl frantic efforts to tear her clothes off, but in vain. Her screams, which were heard by a neighbour who lived nearly a mile "from the house,attracted the attention of some young men who were working in a quarry not far from the house, but before they could reach the spot the woman's clothes and her hair were literally burned' from her body, which presented a shocking spectacle. Medical assistance was at once called, and all that was possible was done to lesson her sufferings, but from the first the case was hopeless. The doctor afterwards stated that, with the exception of the calf of one of her legs, the woman had scarcely a particle- of uninjured skin on her body. The woman was conveyed to the hospital, where she gradually sank and died from shock* to the system at 2.20 p.m. Mrs Sydney 'Telegraph' on Friday last Simmons was immediately arrested. Deceased was thirty years of age, and had been in the employ of Simmons for about three years.