TRAGIC WIDOW,

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 72, 26 March 1932, Page 7

TRAGIC WIDOW,

BURNED TO DEATHALONE IN LOCKED COTTAGE. The police discovered the charved body of Mrs. Barbara Marion Selfe, 58, widow of a reputedly wealthy business man, in her cottage at Denman Parade, Normanhurst, Sydney, last week. Mrs. Selfe, who lived alone, had been dead about a week, and police say that the burns were sufficient' to have killed her. Neighbours had not seen the woman since March 3, when some one caught a glimpse of her through a window. She appeared quite well and happy. A relative, Miss Rhoda Selfe, a stepdaughter of the dead woman, visited the house shortly before ten one night. Her repeated knocking was not answered, and she became alarmed and rang the Hornsby police station. Sergeant Mathie and Detective Walsh could not open any of the doors and had to burst in the front door to get in.

Lying near the body was a butt of a cigarette, and police think that she dozed off while smoking, and was burned before she could awaken to protect herself. Senior Detective Sergeant Lynch took charge of the inquiries, with Detective Sergeant Garlick and Detective Walsh, and they were told that Mrs. Selfe had a substantial banking account, and on occasions kept large sums of money in the house. She had lived alone for some time.