WOMAN’S LONELY DEATH

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 February 1930, Page 4

WOMAN’S LONELY DEATH

FATAL TRANCE WALK. I The mystery of the death of Miss Nora Emily Fonario, aged 32, of Mortlake Road, Kew, London, who was found lying naked on a large cross cut out of the turf in a sheltered spot on the island of lona, off Argyllshire, has now been solved. She died from exposure. She was an intense student of telepathy and faith healing, and often went into trances. It is concluded that while in such a trance she left, either in a naked condition, or in very scanty dress, the farmhouse where she was staying, and went to Angels Hill, where tradition has it that St. Columba, who began the Christianising of Scotland, had a vision of angels, and that there she cut out from the turf, a large cross with a table knife taken from the farmhouse. This knife was found near the body. It. was a bright, very frosty night, and, overcome by cold, Miss Fonario lay down in the shallow trench which was part of the large cross, to die of exposure. Not an article of clothing was missing from her room, her watch, rings and hairpins were on her drossing table, while the fireplace, was filled with burned papers and pamphlets. Several letters found among her belongings are in possession of the Crown authorities.