BURNED TO DEATH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 10 November 1925, Page 5

BURNED TO DEATH.

FATE OF FIVE CHILDREN. TRAGEDY TO MAORI FAMILY. (BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, Nov. 9. Five Maori children—three girls and two boys—were burned to death last night at Awarua, in the Mangakahia district, near Kaikolie. It, .appears that their father, Wi Tara, at the time was away conducting a Mormon service at Kawiti, in a neighbouring district, and their mother had left the children under the care of a gii'l aged ten years, while with two elder children she attended the evening service in the Mormon church about a mile away. The mother cautioned the children as she left, to go to bed. A neighbour who passed the house shortly after the mother had left saw two of the children laughing and playing outside the house. The other children were playing inside. Some tilne between 8 and 8.30 o’clock a Maori, who was -attending the Mormon service, had occasion to go outside for a drink of water, and to his horror he saw flames leaping above the enclosure of wattle trees that surrounded Wi Tara’s house. He immediately alarmed the congregation and dashed across the country with the rest of the natives to the scene of the fire. They found the building entirely destroyed,. only the chimney standing among the flaming and smoking mins. A search failed to reveal any of the children, and as soon as the red hot roofing iron could he handled an effort was made to find their bodies. The remains of the three youngest were found close together where their bed had been, and the remains of the oldest lx>v at the spot where his bed had stood. The eledest girl’s remains were found a couple of yards from where her bed had been.

Apparently the youngest four were suffocated in their sleep, while the eldest was overcome as’ she ’was endeavouring to escape from the flames. Constable Clausen with Mr. T. Guerin, J.P., proceeded to the scene of the tragedy.’ The mother, who alone could afford any information, was in such a state of collapse that the inquest was adjourned for a fortnight;