COWARDS AT A FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14109, 10 July 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

COWARDS AT A FIRE.

MEN WHO STOOD BY WHILE A

WOMAN WAS BURNING. A kemakkablk story of men who stood idly by while"a woman was being practically burned to death in bed was told at the inquest in Dublin on the body of Esther Kenny, aged 32. Lieutenant John Myers, of the Dublin Fire Brigade, said he Was called to 43, Cook-street, ion the Sunday morning, where he found a number of people, some of whom shouted, "There's a woman burning upstairs. I rushed upstairs," said the witness, "and, found 10 or 12 menif I may call them men—standing in the lobby looking at the burning room." With one of the firemen the witness entered the room and got the woman out of the burning bed and away to hospital. They then extinguished the fire. " I never met a bigger lot of cowards in my life," concluded the witness, " than the men were in the lobby.) If they had made an effort they, might have saved her." The woman died in hospital shortly afterwards. The jury found that death was due to shock following burns, and added that there was no evidence to show how the fire was caused." George Kenny, the woman's husband, wag brought up and remanded at the police court, charged with murdering his wife by setting fire to the bed with a paraffin lamp. When arrested he declared, " I was not there at all." ' ;;■'-;;■