SHOCKING OCCURRENCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 426, 10 April 1880, Page 21

SHOCKING OCCURRENCE.

A WOMAN BURNT TO DEATH. One of the most shocking deaths that has ever taken place in Wellington occurred between 10 p.m. on Thursday night, April 1, and 8 o'clock next morning, the victim being a Miss McColl, who for the last two years had been acting as housekeeper to Mr. McLaghan, a well-known settler residing on Wellington-terrace, nearly opposite the Clubhouse. Shortly after 8 o'clock information was given to the police that a woman had been burnt to death in the house in question, and Sergeant Price at once hurried to the spot, when on entering the front room of the lower floor a most shocking sight met his view. There on the floor lay the body of a woman scorched and charred from head to foot, and with the features quite unrecognisable. The body was lying on its back, and every stitch of clothing had been burnt away, with the exception of the stays and the right boot. The left boot had evidently been taken off, and lay on the floor, as did also the bonnet of the deceased. There was evidence of a portion of the wall having been burnt about three feet above where the body was lying, and the remnants of the unfortunate woman's clothing in the shape of tinder seemed to have blown between the body and the wall. Inquiries of Mr. McLaghan elicited the following facts—That the deceased, who had been in his service as housekeeper for the last two years, had been drinking heavily for the last ten days, and that when he left her at 10 o'clock on the previous night to go to bed she was lying on the sofa in a state of intoxication. The candle was burning on the table, and Mr. McLaghan thought she would go up to - ' her bed all right, as she had done on former occasions under similar circumstances. From all appearances it would seem that she made an effort to do this ; that her clothes caught fire, and that she then staggered on to the chair by the wall, which she probably set on fire at the place described. She must then have fallen on to the ground, and been burnt to death, and how the entire house escaped destruction is truly marvellous. Mr. McLaghan states that he. heard no noise in the night, and that he smelt nothing peculiar. When the man came with the milk in the morning he went down stairs to take it in, and then for the first time became aware of the horrible catastrophe that had taken place during the night. The deceased was 68 years of age, and had been in Wellington between 14 and 15 years. INQUEST. An inquest was held on the body at the National Hotel at 2 o'clock on April 2 afternoon, before Dr. Johnston, coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr. George Dutton was foreman. In opening the matter to the jury the coroner said the case of death which they had to investigate had been a most dreadful one. The deceased had gone to sleep in the sittingroom on the previous night in *a condition in which she did not appear to have been quite capable of taking care of herself, and the next morning she had been found lying on the floor completely burnt, and it was evident that she must have met with a terrible death. He was afraid there was not much evidence to bring before them, but all that was available they would have. The jury then proceeded to view the body lying in the room where the accident had occurred.

On returning the Coroner again briefly addressed them. He said he would not detain them by any lengthy remarks, but the only thino - which he could not help mentioning was that he believed the unfortunate woman had been drinking very hard lately, and that on the previous night she was in an advanced state of intoxication, and when he reflected that this was the third consecutive inquest he had attended in a small town like Wellington in less than three weeks, where the deaths were directly attributable to excessive drinking, it came home to him more than it would do to them who had not to attend these inquests as he had, and who consequently did not see so much of this sort of thing as he did. The increase of intemperance was something alarming and something dreadful, and he did hope there would be some improvement in our midst in this respect in future.

The following witnesses were then called :

John McLaghan deposed : I am a builder, residing on Wellington-terrace. I knew the deceased. She was myjjhousekeeper, and had been so. over two years. She was about 60 years of age. No one else lived in the house with us. I last saw her alone about 10 o'clock last night. She was then pretty well to all appearance, but she was not sober. She had been over a week drinking, and was then pretty well under the influence of liquor. She would perhaps keep from drink a long time, and then drink heavily. She had been drinking hard for the last eight or nine days. She was drunk every day. She used to drink in the house by herself. She would drink outside of the house too. I can't say if she had friends who used to drink with her. I had been in the house last night all the evening, although I had been down the Beach a little. I did not see her drinking, but I saw that she was getting worse. I did not encourage her in it. I do not know what she drank. She bought it herself. I had been sitting in the same room with her during the evening, and at 10 o'clock I told her I was going to bed. She was lying on the sofa all the evening. She got no tea. I helped myself, as she was too drunk to get it for me. I offered to give her some tea, but I don't know if she took it or not. She could not stand or walk without staggering. I was out about half an hour ; when I came back there was no change in her ; she was still lying on the sofa. She had done no work efficiently for several days. She generally slept in the room above, and about 10 o'clock last night I asked her to go to bed. She answered me, but I cannot tell what she said. She did not go upstairs. She refused so far that she did not attempt to get up. I then told her that I was going to bed. The Coroner : Were you not afraid to leave her there in the room by herself, with a lighted candle, in the condition she was in ? Was the candle lighted ? Witness : Yes ; it was on the table.

The Coroner : I have known you for a good many years, and I have never seen you drunk, but anybody who did not know you would think that you were very drunk. Now, I know you don't drink, and your conduct is very odd. It seems strange that you cannot tell us more.

Witness : How can I tell you more than I know ?

Coroner : And you were not afraid or alarmed at leaving her there with a lighted candle ?

Witness : No. I have done so before, and she has taken it to her room all right. I went to bed, leaving the candle on the table where it is now. I went straight to bed. I tried to get her to go upstairs ; I helped her up, and tried to get her up the stairs, but she had not the strength to raise herself. It is not a new experience with me—she has often been in the same way. I can't say if I lifted her up from the sofa. I don't think she would allow me. I tried to get her up—that is the long and the short of the thing. I could not tell you exactly whether I tried to raise her off the sofa ; I did what I could. The Coroner : And you left her to take her chance in this way, with a lighted candle on the table, and only spoke to her. ? Witness : I did more than speak to her. What did you do ? —There was so much doing that I really forget. Tell us some part of it ?—I tried to get her up to bed. Did you pull at her ? The witness replied, but his reply was perfectly incomprehensible. The Coroner : It seems an extraordinary thing to leave a woman drunk on the sofa who could not speak, leaving the candle there. Witness : She could speak well enough. Did you put your.hand under her to raise her from the sofa ?

Of course I did. I tried to help her up with my hands, but she resisted, and lay back on" the sofa again. I couldn't say she was helplessly drunk. I went straight to bed when I found she would not come. I sleep upstairs in the room looking towards the Terrace. She used to sleep in the other room, facing the beach. It was after ten when I went to bed. I heard nothing of the deceased all night, and felt no sense of smoke or burning. I got up this morning before eight o'clock. I smelt nothing unusual. I came down stairs to get the milk at the door. I took it in a jug which I found in the cupboard inside the room in which the deceased was afterwards found. When I looked in I saw there was something wrong. I did not say anything to the milkman. I did not think anything about it, but I got the milk. I could not say what was wrong at the time.

Coroner : You did not stop to look in the room ?

Witness : It did not signify much. Coroner : Indeed, it does signify. The Foreman : These are very strange answers.

The Coroner : You mean to say that you saw her there and did not give the alarm ? It is very strange that you did not say to the milkman " There is something the matter, come in here." But you said nothing of the kind?

Witness : I did not say anything to him, because I did not know what was wrong. I took the milk in, and did not mention the circumstance to the milkman. After I had taken the milk in I shut the front door, and went into the room and saw the body.

Coroner : What ! went into the room to see what was the matter ?

Witness : I don't know, but I saw her lying on the floor all burnt, and quite dead, just as she is now.

What did you do when you found her ?—I don't know what I did.

Who did you tell first about the matter ? The first one I came across.

Did you tell anyone ?—Yes ; I did not keep it a secret.

Did you not go for someone ? —No ; but when I saw somebody they told me not to remove the body.

When you saw her first lying on the floor what did you do ? —I think I went out of the front door and spoke to some one ; I cannot tell you who it was. I think I went to the Rev. Mr. Paterson first. He told me I had better go and tell the police, which I did at once. The police returned with me, and took charge of the house. By the Foreman : I can't recollect leaving her drunk on the sofa with a lighted candle on the table. I could not be sure of this, but at time 3 when she was drinkiug she has brought the lighted candle upstairs. I have often left her downstairs drunk on the sofa. The Coroner : We had better get Mr. AlcLaghan's signature, and let him go. We can't get any sense out of him. By Sergeant Anderson: There was no fire in the grate when I went to bed. I shut the door of the downstairs room, and I think it was shut in the morning. When I opened it in the morning I detected no smell of burning. I left her a couple of inches of candle—enough to serve her to go bed with. It was on the table in the same place as it is now. The Sergeant : Had you been drinking anything yesterday?—Witness: I had only had two drinks. I had something at noon and something at 10 o'clock at night. I had a glass of gin in my own house in the morning. The Sergeant : Do you keep a supply in the house ?

Witness : I have as much as will do me,

Did you give the deceased any ? No; never. I took no more until about 10 o'clock at night, just before going to bed, when I had another glass of gin. I suppose it; was gin. A glass or thereabouts. I took it pretty full—that is what I call thereabouts.

The sergeant explained that the reason for asking these questions was because the witness's memory seemed so very defective. Witness continued : This morning when I entered the room' downstairs the candlestick was in the same place as I had seen it last, but the candle had burnt out. I saw some burning on the wall. The Rev. James Paterson deposed : I am a minister of the Presbyterian Lhur'ch of NewZealand, residing on the Terrace, next door to the last witness. I have known him a good many years—nearly twelve. He is my landlord. I knew the deceased during the time shewas housekeeper to him. She was addicted to di-ink at times. About 8 o'clock this morning the last witness came to my house. He was evidently very excited and shocked, and said "It is a sad end she has come to,-" or '* She has come to this at last." I said " What is ?"' He replied, "She is burned." I said " Who ? Miss McColl?" |He replied "Yes" I asked if she was badly burned, and he replied "She is dead." I went in with him,, and gave a look into the room, but it was so painful a sight that I had to leave immediately. I think he said " Should we lift her on to th • sofa ?" T replied, " No, leave her and everything exactly as it is, and go and inform the po ice." I believe Mr. McLaghan is a very temperate man,, but he is ordered by the doctor to take a little gin once or twice a day. He is a very sober and quiet man in every way. I have neverseen him the worse for drink all the while I have known him. I knew Miss McColl used to drink. It is about a year ago since she wasbad before. She had been keeping sober since. She was a very nice, clean woman when shewas not drinking. By Sergeant Anderson : Mr. McLaghan's memory is failing very much of late. He is--getting up in years. I suppose hie is 76 or 77 years of age. Mr. McLaghan, when asked by the coroner his age, said he was turned 76. Ewen McColl deposed : The deceased wasmy sister. She came from Arygleshire, in Scotland. She was not married. She was 68> years of age. She had been fifteen years in Wellington, and about two years ago went as a housekeeper to Mr. McLaghan. Shewas at my place last Monday night, but I wagnot at home, but my wife told me she wasall right—that is quite sober. I have had complaints three times about her giving way to fits of intemperance, but she has not been drinking for the last twelve months. Yesterday Mr. McLaghan came to my house and told me she was at it again. I intended to see her last evening, but I was too busy. Sergeant John Price deposed : I wa3 called to the house of McLaghan at a quarter pasteight this morning. I found the body of deceased lying stretched across the floor on her back. All the clothes had been burnt off her except the stays. The body was verymuch burnt. Her riarht boot was on, and her left foot was bare and very much burnt. There were two candlesticks in the room. On thewall opposite the window I found that a hole had been burnt through the paper and scrim about 14 or 15 inches long and perhaps 8 or 9 inches wide. There was a chair standing close to the hole, and on close examination I saw some hair sticking to the wall. Some of it was singed. It looked as if the deceased had been sitting on the chair, with her head against the wall. There was not much disorder in the room. I also noticed a box of wax matches on the side-board. The Coroner said he did not know that they could get any more evidence. The movements of the deceased must be wrapped in mystery. It appeared to him that she had roused herself up after Mr. McLaghan had retired, and had then got up with the intention of going to bed. She had then probably staggered against the light. She then seemed to have sat upon the chair while her clothes and her hair were on fire, and seemed to have been in the act of taking her boots off when she fell upon the floor. Her clothes being mostly woollen would smoulder a good deal,, and she would soon be smothered. That so far as he could see would be the probable facts that led to the dreadful death of the deceased.

The Jury after a short consultation returned the following verdict :—" That the deceased came to her death by being accidentally burned while in a state of intoxication."