BURNED TO DEATH

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8652, 10 February 1914, Page 6

BURNED TO DEATH

THE DIXON STREET FIRE INQUEST ON THE VICTIM. An inquest was opened by the coroner (Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M.) yesterday afternoon into the circumstances surrounding the death of William James Martin, a man twenty-seven years of age, who was found dead in tho house at No. 104, Dixon street, after the premises were burnt on Friday evening last. Sergeant Taylor appeared for the police, and Mr J. O’Shea for the City Corporation. Laura Bolton, mother of the deceased, stated that she last saw her son at about 7 o’clock on Friday evening at tho dining-room table in the house. Deceased was quite sober at the time, and had had only one glass of beer to her knowledge during th© day. Witness went out then and deceased was left alone in the house, except for an elderly man named Morrison, who was asleep upstairs. There had not been any fire alight in the house since the Wednesday before. Witness had no idea of the cause of the lire. The deceased was only a visitor to Wellington, and was to have joined Wirth’s circus. Tho house was fitted with gas lights. The furniture was uninsured, and witness lost everything. William Bolton, step-father of the deceased, a wharf labourer, said that ho was smoking in the dining-room after 5 o’clock, and when ho went out shortly after 7 o’clock with his wife he was smoking a., pipe. Peter Morrison, seaman and wharf labourer, said that on Friday evening witness retired .to bed early, and was awakened by the presence of smoke in his room. Looking out of the window, from where tho smoke appeared to be coming he saw that the house w’as well alight, so ho threw his clothes out of tho window and descended to the ground by tho fireoscape.

Robert Quirk, horse-breaker, who resided at 104, Dixon street, said he saw the deceased at about 7 o’clock on Friday evening, and ho was then quite sobor. Harry Tait, superintendent of the Fire Brigade, said that when the brigade arrived on the scene the house was well alight. The fire appeared to be burning most fiercely in the front room. It was an old wooden house of two storeys, containing six rooms. After the firemen entered the building a body was discovered in the middle room downstairs. Witness understood this room to have been used as the dining-room. By the attitude of the body, witness considered that deceased had been sitting at a table.

To Mr O’Shea: The brigade left the station within one minute of receiving the alarm. Witness understood that steps had been taken to alarm the inmates of the house, but witness did not know who did this. The inquest was then adjourned until 9.30 on Wednesday morning.’