WAIKANAE FIRE FATALITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2653, 8 November 1909, Page 4

WAIKANAE FIRE FATALITY.

INQUEST ON THE VICTIM.

An enquiry into the circumstances .surrounding the death of the ag e( l Maori woman named Heni Willoughby, who perished in the Waikanae fire .fatality on Thursday night, was conducted at the Courthouse on Saturday by W. A. Barton S.M. 1 Sergeant Hutton conducted the enquiry on behalf of the Police. Mr W. L. Rees appeared on behalf of the Native relatives of the deceased, and Mr XI. J. Finn watched the proceedings on behalf of Henry Willoughby, the husband of deceased. Bowen. Elvey Barnett, accountant at the Bank of New South Wales, said that about 9 p.m. on Thursday he was at the Waikanae beach about 80 yards from the w'hare occupied by the deceased. He could smell something burning and noticed what appeared to lie a fire on the roof. He went across to the whare, and found it to be thoroughly on fire, the Haines having broken both back and front windows. He saw no person in the vicinity when he went over, but a moment afterwards two other persons arrived on the scene. One of them was a Maori named Tlios. Sidney, and the other was Edward Tittley. He asked them if anyone was inside, and Sidney replied, “Yes, Heni.” Sidney opened the door and attempted to enter, but was driven back by the flames. He (witness) could see inside the house, and saw what appeared to be a table and a chair on fire. The Haines appeared to bo strongest in the region of the hack part of the kitchen. Later on Willoughby came on the scene. On being asked by witness where his wile was, Willoughby replied : “I left her in bed about an hour ago.” Willoughby was staggering and he (witness) thought that Willoughby was under the influence of drink. The first two men came from the direction of the town. Thomas Sidney, laborer, of Te Karaka, said that about 8.30 p.m. on the night of the fire he went to the deceased’s whare. He saw there Willoughby, Tittley and the deceased. Deceased was asleep on the bed near the fireplace in the kitchen and the men were in the same room. Tittley left the house about 8.40 p.m., and be (witness) and Willoughby left about, two minutes later, going over to Mrs Collier’s bouse, about 60 yards distant. When lie was closing the door of Collier’s house he noticed the door or deceased’s whare open, and both he and Willoughby went back and shut it, but neither of them went inside. After they had shut the door Tittley returned to the whare, carrying two bottles of beer. The three of them then went back to Collier’s and sat down and consumed the liquor. About a quarter of an hour later he suggested to Willoughby and Tittley that they should go home as be was sleepy. He went to the door to let them out and noticed a strong glare in the window’s of deceased’s whare. He ran over and broke open the door, when Mr Barnett came along, but tne flames were so fierce that he could not enter the house. He heard no sound inside the whare, and about two minutes later he was joined by Willoughby and Tittley. When they left the whare there was a candle burning on the mantelpiece in the kitchen, it was nearly a full candle, fixed in the candlestick. There was a very small fire in the open fireplace. Edward Tittley, laborer, said that on 4th instant, the day of the fire, he was with Harry Willoughby from 1 p.m. or 2 p.m., and between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. went to Willoughby’s whare with him. When they got there Thomas Sidney was talking to deceased, who was lying on the bed. He (Tittley) had been drinking that day, but bad none in Willoughby’s house. Sidney left the whare and returned between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. and they then all left the house together, the witness going to fetch two bottles of beer. After getting the beer he rejoined Willoughby and Sidney and went to Collier’s. He purchased the beer with his own money, and when they got to Collier’s they dran'k it. Sidney called out “fire” when they were getting up to go. He (witness) went over to the deceased’s whare and saw it to be on fire. He tried to enter, but was driven back by the flames. When they left the whare, there was a candle in a candlestick on the mantelpiece near deceased's bed. He bad seen the human remains in the Morgue, and believed them to be those of Heni Willoughby, wlio as far as he knew,, was the only person in the house at the time.

Henry Willoughby, the husband of the deceased, said that on the night of the fire he was in company with Sidney and Tittley in the whare. Deceased remained on the bed in the kitchen when they all went out. He lit a candle about a quarter of an hour before leaving the whare, and placed it in a candlestick on a table about four feet from the bed. Deceased was in the habit of keeping a candle alight all. night. The table was quite bare when he placed the candlestick upon it, and the tliree of them loft the house together. He and Sidney went to Mrs Collier’s, and Tittley went into town. Tittley rejoined them about half an hour later, outside the deceased’s whare, having come up town to get two bottles of beer. They all then went to Collier’s and drank the beer. When the alarm of fire was given he could see that it was deceased’s whare ablaze. He went over and saw the flames coming out of the door and windows. When they left the whare there was no other person in the house except deceased. To the best of his belief the remains at the Morgue were those fof his wife, Heni Willoughby. Isabella Erickson that she had known deceased for over twenty years. She (deceased) had been in the habit of always going to sleep with a lighted candle in her room. Deceased had stayed at her residence at times, and about 6 months ago set a table cloth on fire. On last Saturday night she saw deceased at her whare, where she had a lighted candle in a candlestick inside a bracket under the table. She told deceased that such a thing would be likely to set the house oil fire. She took the candle from under the table and placed it in a safe position. Sergeant Hutton stated that on the night of the 4th inst. a few minutes after 9 p.m., owing to an alarm of fire, he went to the Waikauae beach and saw the whare of deceased on fire. The heat was so intense as to make it impossible to approach nearer than a few yards without getting scorched. After the building had collapsed, the remains of some person^were visible in the outer room'on the Kaiti side of the building. The flames were subdued by means of a few buckets of water, and lie subsequently recovered the remains. The remains were those of a female, indicated by the charred clothing, and to the best of his knowledge and belief were those of Heni Willoughby. With the assistance of Const. Pratt he took the remains to the morgue. On Lis arrival at the scene, of the fire he made search in the vicinity and found deceased’s husband in a state of helpless drunkenness. This concluded the evidence and the Coroner returned a verdict to the effect

that in his opinion deceased met her Heath by being burned in her dwells during a hre on the night of the 4.1, instant but that there is no evidence o & how- the fire originated. ;'l am of the opinion,” continued the toimer “that the husband of deceased is morally responsible for her death, as he was drinking in an adjoining house and was in a state of helpless insobriety.”