FATAL FIRES.
A WOMAN BURNED TO DEATH.
About half-past 6 o'clock yesterday morning a fire, attended with fatal results, broke out in a wretched-looking hovel at the back of the Rising Sun Hotel, Walker street. It appears that a woman named Mrs Gibson was going down the right-of-way at the side of the hotel, when she saw smoke coming from the dwelling above referred to. She quickly gave the alarm, and a man residing near at hand, named David Williams, broke open the door and endeavoured to effect an entrance, but he was driven back by the smoke. Two other men subsequently arrived on the scene and succeeded in getting into the house and extinguishing the flames. When this had been done the dead body of the inmate of of the house was found lying on the floor close to the bed. The remains were those of an old woman 84 years of age, who was known as Granny Joyce. She had once been an inmate of the Benevolent Institution, and at the time of her death was receiving relief from the institution. She was last seen alive by a little girl named Harriet Elson, who waited upon her. This was about 7 o'clock on the evening previous to the fire. Mrs Joyce was then in bed, and the girl placed a bottle of hot water to her Feet. She subsequently left the house, leaving a small fire burning in the grate. Mrs Joyce's bed at that time, as was usually the case, was in close vicinity to the fireplace, and it is surmised that the bedclothes caught fire and suffocated the inmate of the house before she could make her escape. -Otago Daily Times, 4/9/1886.
An inquest was held at the Resident Magistrate's Court-house, before Mr Coroner Carew and a jury of six, this morning, in reference to the death of Mary Joyce, who was burnt in Walker street yesterday. Harriet Elson (14) stated that on Thursday evening she went into the deceased's house to see her to bed. The deceased generally had a fire burning all night, but witness noticed on Thursday that it was unusually large. She wanted the deceased to give her the key of the place, so that her mother could go in later on and see that the fire was all right, but deceased objected. Her bed was quite close to the fireplace. Jane Gibson and David Williams were called to prove the occurrence of the fire, and Edward Rayner stated that he forced his way into the deceased's house, and found her body lying right across the fireplace. It was badly burnt and life was extinct. George Elson and Police-sergeant Gearin also gave evidence. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death by suffocation." -Evening Star, 4/9/1886.
Mary Joyce lies in Dunedin's Northern Cemetery.
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