SUICIDE PACT?

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 83, 2 January 1930, Page 13

SUICIDE PACT?

MAN DISAPPEARS WOMAN DISCOVERED UNCONSCIOUS AUCKLAND WATERFRONT DISCOVERY Dominion Special Service. Auckland, January 1. Mysterious circumstances, including tile finding of a number of letters indicating the existence of a suicide pact, al tended the disappearance of a resident of Bdendale, Mr. John Llewellyn Davies, of Taumata Road, and the finding of a woman, Mrs. Julia Cubitt, who has been residing at the Auckland. Institute of Trained Nurses in Liverpool Street, and wiio was discovered unconscious on the eastern tide deflector this morning. Only a short distance away wire found articles of clothing belonging fo both, and a number of’letters written by both in which they stated their intention of dying together. Mrs. Cubitt was found lying in an unconscious condition ou the eastern tide deflector by Mr. B. E. Beeby, of Mount Eden Road, shortly before 8 o’clock. Mr. Beeby at once informed the Queen’s Wharf police, who immediately removed the woman to Auckland Hospital, where she was admitted in a serious condition. This evening she bad not recovered consciousness. • . - A short time prior to the finding ot Mrs. Cubitt Mr. John Filmer, of Parnell, who was walking along the waterfront, saw a man’s bat and coat, alongside which were a woman’s mackintosh, and a hat, near the Akarana Yacht Club’s shed in the King’s Drive. He saw no one in the locality and returned after an hour and a half, when he saw that the coats were still there. He then informed the Parnell police, who found a number of letters written by Mr. Davies and Mrs. Cubitt, in which both intimated that they were about to enter a suicide pact and drown themselves. One was dated 12.40 i>’i- but it is thought that this is a mistake and that 12.40 in the morning was intended. This is the only clue as to when the letters were left. The man’s overcoat, a brown tweed garment, was later identified as one similar to that which Mr. Davies had been wearing, as was the hat, a bowler, while the brown mackintosh which was found covering the whole heap of garments belongs to Mrs. Cubitt. In addition to the two coats and a lady’s small, black, felt hat there were two lady’s handbags, in which a number of small personal articles of the usual type to be found in such a handbag were seen. These included a number of letters written to Mrs. Cubitt. Search for Mr. Davies. As soon as the contents of the letters were known a search of the banking along the harbour at this point was made. Letters were found alongside the yacht club’s slipway. While Mrs. Cubitt was lying on the tide tide deflector not more than 100 yards away. Although the whole or the water’s edge was searched there was no trace of Mr. Davies, who left his home at four o’clock in the afternoon to go to town. The suggestion is that Mr. Davies was carried out by the tide, which left Mrs. Cubitt stranded on the tide deflector. Mrs. Cubitt is 33 years of age, and was divorced from her husband. There was only one child. Since her divorce she had been living with her parents in Taumata Road, but left home in August to take up her residence at the Institute of Trained Nurses. It is known that Mrs. Cubitt and the missing man had been in each other’s company for some time past. Mr. Davies’ Interesting Career. Mr. Davies, who had a wife and one child, was 45 years of age, and widely known in radio circles throughout Australia jmd New Zealand. He was one of the pioneers in wireless telegraphy (in this part of the world. He joined the Post and Telegraph Department as a cadet at Geraldine about 30 years ago. With the coming of wireless he realised its immense possibilities and specialised in the new method of communication. Before long lie was placed in charge of thet Government wireless station at the Chatham Islands. Mr. Davies enlisted at the outbreak of the war and went to Samoa with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He carried out repairs to the powerful wireless station at Apia,, which had been partially dismantled by the Germans, and,he was in charge of the station when the German cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisemiu were sighted off the island. The wireless station at Apia is in a most exposed position and might easily have been shelled, but Mr. Davies took the risk of sending out messages inform ing Australia and New Zealand of the

presence of the warships. The Germans attempted to “jam” his signals, but eventually the message got through. In recognition of this Mr Davies was subsequently awarded the Croix de Guerre.

Returning to New Zealand after the war, Mr. Davies was in charge of the wireless stations at Awarua and Awanui. He resigned from the service about six years ago, realising the commercial possibilities of broadcasting, and joined Radio, Limited, in Auckland. He established this firm as one of the leading wholesale radio businesses in New Zealand.