FOUND DROWNED ON THE PETONE BEACH
Man's Body Washed Up At Western End.
"All Right; Good-Bye."
The body of a man named Denne Clement Twyneham was discovered washed up on the western side of the Petone beach, at 10 o'clock, yesterday morning.
An inquest held by Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., yesterday afternoon, revealed the fact that the man was thirty-four years of age and married.
Ethel Adelaide Twyneham, shopkeeper, residing at Petone, in evidence, said that she was the wife of the deceased. They had been separated since December last. Twyneham had come to see her at her house on Wednesday afternoon, and apologised because he had not been paying her any maintenance money, as he was out of work. He had wanted to stop, but she had refused him.
"All right; good-bye," he said, and flung himself off. Next morning she found two bundles of his clothes, which be had evidently flung over her back fence. He was addicted to drunkenness; that was a reason for their separation. He had previously been a commercial traveller in the South Island; but latterly was employed in a hotel at Picton.
Evidence was given that he was last seen in the Victoria Hotel, Petone, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
It was stated that deceased had been gassed at the front. He was charged at the Magistrate's Court some months ago for attempting to commit suicide by swallowing "Rough on Rats," and was ordered to come up for sentence when called upon.
Police evidence was to the effect that Twyneham was anything but a pleasant man to live with. "He would sell the very bed from under the woman," the sergeant remarked.
The coroner found that death was due to drowning. No relatives of the deceased man are known.
Source: New Zealand Times, 2 June 1922, Page 4.