The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-08-16
A VERY CURIOUS STORY.
TIE Career Of the Two Rich Sisters Who
Hanged Ttemsel, es.

front tie Chicogo Time.
The tw Trowbridgc sisters who con-
mittcd suicide by hanging, leaving their
dwarf sister, Mona, to tell the story OF
the tragedy. were born to a competence,
if not to wealth. They were well educa-
ted. They made good social attractions.
Certainly few girls had better prospects
than they. When one was IS and the
other - their mother died, and three
years later their father married again.
The stepmother was a most amlabie
woman. but the girls looked ON their
father remarIiage not simply as an act
of disrcspect to their dead mother, but as
Il robbery of them. From this time the
mental peculiarities of the two ladies be-
gan to be conspicuous. They were intel
ligent and well-brcd, and their society
pable of making the most unkind and I'M
true accusations against their father, and
of making miserable their stcpmother.
The young ladies' visited Europe at
their fathers expense. For their conven-
fence after their return he kept Il car
riagc Their surroundings seemed abund-
antly satisfactory. But the soreness de-
vcloped by their fathers rcmarriage was
increased as time slipped by. and the
prospect of their marrying millionaircS
and shining i'll society became more FAINT.
Advancing age led their father twelve
wears ago, to retire from business and
l., 20 law
This the two daughters bitterly opposed.
1t was in their minds one more act Of
robbery perpctratcd at their expense. If
their father remained III business his in
crcasing fortune would add to their1meanS
sooner or later. If he went out of bust
ness it would put IN cxtinguiSher on their
/ hopes of being rich. and more than that,
/ it opencd the Gates of wealth to their
married sister. \ very moderate amount
| of broo;,ing over this new disappointment
was enough to make them see i'll their
| fathers retirement nothing but an act
of hostility to them and of partiality for
/ the married daughter.
| The father retired with an income of
| $4,000 year. but the panic of 1913 re-
| duced his means. and he had to dispense
with his carriage. Here was another
bitter disappointment. The only object
! of their existence was to lead the social
world. and the loss of the carriage put an
! end apparently to this.
In the meantime the constant COM
plants and chickering's of these two daugll-
ters had made their stcpmother'S life Il
I burden to her, and at last they induced
their father to refuse to provide longer
for his wife. and she left her home and
returned to Eastern friends. The father
was very fond of his daughters, and
sought by all means in his power to pla-
cate them and preserve peace i'll the fam
| ilv. In 1915 he began proceedings for
divorce from his wife on a charge of descr-
ton but the deSertion was not very clear
w made out. However. by agreement,
a decree of divorce was entered, the huS-
band agreeing to pay So, 1000 as alimony.
The wife died broken-hcarted two years
ago.
About two years ago the two discomfort
ted daughters, who had been joined by
their sister Mona, demanded of then
father that he divide his property with
them then instead of leaving the matter
to be done after his death. He complied
and gave the two older daughters real eS-
tate worth $4,000. being two stores
numbered 141 and 149 I!alsted street. and
a cottage on Fortv-titth street. and on
the Youngest of the three he settled S:5t
a month The three had an income OF
81. 800 or more: They took 4 house OF
the west side. moved to another one, re
turned to the south side. moving frequent
", and had lived at l26 Langley avenue
only since the LIST of last May.
\ man with grievance may keep him
self in tolerabie mental health by keep
ing himself constantly occupied. But
these three women had nothing to do
They were not even obliged to do theil
own housework, for they kept servant
They had no work to do-no real anxiety
about their support, though they create,
AN imaginary anxiety on that point
Things had not turned out as they haC
hoped. They We're single, i'll moderate
circumstances. and comparatively un
known. whereas they had hoped to bt
married. rich and the observed of all oh
servers. To make things worse, theil
sister was married and rich, and rode il
her carriage. They had little to do al
day but to contrast their condition will
some imaginary condition which might
have been theirs. They grew into the
idea that all the world was against them
and. having injured their mental vision
in one respect, it speedily became I'M
trustworthy i'll all others. Not content
with breaking up their fathers house
they charged him with criminality. ant
undoubtedly they believed that he wa:
guilty. lust as they doubtless fully be
licvcd that all the world was trying tt
rob and disappoint them. They with
Dir. W from society. and sat i'll their house
brooding all day long over their trouble'
real ana fictitious. till those troubles
became in their eyes the chictteSt thing
in the world They imagined everybody
knew all about their affairs, and that near
" everybody was hostile to them. That
tragic self-conceit which led the Older
two to decide that the youngest SHOULD
live, lest an anxious world should never
know what they died lor, characterized
all that they did.
After living on the west side the sisters
concluded that they preferred to live OF
the south side. and they called on the
Rev. Charles Hall Everest to know if il
would do for them to return to Plymouth
Church They imagined that a very
strong feeling had been created III the
church against them. and that opposition
to their return would be manifested. A:
matter of fact they were but little known
in the church. Probably not a dozen Of
the people knew their story, and not one
had any feeling of hostility toward them
The three sisters We're for many years
members of Plymouth Church. In many
respects their department was most ex-
emplary. and Mr.. Everest regarded them
as devout Christian women, but victims
of mental disease.
Their wrongs grew ever larger IN then
ewes. till at last they seemed to call foI
blood. These three daughters discussed
the murder of their father, to whom they
attributed all their self-croated misery.
but this was for some reason abandoned.
They then decided to commit suicide. At
first it was agreed that all three should
kill themselves at once. but their diseased
self-conscousness saved the life of the
Youngest, who. it was determined. should
survive and tell the world what her elder
sisters died for. Methods Of suicide were
discussed, and hanging was selected.
Monday evening they fastened the doors
and windows. dressed themselves care full
ly (they always dressed welD. drove some
hooks into the castings of the door in the
ront parlor. and then Elizabeth and An
IA told Mona to so up stairs and remain
for an hour or two. Then these two
ladies'. aged respectively 43 and 40 years
got up in chairs, placed the moose around
their nccllS. the other ends of the cords
! being attached t. the hooks which they
had driven into the ca ilgs. Then the
| two sisters kicked the chairs from under
/ them. The fall being too short to break
their nccks, they strangled to death.