Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-15

"ROME, October 80 1904.
Editor of the Associated Press:
"You have full permission to print the in
closed and give it as wide a publication as
possible.
Yours truly,
(SignedD
"MARQUIsE DEs MONSTERS"
The inclosed was a Communication stat
ing:
know that the Marquise des Monsters
Merinville. formerly Miss M. g. Caldwell,
who, it will be remembered, founded the
Roman Catholic University at Washington
some years ago, has entirely repudiated her
former creed. In an interview the other
day she said: Yes. 1t is true that 1 have
left the Roman Catholic Church. Since
have been living in Europe my eyes have
been opened. But the trouble goes much
further back than this.
Being naturally religious, my imagina-
ton was early caught by the idea of doing
something to lift the church from the lowly
position which it occupied in America, so 1
thought of university or higher school
where the clergy could be educated and re-
fired. OF course, in this was greatly in
fluenced by Bishop Spalding of Peoria, who
represented it to me as one of the greatest
works of the day When / was twenty-one
turned over to them 0ne-thrd of my for
tune for that purpose. AT last my honest
now forever repudiate and cast off the
yoke of Rome Fs
Mary Gwendolyn Caldwell is the daughter
ter being a thea trical manager in
Enland: settled in Richmond, Va. and
eventually made large fortune IN
building gas houses in Chicago, ST.
Miss Breckenridge. a fanous Kentucky
beauty Miss Caldwell and her sister. Lima.
spent the summers at NEWPORT where they
had a magnificent house, and usually
not abroad. in New York. On the death
of her father, Miss Caldwell Inherited
S2OO0OO0. and October 10, 1896, Miss Cald-
Weii was married to the Marquis des Mon
stlers Merinville, a French nobleman in St
Joseph's Church, Avenue Hoche. Paris. by
Bishop Spaldfng of Peoria, H., the guar
dian and administrator of the estate Of
MISS Caldwell, assisted by Father Cooke.
was a very handsome wo1iaan about thirty
five years old, and d tlevoted Roman Catho-
lie. She had previously shown her devo-
ton to the church by giving 100000 to
Catholic University in Washington. Some
seven years previous tosA&r marriage Miss
Caldwell was engaged Prince Murat.
grandson of. the King Of Naples The ems
insisted that half of Miss Ca1dwelrs for
tune should be settled upoE him.
Miss Lima Caldwell married Baron Won
Zedwitz. who was killed on his yacht
Isolde August 10. 1896. while taking part
in the races of the royal Albert regetta,
at South, sea. England, as the result of
collision with Emperor Williams yacht
Meteor.
The baron was struck on the head by
block or a piece of the broken mast of his
yacht and was unconscious when pickles
up, dying soon after. Baron Won Zedwitz
was a brilliant young man, who had held
a number of diplomatic appointments, in
cluding the secretaryships of the German
imperial missions at Washington, St.
Petersburg, Tokyo and Stockholm, while
in 1888 he was appointed minister of Ger
many to Mexico. 1t Was while in the
United States that he became convert
to yachting and commissioned the Herre-
shoffs to build him the 20-rater Isolde, on
which he met his death.
Little was known Of the Marquis des
Monsters MerinFilles at the time of his
marriage to Miss Caldwell, with the eX
ception of the fact that he was chronicled
in the Annuaire de Noblesse, as dating his
title from LISA, the rank of count having
been given his ancestors in 1856.
The divinity college of the Roman Cath
olic University in Washington is known as
the Mary Gwendolin Caldwell Hall Of Di-
vinity. %