The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-16
Wealthy Catholic Convert Re-
 nOunces Catholicism
FORMERLY MISS CALDWELL
Marquise des Monsters MerinvIlls Won Fame as Founder of Divinity School at Catholic University
 In Washington.

New York. November 15-The Associated press has received the following. Before giving 1t publication It's authenticity has been fully verified by cable from Rome.
 Rome, October 30.-Edltor of the As sociated press: You have my full per mission to publish the enclosed and give 1t as wide publication as possible.
 Yours truly.
 MARQUIS DIES MONSTIERS.
 Dear Editor: It may interest some of your readers to know that Marquise des Monstieres Merinville, formerly Miss M G. Caldwell who 1t will be remembered founded the Roma Catholic university at Washington some years ago has entirely repudiated her former creed In an in terview with me the other day she said " Yes. it Is true that l have left the l Roman Catholic church. Since I have ! been living in Europe my eyes have l been opened to what that church really is, and it is anything but sanetity. But the trouble goes much further back than this. Being natuarlly religious my imag- 1 nation was early caught by the idea of doing something to lift the church from the lowly position which 1t occupied in ! 1 higher school, where it's clergy could be educated and if possible refined. or course in this I was merely influenced by Bishop spaulding of Peoria who rep resented it to me as of the greatest works of the day.
 Gave One-third of Fortune.
 "When 1 was 21 l turned over to them one-third of my fortune for that purpose For years l have been trying to rid my self of the subtle overwhelming influence | of a church which pretends not only to the privilege of being the only true
 church but being alone able to open the , gates of heaven to a sorrowtul slnlul world At last my honest protestant blood has asserted itself and now
 forever repndiate and cast off the yoke of Rome.
 sSo saying, the Marqulse pollely uls
 It will be remembered that the Mar auise Des Monstieres Merinville and her sister, the Baroness Non Zedwiz, are the daughters of the late William s. Caldwell and his wife was Breckinridge of Ken lucky
 esbortly before his death MT. Caldwell became a convert to Roman Catholicism and left his children to the care of Irish Roman Catholics in New York, whom his wife had met In church circles. The younger sister married some fifteen years ago a German nobleman q Lutheran, and has since then also left the Roman Catholic communion. The elder has been in very bad health for some years for having to occupy a position before the world as d prominent Roman Catholic which was Lot a real one, and into which her extreme generosity led her. as a young and inexperienced girl. Now at last her own mind has asserted itself and she returns to the creed of her an- cestors."
 Father Was Wealthy.
 Mary Gwendolin Caldwell Is the daugh- ter of William Shakespeare Caldwell, who after being a theatrical manager In Eng land settled in Richmond, Va, and event. ually made a large fortune in building gas houses in Chicago, St. Louis, Mobile ana other cities He married Miss Breckeh- ridge famous Kentucky beauty Miss Caldwell and her sister. Lima, spent the summers at Newport, where they had magnificent house, and usually passsu part of the winter when they were hos abroad or in New York On the death or her father Miss Caldwell inherited SZ'WV.- ? O00 and October 19 1896, Miss Caldwel was married to the Marquis l1es no"a
 tiers Merinville, French nobienan, M III
 sf. Joseph's church, Avenue 1oehe. Faris'
 by Bishop Spadng of Peoria, Hl,' lne 9 guardian and administrator of the estaie ]. of Miss Caldwell assisted by Father Cooke. !, Founded Divinity College. s At the time of her marriage MISS Ialu n well was a very handsome woman M apou. l. 35 years of age and devolea Noiiiah s Catholic. She had previously shoWn hel O devotion to the church by giving s9"o.vVo if to found the Divinity college of the
 ton,an catholic university in Washing e t Some seven years previous to her l. marriage Miss Caldwell was engaged 10 t. prince Murat. grandson Of the King or O NanIas. The engagement was broken be- l
 Miss Caldwelrs fortune should be settied q upon him
 1 Miss Lima Caldwell married Baron Won - Zedwitz who was killed on his yacht Isolde August 1s 1896, while taking part i'm the races of the Royal Albert regatta at southsea, England, as a result or 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 picked up, dying soon after. Baron yon Zedwitz was a brilliant young man who had held a number of diplomatic lannotntments including the secretaryshps 1 of the German imperial missions at Washington, St. Petersburg, ToSio and Stockholm while in 1888 he appoint- cd minister of Germany to Mexico. It was while he was in the United States that he became a convert to yachting and commissioned the Heres choffs to build him the twenty rater
 Idolde on which he met his death. Little was known of the Marquis Des Monsters Merinvile at eSe time of his
 marriage to Miss Caldwell with the ex-
 ception of the fact that he was chronicled in ',annuaire de nobless" as dating his ti- tie from 1754. the rank of count having ; been given his ancestors in 1756-
 The divinity college of the Catholic . University in Washington is known as
 the Mary Gwendolyn Caldwell hall or
 divinity.
 Surprise Expressed In Washington. , Washington. November 15.-Pronlinent | ,.h