Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-31
GIRL IS VERA FITCH
Astor House Would-Be Suicide
Baked in Literary Aims.
JOKES THOUGH NEAR DEATH
Left Pathetic Notes to Family and
Friends.
TELL OF HER LIFE FAILURE
Name Made Public by Physician.
Undergoes Observation-Disclosures
Of Life Slim.
JOKES THOUGH NEAR DEATH
TELL OF HER LIFE FAILURE

NEW YORK. August 31.-The young
woman who shot herself Monday night
In the Hotel Aston was identified last
night at the Flower Hospital as Vera
Fitch, daughter of the late Henry Fitch
Of Oakland. Cal.
Two additional letters written by the
young woman TO her SISTER and an un-
Identified woman friend named Blanche
were made public yesterday afternoon.
They revealed the same dependency as
the letter to her mother. made public yes
terday morning.
Early yesterday evening DR.. Bernard
Hughes. house surgeon OF Flower Hospi-
tai. announced that he would reveal the
girls identity TO newspaper reporters at
10 o'clock Soon after 10 o'clock a taxi
cab which had been chartered at Church
hrs drove up to the hospital.
The persons in the taxicab included
tall man with a goatee. an elderly woman
In black. and young woman in a sky
blue tailored suit. They denied they had
tempted suicide at the Astor. The
man joked with reporters and hospital at
tendants and said he had come TO see
man patient
Member Of Family Identifies Her.
At IL 80 O'Clock DR.. Hughes came down
stairs with a written statement on plain
note paper. partly in pencil and partly
In Ink. Here is the statement:
The young woman in the case is Miss
Vera Fitch, daughter OF the late Henry
Fitch OF Oakland. Cal. She has been
spending the summer at Atlantic City
10 visit friends. Her father died two
years ago.
"She has talked in a manner which has
caused her friends to remark, but which
did not give them any alarm as to her
mental condition. She was a member of a
theatrical company. but has never been
on the stage.
She was detected over her literary
that field. But she had no other reason
which ner family can trace for her act.
Vow that her name Is to be publish
ed. her mother. who is Frustrated. gives
for withholding information any longer.
II was hoped that IL she lived her iden-
tity might remain unknown.
Positive naturalization was made last
night by a member OF the family"
What was the name of the member
OF the family who gave you this state
mentc" DR.. Hughes was asked
Il do not know his name" he replied.
Sister Grace Explains.
MISS Grace Fitch OF 1870 Broadway,
who Is vaudeville actress. had denied
earlier in the day that any relative of
hers had shot herself DIR. Hughes said
after ne gave out the statement that he
did not believe the young woman was q
relative Of Miss Grace Fitch.
After the statement was given out Miss
Grace Fifch was visited in her apartment
and asked about II. She said:
You can't blame me for deceiving you.
My sister IL a young girl. ! wanted to
protect her"
An operation was performed on the
young woman late yesterday afternoon.
The operating surgeons were DR.. Ralph
A. Stewart. visiting surgeon Of the nos
pitai: DIR. George W. Robinson and DIR.
Bernard Hughes.
They found that the bullet had perfo-
rated the lobe of the right lung and had
taken downward course through the
diaphragm and into the abdominal cav
ity. penetrating the large intestine twice
and lodging in the back.
mine whether not peritonitis will set
In. but the doctors last night regarded
the young woman's chances OF recovery
a. slight. Her physical condition. they
said. was good.
They denied the afternoon reports that
she had been two days without food, and
said she was well nourished. She told
them, DR.. Hughes said. that she had not
eaten since the noon before she shot her
self.