The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-03-18
Miss Fenimore Says Her Sis
ter-in-LaW's Statement
That She Is a PIagiarist
Is Wholly Untrue.
COLLEGE OFFICIALS
ARE SUPPORTING HER
Well Known Young Woman
Says Only Connection Her
Brother Had With Grafton
Was as Stenographer.

Miss Janet Fenimore, of Anderson
a student at Earlham college. who
graduates in June, and who has won
honors for the institution
and herself, as a result of her orator.
ical ability. is charged with plagiarism
in the preparation of her grafton. The
Social Revolution" which she deliver
ed at the state oratorical contest in
indianapolis, February ). 1909, and on
which she was awarded first place aft
er Ignatius McNamee of Notre Dame
legged substantiation of charges Of
plagiarism in the preparation Of his ad-
dress. She strongly denies the
charge.
The charge against her is made by
Mrs. Angelica Fenimore. in an amend
ed divorce complaint against c.. Reece
Fenimore, brother of Miss Fenimore.
the Madison county circuit court. soon
after Mrs. Fenimore had been denied a
divorce by Judge Austill, but who, in
issuing his decree, also gave the plain
tiff the privilege of filing an amend
ed complaint. An Anderson dispatch,
published elsewhere in this issue. gives
an account of the charges against Miss
Fenimore.
Miss Fenimore Explains.
Miss Fenimore. who. because of her
Socialistic views and prominence in
the state as an exceptional orator, was
recently nominated by the State So.
cialistic party for the position of state
superintendent of instruction, was seen
at the college this morning. She
said that her sister-in-law's charges
were false III every detail, intimatine
that the charge was made because OF
the i'll will which Mrs. Fenimore bore
her and her Socialistic views. She
unusual prominence and publicity in
the state, was her own product and the
only connection her brother had with
it's preparation, was in a stenographic
capacity. She said that when she was
home during the holidays in 1908. her
brother made a typewriter copy of the
Grafton.
The college oratorical association
met this noon to investigate the charg.
es. Miss Fenimore was before the as
ISOLATION and gave complete account
OF her efforts in the preparation of the
grafton.
Are Little Indignant.
Authorities at the college and Miss
Fenimore. are not little indignant
as result of the charge. The auth.
critics believe that the charge is
false and Miss Fenimore emphatical.
ly says that it is a gross misrepresen.
tation of facts and wholly false. How.
ever. the unfavorable prominence
which both the institution and Miss
Fenimore have been given is causing
them to give the matter the utmost
consideration, and investigation.
When Miss Fenimore was seen, she
was in the office of the matron of the
girls dormitory and while she seem
ed to be in the best of humor. new.
nervous. She preferred not to make
any detailed statements of the affair
until the matter had been brought
before the Oratorical association.
Not until this morning, when an &C
count in morning paper was read
by the college authorities, and by
Miss Fenimore, were they aware OF
the charges. Miss Fenimore has re.
ceived no word from her relatives or
friends in Anderson. She stated this
morning that her future attitude was
yet to be determined She evidenced
much surprise at the fact that her
sister-in-law should include such
charges in a divorce complaint, in
which common statutory charges OF
failure to provide and cruel and in.
human treatment were alleged.
Tells Of Her Work.
Miss Fenimore gave short &C.
count OF the 1909 oratorical contest
She said that she had been working
on her GRAFTON, which she delivered
in that contest, for several months,
prior to the contest. She said that
she made several revisions before
definitely determining on the address
with which she won first place. At
the contest, she originally was award
ed second place, but charges of plag.
iarism were made against Notre
Danes representative. Ignatius Nc
Nance. whom the judges awarded
first place. and after these charges
were proven. the honor was given to
Miss Fenimore, as we'll as the cash
prize OF 500. She said that she, and
she believes, the college authorities
also had nothing to do with the in
vestigation of the charges made
against Mr.. McNamee
Issues a Statement.
This afternoon Miss Fenimore is
sued the following statement:
In regard to the report circulated to
the effect that my grafton, The So
cial Revolution" used by me in the
state contest last year was a plagiar-
lied production. l wish to say that
the entire composition was my own
NY brother had no connection what