Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-01
Feared for Daughters Future.

Ever since the birth of her baby last
April Mrs. Catlett had been in constant
unrest. Her husband told Coroner Holz-
hauser that she often brooded for hours
over the possibility that her daughter
might grow up to life of toll and
pain.
When the little one was taken i'll
recently because of the heat the young
mother was greatly distressed. That
was especially the case at nights, when
little JEANNE cried fretfully.
The tenants called down airshafts, 1t
is said, and threatened to complain to
the board of health. All this added to
her nervousness.
But when Catlett left his little home
at l o'clock yesterday afternoon, after
luncheon with his wife, she was appar-
emily in high spirits. She had never
seemed more cheerful and vivacious. he
thought
Yet at that moment the determine
ton to end the lives of her baby and
herself must have been swirling
through her brain. She must have
written the letter almost at once and
prepared for the deaths.
Poison Used to Clean Silver.
The cyanide of potassium, Catlett ex-
piained to the coroner. had been brought
home by him about a fortnight ago to
clean the family silver. The bottle was
found i'm the bathroom wrapped In a
newspaper.
Catlett said he did not label the COM
pound as poison because he told his wife
of its dangerous qualities and warned
her to be careful He had got the drug
from the laboratory where he worked.
Large quantities of il are used there in
chemical experiments.
Death evidently came almost instantly
to child and to mother In falling
nd nj AIrl of 1osf .trrrv
hair caught on a projecting key in the
bureau and was torn from her head
This and the fact that the high-power
poison had been so easily accessible led
Coroner Holtzhauser to order that the
bodies be taken to the morgue for
thorough autopsy.
He said that although the case ap-
peared to be simply that of a mother.
overweight by love for husband and
child. ending two lives while mentally I'M
balanced. he must inquire most carefully
into all aspects of the case.
Young HOdgson. the coroner learned.
got to the apartment about > o'clock. but
had no key and awaited Catlett. He was
just outside when the brother-in-law re-
turned.
Said to Have Been Cousins.
Catlett and his wife were cousins. their
mothers being sisters The two met
about three years ago when Catlett left
his North Carolina home to visit the
Hodgsons i'm their home at Falls Church,
Va.
The youth, two years the girls senior.
fell in love. and after his return home
correspondence led to an engagement
The marriage was performed i'm Falls
Church April %. 1909. and soon the cou-
pie came to New York, where Catlett
got a responsible position with the cleo
trio company
Mrs Catlett had few interests outside
her husband. baby and home. Her only
intimates were two other families i'm the
Havemeyer. the Taylors and the Knoxes
Other neighbors often remarked how
happy Mrs. Catlett appeared to be.
The reference to the billy i'm Mrs
Catlett's note. the husband explained re-
ferred to 500 he had borrowed from his
wife's father. and to $50 he had borrowed
from q friend at the time the baby was
born.
Catlett and Hodgson were SO overcome
by the tragedy that they were barely
able TO answer Coroner Holtzhauser's
queries. Even when the municipal hearse
drove away to the morgue with the two
bodies, Catlett stood by in a daze. ap-
parent1y indifferent, while the young
brother of the dead woman whistled the
Dead March, under his breath