Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-03-28
Washington Lawyer Gould Mo-
Longer Bear Humiliation Of
Wife's Elopemeat.
she DESERTED A BABY BOY
Her Parainour Left Family G;
Five-Scandal Sent Its Sor.
row to Capitals Most
Prominent Families.

born. young lawyer and son of the late
Rear Admiral chborn. killed himself to-
night in dependency and humiliation
over the elopement more than year ago
of his wife. Elenore Ffoyt fEchborn, with
Horace l.. Wylie, prominent Washing
ton attorney. He shot himself In the head
with an automatic army revolver and
died almost instantly.
Ilichborn went for dinner to the home
OF his sister. Mrs. Paul S. Pearsall. Tia
family were out and shortly after his ar
rival servants heard a shot In his room
The door was broken In and he was found
dead On a table Hichborn had left a
note, sealed. The coroner took charge OF
1t and its contents may be made known
If the families consent.
person who claimed to have seen the
note declared part Of It's text was: Il
am not to blame for this. I think I have
lost my mind"
The remainder. which was brief, was
said TO be devoted to a mention Of his Mt
tie boy.
Death by his own hand adds one
more chapter to a. distressing domestic
tragedy which shocked the most ex-
elusive society of Washington and
sent it's sorrow and humiliation 20 the
homes Of some of the capitals most
prominent families.
ELOPED IN DECEMBER. 1910.
The first intimation to the public
that all was not we'll in the Hichborn
family came in December, 1910, wher
Mrs. Hichborn and Wylie disappeared
at the same time. Mrs. Hchborn'.
family Indignantly denied stories o.
an elopement and declared she was E
patient in a private hospital. broker
down by the death of her father
Henry NJ IToyt. former solicitor-gen'
eral of the United States and at the
time of his death counsellor for the
state department
| In that winter. the couple. travelling
as Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Wise, were re.
ported on the Nile. later In Paris ant
on the Riviera. Both families stoutly
denied persistent stories of their
whereabouts and no verihcation of the
facts was had until last January
Hich born sued for divorce That ac-
ton never came to trial and is ended
| by his death.
In April. 1911. Mrs. Hichborn returned
to her mother and simultaneously Wylie
returned to his family In Washington
| He had deserted wife and four children
| Mrs. Hchborn had left three-year-o old
baby boy. II is supposed this attemp,
at reconciliation was the result OF a meet
ing of few weeks earlier in Paris be-
tween Mrs. Ifichborn. her sister. Mrs
Ferdinand Won Stumm. the wife Of &
former atache OF the Germany embassy
here and Mrs. Hoyt
| xy&v> <CDrI>rN M yyNNVC~
II really howevers was the outcome o.
an agreemen, between Mrs. Hichborn ant
Nyle that each should return home anc
if both found a reconciliation impossible
they should accept such a realization a.
a tustifica ton for their elopement. l
appeared at first that the Wylies ha'
become reconciled. but not so with tn,
Hichborns.
The next step came last fall whe,
Wylie turned over to hts wife and chill
dren real estate said to be worth 500 %
and personal property worth 10000 !
was thought this was the final action II
bringing the family together, but it prov
ed ~ be the step which separated them
Wyl!e resigned from the clubs whicl
had not already dropped lin, and sailed
from Boston for Europe. Mrs. Hichbon
remained With her mother near Bostor
and after hurried trip to Washington
sailed In November FOR Europe fror
Montreal Soon after the couple wer'
said to have been seen in Westminster
Abbey and later IN France. That was tn
last Washington heard Of their move
. .rcnts
BEST TYPE CT YOUNG MAN
Yoans Hichhorn remained In Washing
ton. except FOR a short trip to California
from which he returned few days aGo
tie n,"-r seemed to risc to his forme
sNirlhs rnd day or &c ago his sistcr re
marked to a mutual frte1i that she IVA
! having time to keep Phil together.
He was hnov'n to a host OF friends Is ~
best type Of young man.
The prominence Of his family and Mrs
IIchborns gave unusual. notice to tn
disaster Rear Admira! Hichborn. for Ion
the chief constructor OF the navy, wa
referred to as the master sMpbuiider an
20 his genius was given much az tho credi
for the performance of the American roe
In the War with Spain.
airs iiiohborn'1 father was n man o
letters and a scholar, fitted for the posi
tions he held. ..t..f