The Washington herald., 1913-04-28
MYSTERY VEIL
ISLIFTED FROM
'MRS.fITzHUGH'
Family Friends Here Break
Silence and Admit She Is
Catherine Fennel.
ONCE DECLARED INSANE
Sister Is Trained Nurse Here-Father
and Mother Both Are In
Asylums Now.

Family friends living in Washington
yesterday lifted the veil of mystery sur
rounding the identity of Mrs. Randolph
Fitzhugh, now held in New York on the
charge of having stolen valuable purses
belonging to society women.
Despite her many denias. she is Cath
crime Fennell, born in Chicago twenty
eight years ago. the daughter of Robert
A. and Catherine B. Fennell. In her
immediate family and in the families of
her relatives there never was, as she
had claimed, either wealth or social sta
ton. Her mother is and for many years
has been an inmate of st. Elizabeth's
Hospital for the Insane in this city, and
her father an inmate of Mount Hope
Asylum, near Baltimore.
There is sister, Marguerite Fennell,
a recent graduate of Providence Hos
pital and now a trained nurse, living at
1852 Ontario Road, this city. and there
are two brothers-Charles. the eldest of
all, who is at woodside. Md, and Robert,
whose home is in Pittsburg.
OF her immediate relatives only one.
William B. Fennell, a lawyer. who has
practiced extensively before the Court of
Claims, accumulated a modest fortune
and now makes his home in Oakton, Va.
In all the escapades of his niece and in
all of her misfortunes this uncle has
steadfastly refused to become involved in
her affairs.
Randolph FitxhuEh n Myth.
So far as any of her immediate fam
lily knows. Randolph Fitzhugh, whose
wife the woman of mystery claims to
have been, is a pure Pigment of an i'm
paired mind. Neither does any of the
family possess any knowledge as to the
husband who is the father Of the fifteen
months-old babe, the so-called Mrs. Fitz-
hugh admits as her own. In the earlier
days in Washington Catherine Fennell
lived the life usual to the daughter of
a family in moderate circumstances. Her
fathers practice as a patent attorney
was such as TO give her no more than
ordinary advantages.
While the family was living at Falls
Church. Va, Catherine gave the first
indication of insanity by attempting to
kill one of her suitors, Wilbur Sewall,
with an AK. She explained that she
thought she had died and had been al
lowed to return to earth for a few hours.
She desired, when taken from earth, she
said, to take Wilbur with her,
For this she was arrested and COM
mitted to the Western State Hospital for
the Insane at Staunton, Va. There she
remained little less than a year, be-
in effect.
The woman then came to Washington,
and Immediately became conspicuous by
the richness and taste of her clothes,
and the select apartments she occupied.
She had no occupation and received no
aid from her family. Within month
after her arrival her father, who had
witnessed the assault upon Young Sew
all. was adjudged insane and committed
The sister. Marguerite, declares that
the act of Catherine in attacking her adj
mirer was the eliminating cause of the
reinforcement of their parents reason.
Arrested Here Before.
Before Catherine Fennell had been here !
two months she was arrested upon the
charge of obtaining goods under false
pretenses The complainant was the
proprietor Of one of the largest depart |
ment stores in Washington.
A friend of the family paid the claim |
of the department store and the young |
woman was released and sent to the |
home of her grandmother, near Fred |
ericksburg, Va. She returned to Wash |
ington later and established herself in |
fashionable quarters. Six months after |
her return here her child was born. Less
than two months after that event the |
young mother was arrested on a charge |
of having solen several purses in fash !
ionable churches here.
The accused was sent to the Wash |
ington Asylum, and again influential
friends went to her rescue. A physician |
at the asylum certified that the young
woman was sane and she was discharg- |
ed. Then came her arrest in New York. |
Miss Marguerite Fennell said yester- !
day:
Il am broken down through all this |
my sister has brought upon
herself and the family. She has been
since she was old enough |
to distinguish between right and wrong. |
When in her teens she had a severe |
spell of typhoid fever, and her mind has
been unbalanced ever since. She is in
sane, and hope way will be found by |
somebody to save her from prison and |
send her where she belongs-to some
asylum"