The Washington times., 1919-11-21

e. .
ty-two. At that time Moffett would
have been out of college a year.
1t also was learned that the writer
OF the .poisoned pen" letters had not
been told of this marriage and was
trying to win back the girl who ac-
cused him of running her life. Whether
the young woman's husband knew OF
the association of the writer OF the
poisoned pen" letters and his wife
could not be learned, but il was in-
timated this knowledge might have
led Miss Schmitter to jump from the
ferryboat.
GirP. Parents Arrive.
The startling news of their daugh-
ter's death brought the girls parents
from Milwaukee to the scene OF the
suicide early this week. The mother
of the girl. Mrs. FREDERICK z.
Schmitter, is on the verge OF a col
lapse. When seen yesterday her face
was flushed from weeping and sne
could scarcely speak above q whisper.
She said:
'It Is too horrible. ! don't know
what / am doing. don't know what
1 am thinking since my little girl 10
gone"
Mr.. schmitter was asked about the
"poison pen letter." He replied:
when 1 came here saw Moftett
at once. I asked to see the letter.
He told NE he had destroyed 1t. Then
1 askedif he remembered how 1t was
post marked. He said he did not, but
thought it was from Boston
According to the mother Of the girl.
Moffett denied any recollection OF the
contents Of the anonymous letter, .x-
cept that it contained vile threats
haaa... - tn> ornorpcomouf of fhS
engagement.
Young Moffett was not in his home
last night. His mother said the
young mans uncle had taken him to
q small town upstate to recuperate
from the shock Of the tragedy.
When questioned about the fnys-
terious typewritten letter which her
son is said to have received from the
army officer, she told a reporter from
the New York American she never
had heard of the letter until she read
of 1t in the papers.
"A member of the Trinity Dutch Re-
formed Church of West New York,
where the Schmitter girl sang In the
choir, told of a conversation with
Elizabeth in which the girl referred
to a Lieutenant Brown" whose pic
ture had been returned by her after
Minister Saw Letter.
The Rev. A. w. Hopper. pastor Of
the church, and close friend of the
young couple, said yesterday:
"On the day of the girls death she
addressed a long letter to Edmund, in
which she told everything Tuesday
he brought this letter to me and ask
ed my advice. / read it carefully and
told him to show it to the girls par
ents
He did as I advised, but left It
with Mr.. Schmitter. 1t contained q
complete explanation of the motives
which prompted the suicide. 1 would
like to say that Edmund is a fine, up
right boy and absolutely above Ques-
ton
DR.. Hopper declined to make known
the contents of the letter. saying he
had been consulted as a conndant.
Other friends Of the couple stated
the girl had not come direct from her
home in Milwaukee to New York, as
was generally believed. but had
spent the month of August in Wash
ington and Baltimore, where she met
Lieutenant Brown" Mrs. Moffett de-
MED any knowledge of the meetings,
but said Elizabeth had stopped at
Norfolk, Va, where she worked in q
Red Cross post office. This was in
August, Mrs. Ofett said.
In the letter made public. in Mil
waukee by Miss Schmitter's relatives,
she pleaded with an unknown army
officer never to repeat the conduct
which drove her to death. 1t said:
"For Gods sake, don't pick on in
nocent little girls. II you must satisfy
your desire for revenge, take the
kind of a girl to whom a reputation
realize fully the sort you are-not one
men and the pitfalls Of life"
Commenting on a picture of her
which he refused to return, she
writes:
He'll see my face often enough IL
he has any conscience at all. without
having something to remind him OF
my existence"
'while 1 know Eddie believes in
me-" the girl wrote, II have been
crazed by these vicious lies. / cannot
understand it all. I am dazed.
"Tt was at Niagara Falls that i met
this monster who has cast blight
ever my life. There 1 can throw my
self into the river and be swallowed
up by the mighty falls. They never
will tell the secret"
But the girl changed her mind be-
fore the letter was completed. She
sent the fare to Niagara to her moth
er, saying:
to the river near BY"