New-York tribune., 1919-01-26
Message Says Twins We're OH
Ship From Which Their
Suicide Was Reported
essel Is Due Tomorrow
Brother Does Not Believe
Sisters Leapcd TO Death
While on Way Home

PARIS. Jan. 25 (By The Associated
PresS).- The American Red Cross head
quarters here, in answer to INQUIRIES,
says it has been informed that the
Misses Dorothea and Gladys Cromwell
sailed on the French liner La Lorraine
FRIENDS Of the twin sisters ACCOMPANIED
them to the pier.
The officer in charge of the Red Cross
party on board the ship sent by wire
Less to the Red Cross a copy of the
note found in the stateroom occupied
by the sisters in which they said they
intended to commit suicide.
In spite of this message from France
the family and friends of the twin
Cromwell girls still refuse to credit the
news that the sisters committed suicide
on their return voyage to this country
after year of Red Cross work at the
front. They are reported to have
jumped overheard from the steamer La
Lorraine.
Only one more link is needed in the
chain of evidence. That is direct word
from the steamer, which is now draw
ing toward New York from the open
sea All day yesterday Seymour l..
Cromwell, brother of the New York So
ciety girls, made Intellectual efforts to
late hour last nigth he had received no
answer TO his messages
Cabled Last Tuesday
One cable message received last
Tuesday by the ,brother informed him
that his sisters had missed La Ior-
ralne and were sailing on the Espaene.
The Espagne is still in port at Bor
deauX, according to information given
out at the port of embarkation Off
Gals Of the French Line say La Lor-
rained sailed Sunday and is due in
New York Monday or Tuesday. They
do not expect to hear from it before
that time.
If La Lorraine left port on schedule
time and the sisters We're on board. as
the most recent Associated Press dis
patch Indicates, their. suicide must
have taken place, Monday. % n which day
the steamer was sailing down the GA
rome River. In that case the report
Of their suicide which was received
here yesterday with the date January
"A must have been delayed. This may
have been due to delay in the report
made back to French officials by the
Red Cross officer on board LaSLorraine
Red Cross Aids Brother
Red Cross officials were aiding Mr.
= Cro4nell yesterday in his efforts to
learn the truth. At his home, 167 East
Seventy-fourth Street, Mr.. Cromwell
said that he could not give credence to
the report until it was certified, because
recent letters from his sisters indicat-
ed that they were happy and we'll. 81
though he could not reconcile the cable
message which he received with the
note they left in the cabin stating they
intended to "end it all" he maintained
that there must be an error somewhere
and warned his relatives and friends
not to believe the report too hastily.
The cheerfulness of the letters to
their brother seems to be discounted by
the statement of Red Cross worker in
Bordeaux, Miss Hartrnett, 'vho told an
Associated Press correspondent that
there was possibility of the Cromwell
sistsers having become respondent be-
cause of the long strain of their work
1t was sthought yesterday, because of
the fact that the age of the Cromwell
girls had bbeen Incorrectly reported,
that two younger girls might have been
the ones TO leap from the ship This
now seems improbable, as it has been
established that the age was rightly
sent, but wrongly received in New
York. The twins were twenty-five in
stead Of thirty-two years old.
The sisters were returning to their
home at 535 Park Avenue, fashionable
district after service at Chalons-sur-
Marine with Red Cross canteen. Their
apartment sstil is being prepared for
them. They inherited large share of
the fortune of their father, the late
Frederick Cromwell of the Mutual Life
Insurance Company.