The Washington times., 1920-09-18
WOMAN SANE.
Jury VERDICT
Mrs. Jennie Dyrenforth Cleared
Of lunacy Charge in JUS
tice GouId's Court.
CONTINUED from First PaseJ

the hospital through alleged false
charges.
The will OF Dyrenforth was called
freak cared" after II had been filed
and it's peculiar provisions were made
public. Dyrenforth was a patent at
torney OF Washington, New York. and
Chicago. The will left his wife and
parative want. but was adjusted on
April II. 1911. by Justice Gould. who
also sat yesterday In the lunacy trial
OF Mrs. Dyrenforth.
Dyrenforth had an eventful life as
linguist, war veteran, Commissioner
OF Patents, man OF affairs, world
roamer, and patent attorney.
WARNED OF WOMEN.
Robert ST. George Dyrenforth, son
Of Mrs. Patrick ]. McGrath. a daugh-
ter OF the Commissioner OF Patents,
whom he adopted. was left practical
ly all Dyrenforth's fortune. The
strange will provided that the boy.
then only twelve years old, should be
given thorough educational training
and warned him to beware OF WON
en-" Another requirement was that
the adopted son and heir should pass
through high school at fourteen.
Another strange stimpulation was
this:
1t is my earnest desire that my
adopted son shall not see me after I
am dead. as ! wish him to remember
me as i am in life and TO have no
memory of my dead face"
The document then nrncaedeA m
enumerate the things the boy mus,
do to come into possession of the es-
tate, which is not permitted until he
lie twenty-eight years old.
He was to graduate from high
school at fourteen. leave Harvard at
eighteen. spend six months at oxford
enter the United States Military
academy: serve the shortest proper
time as a soldier. then take up the
practice of law.
MUST LEARN LANGUAGE.
In the meantime. the young men
in accordance with the will, was sup.
posed to learn during vacations, while
travelling abroad each year, the French
Spanish, Italian, Greek, German, an1
Russian languages. Another stipula-
tion was that he should become pro-
hs VIII oh thc WYNN uHd piaho oh'
devate some attention to religion
Profession OF the Catholic religion
would result.in the boy forfeit every
thing under the foster fathers will
At the age OF twenty-one he was t.
possess. but not own. the medals
honor, war trinkets, and simila
articles. Of personal property left b
Dyrenforth. And the win provide
that at the age OF twenty-eight, IL tn
young mans conduct had been in ac
cordance with the terms of the will
he was to come into real possession
of the property. both personal an,
real
At the time OF Dyrenforth's death
the boy was living in Chicago with
his father, William Fl. Dyrenforth, a
son of the patent attorney, and one
of the administrators OF the will
WAS 33D DEGREE MASON.
Dyrenforth was a thirty-third degree
Mason, while his wife was a Catholic.
His dislike for women came about
through his own early escapades, 1t
was pointed out, when that provision
of the will warning the adopted son
to beware of women" was read.
Suit to break the will was immedi-
ately filed by Mrs. Jennie Dyrenforth,
who yesterday was freed from St.
Elizabeth's Hospital. She character
lied it as freakish and written by her
husband while of unsound mind.
But Dyrenforth's will died a natural
death and was made unenforceable
under the amicable settlement reach
ed by the heirs when 1t was contested
in Justice Gould's court on April IL,
1911.
Justice Gould's decree gave the
boy, now twenty-five. about half o!
General Dyrenforth's will and the
other half went to other heirs. in
cluding the widow. who was before
the lunacy jury yesterday. Dyren-
forth's sons, william H., Julius W..
and Harold Dyrenforth, of Chicago,
were made guardians of the child
and responsible for his education
with an $4,000 legacy.
Mrs. Dyrenforth, the widow. re,
ceived the proceeds from the sale of
Dyrenforth's Fourteenth street resi-
dence, near Piney Branch road, and
$4,000 from an insurance company.
Despite the wishes OF his grand
father, the adopted boy retained cor
dial relations with his grandmother,
and frequently has come to Washing
ton to visit her,
SUED WIFE IN 1901.
The records OF the District Court
show in 1901 the marital troubles OF
General Dyrenforth reached an acute
stage. He filed suit against his wife
alleging about everything from per-
sonal cruelty and incompatibility to
forcible ejectment from his home.
Complaints and cross-complaints we're
tilcd in rapid order.
The general accused his wife of
gross extravagsnces and the lack of
affection. She had not been contented
he declared, with a magnificent home
to be erected for her in Mt. Pleasant.
Mrs. Dyrenforth admitted that they
had moved from their Mt. Pleasant
home, but declared IT was caused by
necessity, General Dyrenforth, she
charged, was living beyond his
means. She further set forth that
he was of the most irascible temper,
erratic, impossible to please and an
invalid, whom she had nursed with
wife.
GENERAL COMES BACK.
The general came back with an
other bill, declaring that he had not
been properly nursed; that thero had