The Washington times., 1922-10-07
EX-CLERk
Of JUSTICE
DEPT. MAY
Be SUICIDE
Mrs. Irene Price Fewell Was
Mourning for Her Dead
Mother.

zone of these days I'm going to
end it all and my body will never
be found"
Mrs. Irene Price Fewell, mem
Der of a prominent Mississippi
family, almost made good her
oft-fepeated threat when she
drowned herself in the Potomac
River by weighing her body down
with Jumps of asphalt and a
smoothing iron.
The body, which was taken from
the river early yesterday by che
Harbor Police, was positively
identified today by Mrs. Eleanor
D. Snyder, of 219 A street south
east, as being that of Mrs. Fewell.
Attending Mothers Funeral.
While the body OF the. former
Mississippi belle lies at the morgue
here, her sister, Mrs. Caldwell Max
well, employed at the Department
Of Justice, is in Meridian. Miss,
attending the funeral Of their
mother. Mrs. c. S. w. Price, whose
husband was at one time door
keeper at the House OF ReprsSenta-
gressman Sam A. Witherspoon OF
Mississippi.
The police believe that Mrs. Fewell
went to the river on Monday night
and sought to bury herself beneath
the waters so that her body would
never be found.
On Saturday OF last week Mrs.
Maxwell received a telegram from
Meridian, Miss, stating that her
mother was dying. She had PLANNED
to take her annual leave from the
Department Of Justice on Thursday
of this week.
Receipt of the telegram caused
Mrs. Maxwell to ask for permission
to leave Immediately. She departed
Saturday afternoon.
It is the belief Of the police that
Mrs. Fewell, who remained in
Washington, received a telegram on
Monday announcing the death of
her mother, and that she then pur-
chased the smoothing iron and
made for the river.
"Most Unhappy" She Said.
According to information in the
possession OF the police, a woman,
answering the description Of Mrs.
Fewell, boarded one of the electric
cars at the station at Twelfth
street and Pennsylvania avenue.
She carried a bundle, which thew
believe contained the smoothing
iron and the two Jumps of asphalt
which were later found in the
pockets of her long, sleeveless
cape.
At the Virginia end OF the High.
way bridge, the police were told,
the woman got off the car and walk
ed in the direction Of the spot where
the body was found yesterday.
Mrs. Fewell was slight of stature,
being only five feet tall. In recent
years she had been nervous and dis
contented and during the past few
months she had told friends shc was
"one of the most unhappy women in
the world"
Not Recently Employed.
In 1918, during the press Of war
work here, Mrs. Fewell was employ.
ed for several months in the De-
pArtment Of Justice here. Since
then, II is said, she had not been
employed.
She has been living with me off
and on for nearly ten years" Mrs.
Snyder said today when she visited
the morgue and identified the WON.
an as being her former roomer.
"On one occasion Mrs. Fewell said:
One of these days I'm going to end
It all, and you will never find my
body She has been nervous and
in bad health for several years"
The dead woman's husband, VII.
liam Fewell was formerly in the
lumber business in Meridian, but re-
Gently has been in business in New
York city. Her father is now in
Meridian.
Short of stature, heavily veiled
and we'll dressed, a woman stood in
the moonlight at the Virginia end Of
the Highway bridge and with trem.
bling hands counted out II hackers
fare.
This happened several nights ago.
The woman was never seen again, to
the knowledge OF the police.
Her description, as given by the
hacker, closely answers that OF the
woman whose body, weighted with
paving material and heavy smooth.
ing IRON. was found Inv the river ~
the Virginia side Of the bridge carly
yesterday
Hint Love Tragedy.
This information was today placed
/ In the hands of the police. who scent
a love tragedy in the meager story Of
! the hacker.
The man who told the story has a
stand near a wellknown local hotel.
1T may have been five nights ago
or SIX" he said today, and 1t was