Evening star., 1922-10-07
Identification by Mrs. sny-
der, With Whom She Lived.
Came From Mississippi.
THREATENED TO END
LIFE, SAYS LANDLADY
Subject to Fits of Melancholia.
Victim Well Known in Social
and Cabinet Circles.

The woman whose body was found
in the Potomac river below Highway
bridge early yesterday was virtually
identified today as Mrs. Irene p
Fewell of 219 A street southeast,
prominently known in this city and
Meridian, Miss.
The Identification was made by Mrs
g. F. Snyder, with whom Mrs. FeweE
had lived for many years. The body
was in such a bad state. however.
that Mrs. Snyder could not definitely
recognize the features of the dead
woman as those of her friend. The
resemblance. however, was SO close
and the clothing the woman wore SO
similar to thot of Mrs. Fewell tha;
Mrs. Snyder declared she was vir-
tually positive of the Identification.
Came Here Eight Years Ago.
According to Mrs. Snyder. Mrs.
Feweli came to her home eight years
ago. with her mother and father, DIR.
and Mrs. c. W. Price. from Meridian.
Later a sister, Mrs. Mamie Maxwell,
joined this group. and when the par
ents returned to their Mississippi
home some years ago the two sisters
continued to maintain the apartment.
Mrs. Fewell, according to Mrs.
Snyder, had attempted on several oc-
casions to end her life. She was sub
ject to severe spells of melancholia
The speaker declared she was COM
PEELED to keep Mrs. Fewel constantly
in sight on numerous occasions. fear
ing that she would succeed in carry
ing out an oft-repeated threat to COM
nit suicide. On two occasions Mrs.
Snyder said she found Mrs. Feweli
about to attempt death by inhaling
Illuminating gas
Last May 25 Mrs. Fewell suddenly
disappeared from her apartment on
A street and neither Mrs. SNYDER nor
quantity of mail, Including several
letters from Mrs. FewelI's parents
remained uncalled for.
Mother Seriously Ill.
Last Saturday Mrs. Maxwell re-
ceived word that her mother was
seriously i'll. and that her presence
would be necessary Immediately.
After trying in vain to locate her
sister, Mrs. Maxwell started for her
home in the south.
Whether or not Mrs. Fewell heard
of her mothers serious illness and
was seized with an attack of despond
ency as result is a question the po-
possible that Mrs. Fewell in the
course of her melancholia might have
gone out to the river and committed
suicide.
This theory is somewhat borne out by
statements obtained from passengers on
a car bound for Alexandria last Mon
day. According to those persons a
woman dressed as Mrs. Fewell was
dressed boarded the car in Washington
and got off on the Virginia side of the
Highway bridge. She carried a small
bundle, about the size package a fat
used by the woman whose body was
found in the Potomac to hold her under
the water.
Mrs Fewelrs address was obtained
through the bureau of investigation of
the Department Of Justice. where she
Springman and Darnall of headquarters
went to the A street house and Ques-
ton Mrs. Snyder, who after hearing n
OF the body and the clothing
found on it, asked to be takea to the
morGue.
Recognizes Hat.
Upon being shown the hat and veil
the dead woman had worn Mrs. Sny-
der exclaimed: 81 am sure that that
is Mrs. Fewell's hat and veil. / re-
member them very we'll"
She identified other pieces of cloth
ing with equal certainty and, despite
the badly marked features of the
river victim. declared she saw what
seemed to be unmistakable evidence
that the body was that Of Mrs. Fewell.
Early in the day two fashionably
dressed women appeared at tbs
morgue and declared with almost
equal certainty that they believed the
dead woman to be Mrs. Fewell. Short
ly after noon several more women
drove up in an expensive automobile.
When they were shown the hat they.
too. recognized it as having belonged
to Mrs. Fewell.
They were advised not to look at
the body. since Identification had
practically been established and little
could be hoped by their seeing the
gruesome object.
Well Known Socially.
Not only was Mrs. Fewell said to
have been prominent in Washington.
but employees at the Department of
Justice asserted that she was either
distantly related to former Attorney
General Gregory or very we'll known
to him and his family.
She is known to have numbered
among her friends several members
of the present cabinet, and was well
acquainted with persons high in the
social rank of this city.
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