San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-08-09
yuTHEN the liner Veendam was three
M days out from New York on her

M days out from New York on her
recent trip and gliding along in
mid-ocean, the stiffness of her upper deck
was suddenly broken by a scream from
somewhere aloft and splash from the
smooth water below.
Startled passengers who had heard it
rushed to the rail Word flashed through
the ship that some one had fallen over
board. Life-belts were hastily unlashed
and flung into the water. Aloft, the dis
tress siren sounded. In a moment the
engines stopped.
Slowly the big ship came to a halt, and
then the water at the stern began to churn
again as she backed and swung around.
She felt her way back to the place where
the accident had occurred, while the off
GERS on the bridge scanned the water.
Life-boats were lowered, and for an hour
OF more they piled to and fro searching
the placid sea. No sign of a body was
found.
When the excitement subsidized II was
discovered that Elizabeth Mary Cromwell,
popular member of the fashionable Junior
League, daughter and heiress of the Lin
coin Cromwells of Park Avenue, had van
ished from the ship.
Her death was attributed to accident by
the officers of the ship and by her family
But how such an accident could occur is
not quite plain, nor has If been fully ex-
planned. The rail on the big, safely con-
structed Veendam is high. II would come
well above the level Of the elbows on a
person of Elizabeth Cromwell's height if
she were leaning against il. The sea was
calm when the tragedy occurred, and if is
unlikely that the slight roll of the vessel
could have been sufficient to hurl her over
the side. Indeed, it would have taken con-
siderable effort for her to have climbed
into any position from which the move
ment of the ship could have suddenly dis
lodged her.
And yet there seemed no reason why
this apparently care-free, fortunately
placed young girl should want TO take her
life.
She was only twenty-one years old and
had always thrown herself with keen, nor
NAL zest into the doings of her fashionable
SET She had started for Europe planning
to spend the Summer idling about France,
and later had intended to 20 to Italy and
continue her study Of sculpture. When
she had told her friends good-by at the
pier she had been gay enough and full
Of enthusiasm for the Summer before her
Certainly no thought Of committing sui
eide, so far as any one could see, had ever
crossed her mind.
That she deliberately killed herself
seems almost as hard to believe as that
her death was accidental
But what makes the mystery of Eliza
beth Cromwell's death most extraordinary
is that she was the third member Of her
family TO meet death suddenly in the mid
die of the Atlantic within the last six
years. In 1919 her twin cousins, Doro-
thea and Gladys Cromwell leaped one
after the other, from the rail of the I.or-
raine while they were returning from
France.
In their case it was generally accepted
that they had committed suicide. Yet
they, too, had everything to live for.
They had all that money and high social
position could bring them. Each left d
fortune of more than 100000. They.
too, had made complete plans for the year
that was to follow their trip across the
ocean They had been doing canteen work
in France for two years, and before they
left the other side had taken an apart
ment in New York. They had written TO
members Of their family in the CITY 10
secure servants for them so that the apart
ment would be ready for them 70 occupy
as soon as they arrived.
Here are two tragedies in the same fam