Derickson -Tillie

Tillie Derickson

Crawfordsville Weekly Journal

Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana

Friday Aug 9, 1895

At noon Tuesday, Tillie Derickson, a boxom colored girl living in one of the houses opposite the Monon station made a rash attempt to slip her moorings and sail off on the waters of the great beyond. Tillie had troubles of her own but she never told them to the police nor anyone else so far as can be learned. She lives with her mother and Annie Jones. Mrs. Derickson works at the Robbins House and knew nothing of her daughter's attempt until informed of it by a messenger. Annie Jones who was in the house with Tillie stated that the girl deliberately swallowed a gill or so of creosote, stating that life no longer had charms for her and that she wished to die. Annie thought Tillie was speaking in a pleasantly facetious manner until the girl began to have spasms. Then medical aid was summoned. There is no really reliable theory advanced as to the cause of the girl's action. It is stated, however, that her lover has lately been paying attention to another.