Hedrick - Ida
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Saturday, 14 July 1894
Ida Hedrick, the unfortunate suicide whose remains were buried by charity in the old town cemetery, will be reburied next week in a lot of her own. Her friends are able to do this for her by reason of the insurance on her life amounting to $62, which the Prudential Life has paid into the hands of its local agent, Fred Alexander.
Source Crawfordsville Daily Journal Wednesday, 11 July 1894
Ida Hedrick, who committed suicide several weeks ago, was carrying a policy in the Prudential Life Insurance Company. The company has adjusted the claim of $62, and this will be paid to an administrator as soon as one is appointed. It is understood that her body will be removed to Oak Hill. This company has undoubtedly acted very fair in this matter, as it is not obliged to pay claims on persons who have committed suicide.
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Monday, 18 June 1894
The grand jury completed its work today and adjourned returning nineteen indictments. Only those against Fred White and Dick O’Connell, who are in jail, are made public.
The death of the (*Ida) Hedrick woman was not investigated. It was learned that she was nearly dead with a loathsome disease before she was poisoned so the suicide theory was confirmed. The woman had been in Crawfordsville several years and during her entire career was a drunken and reckless character without a single redeeming trait.
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Saturday, 16 June 1894 Edition
George McDonald and Neal Carver had been swimming in the creek and were on their way home when accosted thus by a couple of fat and jolly girls with characters as bedraggled and soiled as their tawdry finery. McDonald knew the girls slightly as both had frequently been about his livery barn with one of his hands, Clara (*?) Van Dine, who seems to have been greatly adored by both the girls. These merry maidens were Ida Hedrick and Mollie Patchett, and both men knew that they were bound for the iron bridge saloon, which is maintained by the infamous Jim Stevenson, who allows base and lewd characters to make a rendezvous of his place and who leads in the drunken and disgraceful orgies there enacted. The girls were laughing and shouting, and so entered the saloon. About 10 o’clock Dr. Barcus and Dr. Leech were present when the Hedrick girl died of morphine poisoning. Whether her death was due to accident, suicide or murder, is a question the coroner is investigating. The girls have gone together for about two months, ever since Patchett arrived from Indianapolis, but have had frequent bitter quarrels over the divided attentions of Mr. Van Dine, of the livery stable. They quarreled half the time but the rest of the time were bosom friends. Yesterday they went to the saloon together and after smoking a couple of cigars and drinking a tomato can full of beer, Hedrick lay down on the bed and said she was sick. She requested Patchett to go to McDonald’s barn and tell Van Dine to come after her about 8 o’clock. This Patchett, who was two thirds drunk, did. When she returned to the dive, Hedrick was in a heavy sleep and it was apparent to all present that she was suffering form morphine poison. Still the drove of wicked men and women in the room continued to drink their liquor, some their vile cigars, to curse and sing their ribald songs. Finally Mollie Patchett staggered up town, laughing wildly, and going to McDonald’s barn and informed the crowd that “Ide was dying.” Bill Hoover was there but Van Dine was not. Hoover got Dr. Barcus and went at once to the saloon. The girl died soon after their arrival.
Hoover inclines to the opinion that the girl was murdered by Patchett, as Patchett had threatened to “do her up within a week.” Mrs. Stevenson states that the girls had a violent quarrel after their arrival at the saloon but she saw no poison administered.Van Dine thinks Hedrick took the poison purposely. “She was game clear through and had the nerve. Mol hasn’t got sense enough to poison anybody if she wanted to,” said he in explanation of his theory.
The Patchett girl worked for Mrs. B. W. Hanna, while the Hedrick girl officiated in the culinary department at the home of J. K. P. Thompson. Mrs. Thompson had frequently protested against Ida receiving visits from Mol and yesterday Ida had stated that they were going to the creek and that she would look for a sink hole to throw Mol in. Mrs. Abbot, who lives next to Mrs. Thompson, states that when Mol came in to tell of Ida’s sickness, that she “had a look of fiendish glee” on her face. The coroner’s investigation may bring out some facts. Yesterday Ida bought five grains of morphine at Smith & Myers drug store.