The Portland daily press., 1894-06-04
Rsekland Girl Of Well Known
Parentage.
BROWNS HERSELF AT PEEKSKILL,
NEW YORK.

Peekskill, June 2-Miss Lulu Erskine, %
years of age, of Rockland, Me-, committed
suicide here this morning by drowning her.
self in the Hudson river. She was of ex-
cellent parentage and of good reputation.
When the 8.5l.train from New York arrived
here this morning, Miss Erskine alighted.
She wore a brown dress of rich material.
which was trimmed modestIy, but was of
fashionable cut. On her head sat a jaunty
sailor hat and over her arm she carried a
heavy astrakhan cape.
The hackmen thought it was some young
woman bound for visit at some country
ouse, or else that she was going to the girls
school connected with st. Gabriers Con-
vent. She engaged man and ordered him
to drive her to the convent.
This hackman noticed that she was very
respondent, and while driving up the hill to
the convent, which is short mile from the
station, he thought more than once that he
heard her sobbing. Upon leaving him at the
convent she absent-mindedly handed him a
$5 bill and walked off. He had to call her
back to give her the change.
Miss Ersk1ne informed the attendant who
came to the door In answer to her ring that
she wished to see the Mother Superior, and
upon being told that she was out of town
she began to sob. She was led into an inner
room at once, and several of the Sisters
waited upon her, giving her refreshments
and trying to cheer her up.
After few moments she became more
composed, and they then asked her where
she was from and what she wished. She
gave her name and address, and said that
although Baptist, she wanted to become
Coth ctr She nPOnOSaQ t0
make visit with the Sisters preparatory to
becoming Sister herself.
She said she had travelled steadily night
and day from Rockland, and had mere
ly left note for. her people announcing the
fact to them that she wished to enter con-
vent. The Sisters noticed that the young
woman had peculiar expression in her
eyes and that she. did not seem able to re-
turn directly the gaze of any of them. They
thought, seeing that she was very hand
some girl, that something might be wrong.
At any rate they did not like the idea .of
her having left home without informing her
people, and they reluctantly informed her.
that they could not keep her.
Miss Erskine pleaded hard to be allowed
to remain, but gave no specific reason for
wishing to give up her family and friends.
After being with the Sisters probably half
an.hour in which she used all the persuasive
powers at her command to convince them
that she ought to be admitted, she accepted
their decision with fairly good grace. They
could see from her appearance that she did
not lack money, and as she appeared to be-
come reconciled and announced that sae
was going to Boston to stay with a friend,
they felt no apprehension in allowing her to
leave. They told her that train would
leave for New York at 1l.55 a. M, and that
she could each a train in New York for
Boston at 2 p. m.
One of the Sisters accompanied her part
of the way to the station, seeking to gain
further information, but it was useless, and
as she seemed to have regained fair meas
ure of cheerfulness the Sister left her,
thinking it not necessary to accompany her
all of the way to the train. With parting
Injunction to cheer up the Sister returned
to the convent.
At about 1915 O'Clock. Capt. Van Wart of
the schooner Annie, which was lying at the
wharf at Dain's lumber yard, saw young
woman walking out on Flat Rock, which
extends twenty-five feet into the Hudson, a
quarter of a mile from the railroad station
and northwest of it. Flat Rock is in plain
view of the site of the State camp. He
noticed that she went to the edge of the
water and stood there for long time.
Thinking that she was going to fish, as the
place:is good fishing ground, he paid no
attention to her. Being busily engaged
about his vessel, he did not think to look
again for some time and when he did look
she had disappeared.
A few minutes before IL o'clock Harvey
NJ. Washburn ofWashburn Brothers, builders
of Peekskill, and Lewis Travis, an employe,
walked out to the ferry, which they were
going to take to the State camp grounds
They saw the young woman standing at the
waters edge and watched her closely.
The two men were probably fifty yards
from her, but she evidently did not see
them, for she walked very slowly into the
water down the sloping rock and was soon
standing with only her shoulders and head
above the surface. Instead of calling to her
to desist or attempting to make her come
out of the water, the two men set off on a
run for the upper Peekskill wharf, 300 yards
or more away, and upon reaching there in
formed Oden Dyckman, a fisherman there.
that young woman was trying to drown
herself off Flat Rock.
Dyckman jumped into skiff and pulled
away, thinking he might still be in time to
save her. He missed gaining his object by
less than ten minutes. He found Miss
Erskine's body floating only few feet from
the rock. 1t would probably have sunk ex-
cept for the heavy fur cape, which, being
around the shoulders, held the body up. g
He towed the body ashore, and after care
fully lifting it upon the rock, attempted to
resuscitate the young woman. Several
people had by this time collected, and one
of them was sent off for doctor.
DR.. Stephen f. Horton was found not far
away, but after an examination he said
there WAS no hope, as the heart had entire
| ly stopped beating. Coroner Jose ph A.
Apgar had the body removed to Croft s
| undertaking rooms.
Her effects were carefully searched, and
at first revealed nothing. Everything she
wore was new and of fine quality. but no
article of her clothing bore mark of any
| kind that declared her identity. She had a
scarf pin, but no other jewelry.
| Her shoes were new, and the rubber
| sandals and CATERS that covered them were
/ equally new. The only mark that could be