The herald., 1897-10-05
Little Tillie Cliff Rescues
Her Mother
FROM AN AWFUL DEATH
SAVED HER FROM HANGING BY
CUTTING THE ROPE
A Twelve-Year-Old Girl Comes Home
to Find Her Mother Suspended
From a Rafter

Little Tillie Cliff, bright-eyed Span
ish girl, who is just u years old, proved
herself real heroine yesterday evening g
and by remaining cool when many an
older person might have lost his head
rescued her mother from the awful fate
of hanging, a death which she had de-
creed for herself.
Mrs. Rosie Cliff attempted to commit
suicide She tied one end Of rope to
a rafter and making a moose iri the other
end climbed upon a box, tied the moose
around her neck and jumped off. She
had dangled in the air but a momer.t
when the little child, Tillie, who had
been sent up town on an errand, burst
in at the door, anxious to tell about
something that she had seen on tha
street She was Mortified to see her
mother suspended from the rafter by
rope, her feet almost touching the floor
Yet, child as she was, the little girl did
not lose her presence of mind.
"Oh, mamma, mamma" she cried, and
then ran to a cupboard and seized
caseknife. Flying back to where her
mother dangled, writhing and gaspins,
Tillie lifted herself on her toes and was
able to reach o.e rope just above where
the moose was fastened around the wo-
mans neck Fortunately the cord was
a small one. 1t had been used for
clothes lire. The knife was dull, but the
child forced it through the strands and
the rope parted. letting the now uncon-
scious mother fall to the floor.
Tillie then ran to neighbours and
gave the alarm. A telephone call was
sent to DR.. H. B. B. Montgomery. When
he arrived he found the unfortunate wo-
man suffering from the agonies of re-
turning CONSCIOUSNESS and the spasms
OF lockjaw causel by the strain Of the
muscles around the throat.
The Cliffs live on West Second street
near Ohio. Cliff is teamster and IS en-
ployed by Ramish & Marsh. The fam
lily have a pretty home and no troupe
has ever broken the serenity Of their do
mestic life.
The attempt at suicide was a desper-
ate one A razor was found lying on th5
box from which Mrs. Cliff had stepped
when she threw her weight onto the
rope, indicating that she had contem-
plated cutting her throat but changed
Had it not been for the timely dis
covery of her little daughter, Mrs. Cliff
would certainly have died suspended
from the wall.
No cause can be assigned definitely
as a reason for the deed. although it is
known that Mrs. Cliffs mother in Ore
gon is very i'll. Her son Frank, who is
II years Of age, expected to go to Rands-
burg within few days, and this worried
his mother. as she did not want him to
leave. Beyond these facts no reason
whatever for the act can be given.
A reporter called at the house last
night Mrs. Cliff was unconscious part
of the time, and could not speak word.
In answer to a question from her hus-
band as to whethe-' she had left letter
explaining the cause of her action, she
nodded her head in the affirmative. A
thorough search for the letter was made,
but it could not be found.
Little Tille told about how she had
saved her mother from hanging as fol-
lows: 81 was just coming home from
town when saw mamma in the kitchen
door. AS I started to walk up the hill
she shut the door quickly, and I ran
fast, because I wanted to tell her some
thing. When I opened the door L saw
her hanging herself, and then ] got a
knife and cut the rope"
The Cliffs belong to an old Spanish
family, and are highly respected in the
neighborhood where they live. AT late
hour this morning the would-be suicide
was slowly recovering, and will prob
ably be all right in week or two. For
a time, however, it was not thought that
she could live, but constant attention
pulled her through.