Lillian would say no more about this jealous married woman, but the press was intrigued enough to track down the person she was likely referring to.

Near where Lillian Hawkins had grown up lived a girl named Myrtle Brown. Myrtle was about five older than Lillian. When she was 16, Myrtle was courted by a young man named Will Hoyt. Later she married another man named Bert Troll.

The marriage between Bert and Myrtle was unhappy. After a few years, Myrtle left her husband and sued for divorce. Burt Troll, equally disenchanted, countersued his wife.

During the divorce case, witnesses were called as the couple continued to battle it out in court. Lillian testified that she and Myrtle once attended a party when the Trolls were still living together in Rock Creek. The name of Will Hoyt came up in conversation and Myrtle had said, “I care more for Will Hoyt’s little finger than I do for Burt Troll’s whole body.”

We don’t know if Lillian’s testimony was decisive, but Myrtle Troll lost her case. Neighbors recalled that, after this, “threats were made” but no further detail was given. Why would threats be made? Lillian didn’t just wander into the courtroom, did she? She must have been subpoenaed, in which case, she didn’t have a choice about whether to testify.

After losing her case, Myrtle resumed her maiden name and her dating life. Within a short time, she announced she was engaged to an unnamed man from Plymouth, Ohio. Instead she remarried Bert Troll. At the time of the attacks on Lillian, Bert and Myrtle were still married.

In a small town like Rock Creek, everyone knew each other. However, the newspapers covering Lillian’s story made it a point to say that Myrtle Troll and Nina Knowlton were friends.

The police announced they were consulting a handwriting expert and that an inspector from the U.S. postal service had been called in to the case.

There were few letters to examine. Lillian did not keep most of the anonymous letters she received. Mrs. Knowlton had one letter connected to the case, written by Lillian and entrusted to her. It was sealed and she was only to open it “in the event of the next attack proving fatal.”

Interestingly, Ashtabula Chief of Police Sheldon said he had received a number of anonymous, threatening letters about Lillian’s case. The letters advised him “not to prosecute.”

The Enquirer article offered one final detail. It seemed that, back in December 1900 when she was bound and gagged, Lillian’s large circle of friends exhibited a strange lack of compassion for the long-suffering young woman. “When Miss Hawkins [was ill] for 10 days after being bound and gagged, scarcely a dozen people visited her, so decided was the change in sentiment. Stories against her reputation have been circulated.”

The final major event in this story happened in September 1901, when another attempt was made on Lillian’s life. Five months had passed since the acid-throwing incident and the police had learned nothing about the girl’s mysterious and persistent assailant.

Lillian was still in Ashtabula in September, but she was living with different family members. For dessert one night, the family ate sliced peaches. The Evening Republican reported, “Shortly after partaking of a dish of sliced peaches, [Lillian] was taken violently ill, and but for the timely work of the doctors, it is thought she must have died. Some of the peaches were analyzed, and it was found they have been saturated with laudanum.”

The article did not mention other members of the family, but from the way it is written, the implication was only Lillian became ill. “Medical aid was at once summoned, and her life was once more saved.”

The article speculated the attack was the handiwork of the same person who had previously attempted to kill the girl. “The police have again taken up the matter, and will conduct another investigation. Miss Hawkins is still in a critical condition from the effects of the laudanum. Her condition is still serious as this latest attempt on her has completely shattered her nerves…neither she nor her family can throw any light upon it.”

The poisoned peaches in September seem very similar to the poisoned apples in January. My questions are the same: how did the perpetrator know which peaches Lillian would eat? Evidently the rest of the family ate peaches but no one else got sick. Typically, if peaches are served, the dish is passed around the table and everyone puts some on their plate. How was it that only Lillian ate poisoned peaches?

Laudanum seemed like an odd choice too. People used it recreationally all the time, but maybe a large dose was dangerous.

Three months after eating the poisoned peaches, Lillian Hawkins married Julius E. Bliss. Julius was the younger brother of William Bliss, the cousin at whose home Lillian was staying when acid was thrown on her. A year after eating the poisoned peaches, in September 1902, Lillian and Julius had a daughter named Gladys. Three more children followed. Lillian lived to be 100 years old but never again was her name or story mentioned in the newspapers.

I couldn’t definitively locate Bert Troll and Myrtle Brown. There was a woman named Myrtle Brown who was born in Ashtabula County around the right year but I wasn’t able to confirm any information about her, including whether Brown was her maiden or married name. There was a Troll family nearby but I couldn’t confirm it was Bert’s family. I did find Will Hoyt. He didn’t get married until 1906, which means he was a single man when Myrtle said she cared more about his little finger than her husband’s whole body.

What are your thoughts on this strange story? Who was behind the strange persecution of Lillian Hawkins?

If you liked this post, please subscribe to Old Spirituals, like and share the post on your social media, and leave a comment! It really helps other people find the site. And if you’re so inclined, check out my books on Amazon or click the button to Buy Me a Coffee!