Chicago Girl Last to Leave Titanic

Miss Annie Kelly Reaches Home Here and Tells of Her Thrilling Experiences White Escaping From the Sinking Liner

The last woman to leave the sinking Titanic was Miss Annie Kelly, 17 years old, sister of Miss Beatrice Kelly, 303 Eugenie street, and she arrived in Chicago at 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon.

As she stepped from the Pennsylvania train at the Union station her sister and a friend, Miss Anna Garvey, 303 Eugenie street, met her with open arms. She was led and half-carried by her joyful sister and friends to a waiting motor car and whirled to the Garvey home, where the sister lives. There she told her story last evening:

"It was the most horrible experience of my life," said Miss Kelly, and haggard lines appeared in her face as her thoughts were again turned back to the Titanic tragedy. "Most of the ship’s passengers retired and I was in bed and sleeping soundly. My first knowledge that all was not well was when a steward pounded on the door and by his cries awakened me. Along with other passengers I rushed out. On the decks were hysterical and shrinking men and women, though the majority were taking the reported danger as a joke."

"There seemed to be nothing serious and I returned to bed. Soon afterwards other stewards routed us out, and when I had reached the second deck I began to understand that some terrible calamity had befallen the ship. Not once did I lose control of myself, and finally I was dragged forward by a steward and placed in a lifeboat, much against my will, as I did not realize the danger."

Last to Leave

"I was the last to leave the ship as the boat I was placed in was the last to be put out to sea. Less than ten minutes—it seemed less than that during those first terrifying moments—after we left the steamer she sank."

Chicago Inter Ocean, Tueday, April 23, 1912, p.3, c. 5: