Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-10-28

( those imaginary crimes with which e.
Gar Alan Poe chilled the blood OF the
1 civilized world were not more mys-
tcrious and fearful than the murders
I in the Shawangunk mountains Of New
I York The giant ape which committeu
them was not more hardened, con
I sc cncelesS, purp0scless, bloOdthirsty,
/ and Indifferent than Lizzie the gypsy.
/ by her own act widow OF Paul Ha Ii
/ day. 1t Is one Of the most interesting
cases in criminal annals, not only to
police, detectives and students Of crime
As crime, but to students of crime as
an expression Of perverted nature
TO psychologists. Here is a woman
who without excuse or apparent mo
tive, brutally murders her aged hus-
, band, her cripp ed stepson and two
women who were no more 10 her than
strangers. Brutally murdered them (?
Yes. But gently, almost mercifully;
causing them the least and briefcst
pain possible; administering, as it were,
the coup de grace in the beginning.
Then, having put them out of the
way in the damp and noisasome earth
under her bedroom. she pursued her
vacations with smi ing face, a sing
ing tongue and a Gnlm and impene-
trable courage. And all this not in the
dawn Of civilization on the western
continent; not i'm some remote fastnesS
whereinto the light Of humanity had
never penetrated but yesterday, in
the most pOpulOus state in the union,
within trihing distance of the second
city in size and one of the first in age
among the cities of the country.
Tbs is the strange story:
Paul Halliday, seventy years old.
three times a widower a veteran of
the rebellion. in which he fought as
q member Of the One Hundred and
Twenty New York regiment, oc-
cupied and titled a farm Of III acres
in Sullivan county, New York. Until
two years ago he lived alone there
with his crippled son. About that
time he made the acquaintance of
Lizzie Brown young ana comely
member of a rowing band of gypSes,
engaged her as housekecper, liked her
so well in that capacity that he CON
Guided to make her permanent
member of his family ana so married
her.
May (, 1891, a few weeks later, cd
Halliday visited a neighbOring town.
In his absence the house was Burned
and the crippled stepson of Lizzie
Halliday was crematcd, OF course
Mrs Halliday was suspected Of arson
and even of murder Her arrest was
secured, but there was no proof and
the authorities were Compe led to re-
lease her, During her detention Halli-
day rebuilt his house and barn. A
few months afterward she was again
arrested, this time on charge of
horse stealing, and was again released.
Thursday, August 81, 1898, old man
Halliday, who was well known up
and down the countryside disappeared
from view. BY Saturday the neighbOrs
( began to wonder what had become of
him. and, being unable TO secure any
satisfaction from Mrs. Halliday, mo-
titled his sons, Paul and James, whose
home is at Pine Bush. Paul started
Immediately for his fathers house, He
found his stepmOther singing Justly as
] she scrubbed the kitchen floor,
THE old mans gone to Blooming
burg she said, in response to his
question, ito make a payment on some
Ian"
Paul pretended to believe her and
retired. All day Sunday he, james
Henry Cornelius Garfield and Angus
tus La Forge watched the house and
the approaches to it. Monday Paul
called again. His stepmother, all un-
suspecting the surveillance to which
She had been subjected, told him his
father had spent Sunday with her
and had departed for Boomingburg
/ again that very morning In the
meantime the neighbors had visited
( Bloomingburg and learned that HALL
I day had not been seen in that town
since Wednesday, Aug 80
4 On Monday, Aug. IS, a woman drove
up to the farmhouse Of Thomas Nc
Quillan, gave her name rs Smith and
engaged Mrs. McQuillan to do house
work Tor her for s. per day. Mrs
McQuilan drove away with Mrs. Smith
/ the next Wednesday. About noon on
the following saturday Mrs Smith APP
pearcl again, informed young Sarah
McQuillau that her mother had injured
herself and wanted her. Sarah quickly
packed trunk and went off with
Mrs smith When Tuesday came
without news from the missing ones,
Nephew Joseph McQuiuau took his
horse and went in search Of them
and Mrs. Smith In Walden he met a
man who asked him if be had heard
the news Bodies Of two women
found on Halldays farm" said the
man odd Halliday haint been seen
fer week. Folks think he's lyin'
around thar sommers.
JoSephs heart rose into his throat
He dashed his horse into q gallon and
rode f1riously up to Halliday's. He
found 4 great crowd of men and wo-
men collected there, swarmjn- around
the house. pcering into corners and
+. Soouciuc the fields rs though they
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