Evening journal., 1893-09-06
MIDDLETOWN MURDER
The Dead Women Were Evil
IDENTIFY Shot While Sleeping.
PAUL HALLIDAY STILL MISSING

FIendish Crime Physicians Believe
That Her Alleged Insanity is Merely
Sham Body of the Younger Woman
Identified.
MTDDLETowN, NY, Sept. 6-The find
ing of the bodies of two murdered
women concealed under Paul Hallidays
barn, in the town of Mukakating, Sulli-
van county as briefly described in yester-
days dispatches, constituted the first
chapter of what now bids fair to prove
one of the most remarkable stories of
crime, or murderous frenzy-whichever
it may be-that has come to light in
years.
The second chapter develops the ele-
ments of great mystery. for investigs-
tions have utterly failed to show the
identity Of the unfortunate women,
while proving, with tolerable certainty,
that they were not residents of the
section, but probably summer boarders.
The country is on the slopes of the
Cstskill Mountains and many Of the
farmhouses for miles around take
boarders during the heated season.
There is another phase of mystery
too. and that is the disappearance Of
Paul Halliday, the farmer
1t is supposed by many that he, too,
has been murdered. In fact. it was in
search for him that the bodies of tn
murdered women were discovered. But
there may be some doubt of this, for the
bones found in the stove which were
thought to be his are now supposed TO
be meat bones.
This phase of the mystery is yet to be
scientifically investigated.
Believe the wife Did 1t.
The startling and sensational feature
in the case, however, is that everybody
who has had anything to do with it,
either as an investigator or merely as
spectator, is morally convinced that a
woman committed the awful double and
possibly triple murder.
This woman is the wife of the farmer
Halliday. She is under arrest, and this
afternoon was present at a part Of the
inquest.
There is a ger eral belief on the part Of
the residents of the neighborhood that
she is insane, and II this proves to be the
case the awful crime may be attributed
20 madness. At the same time there
are things which, to an observant inves-
tigator, impel the belief that her alleged
insanity is merely a sham.
Such are the elements of this shock
ing and mysterious tragedy as developed
in its second chapter. What succeeding
chapters may disclose can only be con.
jectured, but whatever the outcome, il
is bound to be sensational and extraordi.
narily interesting,
No new discoveries were made yester
day, except further indications that the
murdered women were not residents
of this section. A card found
in the clothing Of one of them bore
the name Of Matilda Hess, P0ugh-
keepsie on the Hudson. An envelope
was also discovered, with the words
"Clinton place, Brooklyn" written
upon it.
Brought Out the Facts.
The inquest was begun and almost
ended. But it developed no new light,
though it brought out all the facts in a
way which had not been done before,
and served, besides, to strengthen the
liday was the assassin.
The post mortem examination revealed
eight bullets in one woman and seven in
the other, The older woman has been
dead week, but the younger apparently
not over forty eight hours. The bodies
have been given to Undertaken Van
Twegen, of Bloomingburg, who will
have the features photographed before
burial
The town in which the murders were
committed is on the edge of the noun
tains near the eastern boundary Of Sulli
van county. 1t is remote from all th'
regular lines of travel and the nearest
railroad station is seven miles away
The nearest town of any consequence il
Middletown, and from there the scene o
the tragedy is long and hard carriag'
ride of fifteen miles.
1t is not surprising, therefore, that tn
accounts which reached the New YOrl
newspapers on Monday night and wer
published in this mornings editions wer
exceedingly brief in fact only sugges
tion of the real story.
Il would be hard to find within a nun
dred miles Of New York a more idea
place for the commission of such a crime
The country is wild and thickly wooded
The Shawangunk Mountains stretch east
ward and nOrthward and at the place II
question become merged in the foothill
of the Catskills.
Viewed BY Hundreds
The body of the elder woman wa
buried this afternoon. The other bod
is still above ground. Hundreds We've
both bodies this morning, but none coul
recognize them.
There is much speculation as to ho'
the murder was committed. All thos
who examined the bodies the day the
were found declare the women were VI
dressed when they were shot. But
this is so it makes the mystery a mos
complete one.
It could easily be that Mrs Hallida
had induced them to stop at the hous
and shot them there. But how coul
she have 6rst induced them TO disrobe
There is the possibility that she adve
tised for boarders and that they came