The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-02-06
BURIED HER AS A WOMAN
Murrav Hall Lived Forty Fears q
l. Man in New York Citv
Strangest of Her Sex Could Not Keep Sc
cret in Death Her Maiden
Name Was Celia T. Low.

New York City.-There were few
morrners at the bier of Murray Hall
In Difference to the wishes of Miss
Minnie Hall, who received serious
shock when Informed that her foster
parent was a woman. every precau
tion was taken to insure secrecy in the
obsequies. There we're no pallhearers
and the services and burial were char
acterized by the utmost simplicity.
Miss Minnie Hall. dressed in deer
mourning. entered the first carriage
and aged domestics. who for years
had been practically Densioned b!
Hail. rode in the second carriage. The
tearse containing the body appeared
Just after the mourners had entered
the carriages. and the little PROCESSION
moved away to the Mount Olivet Gem
etery. Alaspeth. L. I.
It is the general belisf that there
will be contest over the estate of
$4,000 left by Hall. The will drawn
about three years ago names Minnie
Hall rs executrix and sole legatee. II
is expected that q mysterious person
In California. to whom Hall sent
money at regular intervals. will lay
claim to the property. Some Of the
neiehbors believe that the person IL
California is Halls first "wife." who
disappeared shortly after the separa,
tion Of the couple aoout twenty-five
years ago. Others think that the per
son in California is her son or daugh
ter.
There was much curiosity as tc
whether Hall would be buried AS s
woman or in the uress which she had
worn during her long res;'lenre in this
city. The emhalmer who prepared hel
body for burial is authority for the
statement that she Voc dressed for the
grave in woman's c'nthos. Long con
cealment Of sex identity was made
possible by her never forgetting the
part she was playing. whether In ap
parel. word or gesture.
For several years she was member
Of the Tammany Hall General Com
mittee, and hohnobbed with politi'
riaus. She drank and frenuented sa
looms. She campaigned for Tammany.
worked at the polls and swore like 8
troODer. She bad coarse but squaakD
voice. For twenty years she lived
with a woman whom she called
"wife" What the latter knew Is a
sealed hook. for she is dead. 1t shoul9
be added that this strange woman
smoked. chewed and could fight. Tc
can the climax she registered. and she
voted the solid Democratic ticket reg
ularly for many years. She ~rt her
self in many situations whit =. is al
most Impossible to believe were not
actually embarrassing-such as sub
hitting to arrest aud examination in a
police statinn-but no one ever pene
trated her disguise. That she devoted
much study TO medicine was revealed
when she sold her library to a book
dealer of her neighborhood.
Tucked between the age-yellowed
leaves of q medical book which was
owned by Murray Hall. on the fly leaf
of which was inscribed Cecilia F.
Low. n. E. Fern Medical College
Boston. Mass" was found several
locks Of hair. There is little doubt
that these adorned the head Of Muir
ray Hall before she determined to doD
the attire Of man. The hair was
curly. soft and silky and Of a golden
hue. Locks of it lay curled between
the pages of the old book. They had
probably lain there for years.
In one of the books the name cecilia
F. Low" was inscribed. but in all OF
the others the name Cecilia Low Hnlr'
and "Alrs. Celia F. Hall" appeared.