Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-02-09
THE MURRAY HALL CASE
Possible Solution of New York's
Strange Mystery.
THE STORY OF AN OLD NURSE.

She Is Convinced That the Late New
York Politician Was Mary Ander-
son of scotIand--Tbeir Lives Are
Parallel - scotch Orphan Fled to
America to Escape Notoriety.
The mystery of the life of Murray
Hall, whose death in New York recent
ly disclosed the fact that she had been
masquerading as man for more than
30 years, may be cleared by the story
told by Mrs. Canning, an old nurse, for
many years connected with the Edin-
burgh hospital, but now living in
Brooklyn borough.
Mrs. Canning told reporter of case
which TALES in almost every minute
detail with the life of Murray Hall of
New York. 1t is the story of a girl
who adopted mans attire through be-
ing forced to earn her own living In her
early youth; how Yhen her sex was
discovered after she had masgueraded
for years she was driven from Scotland
by the notoriety and how she adopted
the name Of Murray Hall.
IL she be the same woman, the Muir
ray Hall who for years ran an employ
ment agency in Sixth avenue was Ma
ry Anderson. who, with her brother
John, a year older than herself, was
orphaned in her fourteenth year and
left destitute. Mary Anderson and her
brother struggled to earn a living, but
two years after their parents death
the boy died. In story she told sub
sequently IN the Edinburgh hospital
her brother persuaded her to bury him
as MARY" Anderson and assume his
name. saying 1t would be easier for her
to earn living.
AS John Anderson she went to the
little town of Govan, Scotland. and
there married Her inability to drop
her feminine manners caused talk, and
to stop it she married. Here her life
begins striking parallel with that of
Murray Hall. She smoked and drank.
swore like a sailor and was fond of
the society of other women.
Her wife became jealous, 1t is al
legged, and separation followed. The
wife disclosed the fact that John An
derson" was woman, and warrant
was issued for her arrest.
She went to Duddison. a small town
two miles from Edinburgh, and later
entered Edinburgh This was in the
year 1870. the year of the smallpox
epidemic in the Scotch capital, and
when she showed symptoms of the dis
ease she was taken TO the hospital.
Here her identity was disclosed In
spite OF her efforts to conceal her sex,
and she was arrested on the old Co
van warrant. Her prosecution follow
ed. but was stopped when she volun-
teered to act as a nurse Of the small
pox patients at the hospital
According TO Mrs. Canning's story,
there were then two sections TO the
hospital, one known as Hamilton Hall
and the other as Murray Hall John
Anderson" was assigned to work in
Murray Hall.
This is the coincidence which led
Mrs. Canning first to suspect that the
Sixth avenue Murray Hall was none
other than the woman who had mas
Queraded as a man nurse in Murray
Hall, Edinburgh, 1t was during the
dreadful plague OF the year 1870 that
the girl told Mrs. Canning her story.
The Edinburgh Scotsman printed
the story in full. and the notoriety the
woman achieved drove her from the
hospital. Wherever she went she was
jeered ut, and finally, unable to bear
up under the ridicule any longer, she
decided to quit Scotland. She confid-
ed this to Mrs. Canning and was add
vised to go to America This she did
at the close of the year 1870, telling
her friends that she was going to
change her name and begin life over
again in the land of promise. That
was the last they saw or heard of her
Mrs. Canning described to the re-
porter the appearance of the girl. The
height and build were the same as
Murray Halls, and every one Of her
peculiar habits in Edinburgh finds
parallel in the life of the woman known
as man in New York since she came
from Scotland 30 years ago.-New
York World.