The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-10-16
MURDER
CHARGES
ARR: MADE
Hammond and South Bend
Confronted With Queer
Mystery

Mrs. Hazel McNaliy. aged s5. but
a wisp Of a creature in stature.
mentally so keen that the subtle5t
questioning of experienced detcc-
tives leaves them in q quandary and
herself at case. is held at Hammond
Central police station on a charge
Of double murder. on warrants
sworn out by her husband. Frank
McNally. She was arrested Saturday
afternoon at South Bend.
HUSBAND ACCUSES HER
The husband alleges she slew her
infant twins about February l at
their home, 16S Dearborn St The
police are helpless Eefore the WON
ans persistent silence and tho "a
that they are unable to prove th re
were any twins to STAY
Mrs. McNally. first arrested
week ago at South Bend on a charge
Of assault and battery, was held.
she alleges. in the St. Joe county
jail incummiaicado. in bail of $4,000.
Saturday she was tried in the South
Bend police court on the charge
that she had beaten her husband
with & club. The case was dis
missed and she was re-arrested on
the double murder charge before SHE
left the court room.
BROUGHT TO HAMMOND
Authorities there would have
nothing 70 do with the murder
charge. Afi1avits sworn out by the
husband were taken 10 South Bend
and the woman was brought here
by Sergeant Ed Warner.
The mystery of the Dearborn 81
twins first came to the attention OF
when Mrs Lucille Myers. probation
officer, called at the home on COM
plant of neighbors that Mrs Nc
Nally had been abusing her 7-year-
old son. There Mrs. Myers heard
the story of the twins. their birth.
their disappearance and the alleged
amazing conduct of Mrs. McNally.
LEARNS OF NURSE
Mrs Myers learned the name OF
a nurse. supposed 70 have been call
ed by the husband in the illness Of
his wife. learned the name of the
North Side midwife alleged to nave
been present at the birth. heard
from Mrs. McNally's own lips. sh~
says, the admission o: the birth Of
the twins and the statement further
that the twins had been removed
for care to Il Chicago hospital. This
last statement was checked back
and officials Of the institution de-
MED knowing anything about the
case. McNally himself admitted
never having seen tffe Infants.
whom he alleges were born to Mrs.
McNally's FIRST marriage. This in
spite of the fact that he was in the
house at the time CT the alleged
birth. Mrs Myers saw a twin go
cart in the house. And that's the
nearest thing to flesh and blood
twins. living or slain. that police
have been able to discover.
WON'T DISCUSS 1T
Mrs. McNally. locked up without
bail in the local station, will be
arraigned tomorrow and refuses 10
discuss the case at all. This pend
ing arrival OF her attorneys from
south Bend. She neither denies nor
affirms that she gave birth to the
even more silent.
Records in the office Of DR.. viii
liam A. Buchanan fail TO disclose
anything bearing on the alleged
birth. Mrs. Buchanan. in the abb
sence today of her husband. vouch-
safed the information that the
health department had been called
at the time the case first sprang IN
to the notice of officials.
DETECTIVES, EFFORTS FAIL
If was she who called the Chicago
hospital, said to have received the
twins. and there learned they had
never been entered.
Chief Bunde detailed detectives
at that time to investigate. The
woman was never home when Off
cial questioners called. Gradually
interest in the uncanny situation
diminished until revived by the
present episode.
McNally who is 20 years older
than his wife, has daughter living
at so2 West Monroe street, South
Bend. and a son, Lloyd F. McNally.
living at sS2 Beall avenue, Ham
mond.
SAY TT Is HOAX
According to a story emanating
from the news room of the South
Bend News-Times. he entered the
offices of that newspaper last week
and offered them Exclusively the
story Of his wife's arrest and the
facts connected with i for $500
Police here treat the whole story
as a grand hoax perpetrated by the
woman on her husband who act
uallv believed that she gave birth to
twins and then made off with them.