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This is documentation for the “Mrs Maggie Halliday”, aka “Miss Eliza McNally” story. Alias: Mrs. Maggie Hopkins, Mrs. Lizzie Halliday, Mrs. Smart, Mrs. Hoffman.
| Vitals & Events | |||||
| Event | Date | Place | Notes | ||
| Born | May 1860 | County Antrim, Ireland | to John and Mary McNally | ||
| Marriage 1 | c1881-1883 | to Charles Hopkings aka Ketspool Brown | |||
| Marriage 2 | Jan 1885 | Fort Edward, NY | to Artemus M. Brewer | ||
| Marriage 3 | c1886 | Shushan, NY | to Hiram F. Parkerson | ||
| Marriage 4 | 6 Jun 1886 | Middle Falls, NY | to George H. Smith | ||
| Marriage 5 | c1887 | Sandgate, Vermont | to Charles “Charlie” Playstel (Blaisdale?) | ||
| Arrest | 1888 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | for arson, fraud, and attempted murder. Confined at Eastern State Penitentiary. | ||
| Marriage 6 | 26 Mar 1891 | Middltown, NY | to Paul Halliday | ||
| Arrest | 1891 | New York | |||
| Arrest | 1893 | Walker’s Valley, New York | for murder of husband Paul Halliday, Mrs. Margaret McQuillan and Sarah Jane McQuillan | ||
| Murder | 1906 | Matteawan, New York | murder of attendant Nellie Wicks at Matteawan Asylumn | ||
| Died | 27 Jun 1918 | Beacon, New York | Matteawan Asylum | ||
| Immediate Family Members | |||||
| Relation | Name | Birth Date | Birth Place | Death Date | Death Place |
| Father | John McNally | c1884 | |||
| Mother | Mary | c1822 | Ireland | 1892 | Sandgate, Vermont |
| – brother | Samuel McNally | c1843 | Ireland | before 1893 | |
| – brother | John W. McNally | c1844 | Ireland | 1900 | Sandgate, Vermont |
| – sister | Rosanna McNally | 1845 | Ireland | 1910 | Hebron, New York |
| – sister | Nancy McNally | 1856 | Ireland | 1912 | Hebron, New York |
| – sister | Martha McNally | 1857 | Ireland | 1912 | Greenwich, New York |
| – sister | Mary McNally | 1859 | Ireland | ||
| – brother | Frank McNally | 1865 | Ireland | ||
| – sister | Jane McNally | 1893 | Troy, New York | ||
| Husband 1 | Charles Hopkins | c1884 | Arlington, New York | ||
| – son | Charles Hopkins | c1882 | |||
| Husband 2 | Artemus M. Brewer | 1841 | Easton, NY | 1885 | Greenwich, New York |
| Husband 3 | Hiram F. Parkerson | 1826 | New York | 1903 | Middle Falls, New York |
| Husband 4 | George H. Smith | c1831 | 1900 | Easton, New York | |
| Husband 5 | Charlie Playstel | c1855? | |||
| Husband 6 | Paul Halliday | c1820 | Ireland | 1893 | |
- Camden Daily Courier
- 1888 (17 Mar): “Charged with Incendiarism”
- 1888 (21 Mar): “An Alleged Incendiary Removed”
- 1888 (22 Mar): “A Woman Charged With Arson”
- 1888 (29 Mar): “Mrs. Hopkins Committed for Trial”
- 1888 (13 Apr): “A Widow on Trial for Arson”
- Camden Daily Telegram
- 1888 (17 Mar): “Brief City Notes”
- Camden Post-Telegram
- 1901 (13 Feb): “Gone to Their Last Rest”
- Courier-Post
- 1888 (17 Mar): “Charged with Incendiarism”
- Evening World
- 1893 (5 Sep): “All Dread Mystery”
- Morning Star (Glens Falls, NY)
- 1885 (10 Jan): Marriage of “Miss Maggie Hopkins” to Artemus Brewer
- New York World
- 1893 (22 Oct): “Nellie Bly Visits Mrs. Halliday”
- 1893 (5 Nov): “A Woman Without a Heart” (Nellie Bly article)
- Philadelphia Inquirer
- 1888 (15 Mar): “Fires”
- 1888 (19 Mar): “Charged With Arson”
- 1888 (29 Mar): “Shooting and Stealing”
- 1888 (24 Sep): “Building Permits”
- Philadelphia Times
- 1888 (15 Mar): “Three Houses Destroyed”
- 1888 (17 Mar): “Demented and Wandering the Streets”
- 1888 (18 Mar): “Did She Fire Her House?”
- 1888 (19 Mar): “Cannot be Removed”
- 1888 (22 Mar): “Camden County Notes”
- 1888 (29 Mar): “Mrs. Hopkins Committed”
- 1893 (6 Nov): “Mrs. Halliday’s Crimes”
- 1893 (7 Nov): “Mrs. Halliday Insane”
- Post
- 1888 (16 Mar): “Clothing the Naked”
- Washington County Advertiser
- 1886 (23 Jun): Marriage of “Mrs. Maggie Hopkins” to George H. Smith
People
♦ Bly, Nellie: interviews Maggie in 1893 after her arrest for the murders of her husband and the McQuillan women. ♦ Canfield: struck upon the hand by Maggie when the men tried to enter her home for her arrest. ♦ Hart, T. R.: a young attorney from New York that renders his services as counsel to Mrs. Halliday (4 Sep 1893) ♦ Roesch: coroner ♦ Scott, Joe: constable with warrant to arrest Mrs. Halliday (4 Sep 1893)
