Episode 750: Lizzie Halliday | Forensic Files

Hey weirdos, I'm Ash. >> And I'm Elena. >> And this is Morbid. This is morbid. And we're going back to
the 18 [ __ ] hundreds today. >> Oh, it's old timey. >> We haven't done it in a little bit. In a
minute. >> [ __ ] go. >> Haven't been in the 1800s for a minute. Let's go. >> And this one's crazy.
>> Tell me, sister. >> Um, first of all, it really upset me today because Ice used a 5-year-old kid
as bait. >> There is actually people don't know if he's five or if he's four. >> Okay. A tiny little
>> beautiful boy in his little backpack with a bunny >> hat on. >> A little hat. And if those images don't
[ __ ] your entire world up, then I don't understand your life. >> No. >> Um, so just wanted to start with that.
>> The thing is, I think a good ass majority of people are upset. I think people who are not upset are luckily in
the minority, but it's wild that they exist. >> Yeah. Cuz I can't imagine looking at the
photos of that little boy standing there with his little backpack knocking on his front door while an ICE
agent is literally crouched next to him. >> Yeah. Waiting to ruin his entire family.
>> I don't understand be looking at that and not feeling anything. So that's I just had to get that out cuz that image
has really a lot of things has bothered me, but that one just really got me today.
>> Yeah, that's definitely something that would get you. >> So yeah, [ __ ] that [ __ ] And um I really
hope everything gets better, man. And if you're in Maine right now, hang tight. I
hope I hope you guys are all right there. >> And um and if you're in the south, good
luck with this storm. >> Yeah, that's the other thing. There's a [ __ ] huge winter storm happening. And
I know we're going to be getting like up here in Massachusetts, we're going to get mostly just a lot of snow.
>> Um but I think in the south, it's going to be like a ton of ice storms. Yeah.
Um, and so like I think there's going to be a ton of power outages just so just be careful.
>> Yeah, it's going to be gnarly. So >> hopefully everybody that I keep seeing people being like and like
meteorologists and [ __ ] saying it's like a once in a generation type of storm and
I'm like what? >> That's insane. >> What the [ __ ] >> Yeah. >> Uh, so stock up if you can.
>> Get the bread and the milk. Get the bread and the milk. It's not a joke. Really do it. Get the bread and the
milk. >> Um, and get some water and all that good stuff. Stock up if you can. Yeah, I got
a few gallons. >> And yeah, I hope everybody I hope we come back next week and we're like,
>> wasn't that was a fun little winter storm right now, right? >> And maybe ice will be abolished once
that's over. >> Once ice will melt. >> So that's all of the ice willl away. >> That's what we hope. Uh but yeah, so I
just had to had to mention that adorable little boy and >> um we wanted to tell you to be safe in
the winter storm that's a coming. >> Yeah. >> Uh and also uh Ghost is >> is touring again right now.
>> We're supposed to go to a show and I really hope they are I hope they're being safe when they travel because
they're kind of traveling like with the storm. They're in the eye of the storm. So, be careful, Ghost.
>> Yeah, >> if you're listening, Ghost, as a whole, be careful. >> I know. >> Um, but yeah, I think that's really all
the >> all the updates, unless you got anything. >> Harry Styles is releasing new music
tomorrow. >> Well, there you go. >> Hello. >> There you go. What's the name of the
album? >> Um, Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally. >> That's a great name. >> Great name. Great advice. Words to live
by. >> There you go. >> Kiss all the time. >> Discoally. You you didn't get to see this, but Ash
did a disco move while she said that. >> Yeah, you better disco occasionally. And
I don't know I I don't know if they said the song name that's being um released tomorrow, but I have a doctor's
appointment in the morning and I'm going to that's going to sing me there. Get you ready. Let's go.
>> I like it. See, that's a good thing. >> Yeah. >> That's positive. >> Harry. >> Harry.
>> I'm so excited. >> Well, you know who we're going to talk about right now that's completely the
opposite of Harry Styles? >> A woman named Lizzy. >> Lizzy Halliday. >> That's all I knew. also known as the
worst woman on earth. >> The worst woman on earth. Literally deemed the worst woman on earth.
>> I feel like so many women probably including ourselves have been deemed the worst woman on earth. It's true. But she
might be Liz. Lizzy uh she's a good contender. >> Okay. All right. >> She's up there.
>> You don't feel like we're good contenders? >> But I feel like honestly we're all good
contenders, you know. >> Uh but you know what? She was known as the worst woman on earth and ended up
being the first woman ever to be sentenced to die in the electric chair. >> Oh [ __ ]
>> Yeah. Sentenced. >> I saw I heard that heard that little emphasis. >> So, let's get into this, shall we?
>> We shall, [ __ ] >> Um, so Lizzy Holidayiday, who was she? >> I don't know. >> Who was Who who was Lizzy?
>> I only know the two things you just told me so far. >> Well, she was born Eliza McN.
>> Make that three. So, she was born Elijah McNal in County Atram, Ireland in 1864.
>> Oh, an Irish. >> We got an Irish. >> I don't know why I rolled it. I liked it. Uh, Lizzie was one of nine children.
Her parents were John and Pam McN. >> The McN decided to leave Ireland for the US after dealing with more than a decade
of the potato famine and the oppressive British occupation in Ireland. So they buy
>> they arrived in Philadelphia in 1867 and they left part of their family in Ireland which was very common.
>> Yeah. >> Um and they were hoping to make enough money that they could send for the rest
of their family. >> Yeah. I feel like that happens so freaking now. Once they got there, John
McN found a job as a laborer and Pam got a job as a barmaid in a pub owned by family friends, the McQuillins.
>> They'll come back. Remember them. >> Okay. McQuillins. They were actually doing pretty well financially, but they
were working their butts off. And with this influx of income, they were able to send for the rest of their children to
come live with them pretty quickly, which is great. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah. Within a few years, John and Pam
had not only saved enough money to bring all their family over from Ireland, but
also to relocate them to a less densely populated region of the Northeast, eventually settling in Newberg, New York
in 1872. >> All right. Yeah. They had a home that was not far from the McQuillins who also relocated
to that area. >> I remembered them. >> Remember them. Continue to remember them.
>> I will. >> Now, newly arrived in the United States, Lizzy, who was then known as Maggie.
>> Okay. >> So, her name is Eliza called Lizzy, also known as Maggie. >> Makes sense.
>> Yeah. Uh she focused hard on her schooling and, you know, she really helped her parents out around the house.
She was just she was great that way. And by the time she was 14, she started dating Nathaniel McQuillin.
>> Okay. >> But they broke up sometime in 1879 when the McN relocated again. >> Damn, they do be moving.
>> They do. They ended up moving further up the river into the Hudson Valley in Greenwich, which was a small village
along the border with Vermont. At this point, Lizzie had finished her schooling and was now pretty much expected to find
work to help support the family or go find a husband and settle down and start her own family. Lizzie decided she
wanted to go out and find work for herself. So, she started a series of jobs, mainly as a domestic worker for
some of the wealthier families in the area. >> Now, this is when some behaviors began
to emerge that now would likely be recognized as symptoms of a severe mental illness.
>> Okay. She's like late teens, early 20s. >> Yeah. >> Checks. According to author Kevin Owen,
some relatives and employers reported at times she would make poor choices and destructive decisions which would
alienate her employers, her family, and everyone she came into contact with. >> So everyone
>> Yeah. >> So literally all the people. >> Okay. >> In a report given to the press after
Lizz's arrest, one of her former employers told the press that Lizz's employment started well and she
performed like pretty satisfactorily. But at the end of the third week, quote, "Something went wrong with the baking."
The employer called Maggie's attention to it mildly, whereupon she flew into a violent passion, using violent vile
language to her mistress, whom she threatened to have arrested at once. Whoa. >> Yeah. She said, "I made it nice."
>> She did. Now, according to a lawyer familiar with her behavior at the time, he said, quote, "She seemed to know the
difference between right and wrong, but was quite indifferent as to which turned
up first." That's scary. >> And that's the thing. She is very mentally ill. >> Like that is clear through this.
>> But you can tell she makes moves that are very cunning and are and are very much used to keep herself from being
caught. >> Right. >> So there is that idea that she is sane, but she's got a severe mental illness
for sure. >> She would often get fired for things like stealing or violent or verbally
abusive behavior. She even threatened a child with a knife. Oh my god. Lizzy Maggie.
>> For unknown reasons, Lizzy Maggie. >> And at the time, Lizz's relationship with her family also, as you can
probably guess, started to deteriorate. Okay. >> Yeah, I know. It's crazy. >> She was It was thriving.
>> According to her brother, John, quote, "She was inclined so much to quarreling
that the family all disowned her. She could not stay in a place anytime when working out on account of her violent
temper." So later down the line after she was arrested and put on trial, which we'll get to, more information about
Lizz's behavior during this period started to come to light, >> okay? >> Painting a very scary but very sad
picture of a woman who was clearly losing her grip on reality and losing her ability to control her increasingly
aggressive behavior. >> Okay. >> On top of this, her work was tied to her place to live cuz she was a domestic
worker. >> So if she was fired, she was kicked out of the home and needed to find somewhere
to stay. She got fired a lot. So, a lot of instability here. And that doesn't help mental health either.
>> No, of course not. >> When she was evicted in 1879, her sister Martha said Maggie from this time on
became so reckless in her conduct, especially in her dealings with men, that her employer had to deny her the
house, leaving her both unemployed and homeless. >> Damn, that's that's sad. So, she
couldn't hold a job for very long. I mean, the thing is like she she was clearly mentally ill, but like I said,
she was also being very destructive and very aggressive and very violent. >> Yeah. She's going after children with
knives. So, like that's not great. >> You're getting kicked out for a reason, >> right? It's not like they just don't
like her. >> Exactly. Now, she couldn't hold a job for very long. So, she sought out the
only viable path for women in the late 19th century. And in 1879, she married Charles Hopkins, a carpenter who was
very much older than her. >> Oh. She was 20 years old at the time. Um, there's not a lot that's known about
the marriage or really Hopkins himself because again, this is a long time ago, but it is believed from some digging
that he was a deserter from the British Army who was living under the name Keatspool Brown when he and Lizzie
married. >> All righty. >> Although he did officially make his living as a carpenter, Kevin Owens, who
we uh we will link in the show notes, he said he also had a history of shady and
criminal behavior. her. And in one instance, he romanced a local married woman and convinced her to steal money
from her employer for him. >> Damn. >> He ended up receiving $200 from the woman in the 1800s.
>> That's a lot of money. >> And then just skipped out on the relationship. >> Oh, so he was only romancing her for for
himself. >> Oh, yeah. >> For his own [ __ ] >> So after her arrest and incarceration
later, Lizzy explained that Hopkins quote always had some woman coming about and visiting with whom he had once been
acquainted. Oh, that's shitty. >> Hopkins was making it seem like he was just manipulating these women for money,
but he was also trying to make Lizzie feel like it wasn't a mistress situation, which it was pretty much
both. >> Yeah. >> But either way, Lizzy was clearly understandably very jealous of this.
>> Curiously >> and a little suspiciously, >> Hopkins acquaintance there, the woman
was found dead in her bed not long after this began. >> Hello, 911. Yeah, >> I'd like to report a tip. She was found
with a bottle of poison on the nightstand beside her. And under the circumstances, the death was ruled a
suicide, but no note was ever found. >> Weird. >> And aside from the position by the bed,
there was no other evidence to indicate she had taken her own life. >> Ooh, I don't like that.
>> And when you look at what Lizzie does later, it's a little interesting. >> Oh, so it could have been Lizzy.
>> It could have been either one, I think. >> So, like it could have been Charles or
it could have been Lizzy. >> Damn. Now, in interviews, Lizzie frequently referred to Hopkins as quote
a bad man. And following the death of his mistress, he quote was never happy afterwards. And I heard him say often he
was tired of living. >> Oh. >> So, it was like he was just manipulating her for money. Huh.
>> Yeah. >> Which that makes me think >> it was Lizzy perhaps. >> Now, whatever. Allegedly.
>> Don't come after us, Lizzy. >> Yeah. Lizzy from the 1800s. Whatever the case, Hopkins and Lizzie were married
and Lizzie became pregnant pretty soon after. >> Oh, I don't love that. Just because of
the situation that we have at hand. >> Yeah. And she eventually gave birth to a boy, Charles Jr. And she appears to have
possibly suffered from either postpartum depression or maybe just a worsening of
her like symptoms that she already had. Yeah. >> According to her sister Martha, she
never, and this is a quote, she never acted right after her boy was born. She acted so strangely that sometimes I
would be frightened. I didn't know what ailed her because obviously they didn't know anything of this.
>> Scary. >> During this period, Lizzie claimed to experience, among other things, quote,
singing in her ears. >> Oh. >> And seeing lights around the house that no one else could see.
>> That feels like more than just postpartum. >> Yeah. Seems like psychosis. >> Yeah.
>> Now, Lizzie claimed that throughout their marriage, Hopkins was physically and verbally abusive, frequently
threatening her life. And in 1881, Hopkins died from what Lizzie claimed was typhoid fever, but there was no
evidence to support that claim. >> Oh no. >> Following her arrest, Liz later Lizzie
was emphatic in her insistence that she had nothing to do with his death. But the doctor that examined his body stated
that while he did have a fever at the time of his death, quote, "His demise was caused by extensive throat and lung
irritation from inhaling small particles of bristle." And he did work in a brush
factory. Okay. >> Um, so it seemed a little plausible and it was widely accepted at the time, but
years later, suspicion did fall on Lizzy for his death when his physician reported that Charles had confessed
having some fear of his wife and believed she might one day kill him. >> Oh, [ __ ]
>> Yeah. >> So, it's like, did she or did life just catch up with her? >> Exactly. It could have been either one.
Now a widow, Lizzie and her son Charlie moved back to Greenwich and found a room
above the shop of a local blacksmith. Not long after moving back to the village, she met her second husband,
Artemis Brewer. >> Artemis. >> Artemis, a disabled Civil War veteran who required two crutches to walk and
suffered from several other ailments. According to Owen, Brewer was quote, "An unusually short man with an enormous,
disproportionate head and had long, scraggly, unckempt whisper whiskers and very large feet." That's a read and a
half. >> What a description. >> The library is open. >> What a description. Damn, [ __ ]
You really got me at an unusually large head >> and just like real big feet. >> Oh,
>> and unckempt whiskers. >> Really short. >> Yeah. >> So, the marriage lasted less than a year
and came to an end when Brewer died unexpectedly in the night. >> Years later, Brewer's doctor would tell
others that he suspected that he had been poisoned with the opiumbased medicine he took for his pain.
>> Oh, >> but Lizzie maintained it was edema that killed him. >> Sure. When anyone asked, she would say
it can be proved how he died. It was dropsy. Dropsy of the heart. The doctor will tell you.
>> Everything was dropsy back then. >> Yeah. Dropsy is basically edema. >> So in her version of events, Lizzie
claimed her second husband was quote a bad old man who was inclined to let me support him.
>> Okay. Have a lot of means of supporting her. So, >> and as she told it, she was a victim of
Brewer's abuse and unreasonable demands and expectations. But everyone else in Greenwich were like, "No, we don't
remember it that way." >> Oh, >> and this is actually really sad. Owen writes, quote, "It was not uncommon to
see Lizzy in public pulling Brewer's hair or beard, yelling viciously at her husband and even beating him with his
own cane. >> I'll get her ass." >> Right. >> Not our short king. >> Not our Not Artemis.
>> No. You know, also she would hide, this is so sad, she would hide or withhold
his pain medication and seem to delight in causing him distress or unc discomfort.
>> She's [ __ ] up. >> That's the thing. Reports from Artemis' brother, Albert, seem to confirm this,
with Albert telling authorities that on a number of occasions, he'd heard Lizzie
threaten his brother's life. Oh, the timing and manner of death was definitely suspicious, particularly
since he'd seen his doctor one day earlier and was found to be in reasonably good health.
>> Yeah, I feel like if he had edema, the doctor would probably notice that. >> Yeah. Now, very little time had passed
after Artemis' death when Lizzie took up with a new man. >> Damn, she is young and getting it.
>> And she can get him to marry her real fast. >> We all know a lady like that. >> Yep. Now, a widowerower name, this was a
widowerower named Hyram Parkinson. The two met through Lizz's cleaning lady, and the relationship moved quickly, like
they all are, with Parkinson moving into the room above the blacksmith shop and proposing marriage within the span of
like a couple of months. >> Jesus Christ. >> Um, but unbeknownst to Lizzy, Hyram
wasn't so much a widowerower as he was estranged, but very much still married to his first wife, Ada Gun.
>> A flander. >> A philander. So, unaware of this fact, Lizzie accepted the proposal and they
married. And shortly after that, they moved to Arlington, Vermont. According to Owen, the marriage ran into trouble
in like 5 months basically when Hyram told Lizzie he was going on a short trip to visit his children back in Greenwich
for Christmas. >> Mhm. >> Lizzy said, "Fuck no, you're not. That's too expensive, and I don't want you
leaving." And a physical altercation ensued. >> She said, "You're not going to go see
your ho ass kids on Christmas." >> That's exactly what she said. >> It was during the argument when Hyram
went to collect his money for the trip. Oh, >> that he realized Lizzie had stolen the
$180 he had saved. >> What a [ __ ] >> So, he immediately went to his lawyer and was like, "What the [ __ ] can I do
about this?" >> Yeah. >> Days later, Lizzie was confronted by the authorities and admitted to stealing the
money, saying she'd given it to another lawyer for safekeeping. >> But it's not yours, babe.
>> No. Parkinson called off the relationship immediately and told Lizzie he was going to see his family and they
would be getting divorced as soon as he got back. >> I'm like, does your marriage even count?
Well, before he could return, Lizzie packed up everything and sold the entire house and everything in it.
>> The 1800s go crazy. >> Like furniture, fixtures, sold all of it. >> What the And
>> she said, "Buy it as is, baby." >> Yeah. And then she left town. >> What? >> Yeah. Since Parkinson was already
married though, when Lizzie married him, like you just asked, the marriage was never legal. And so she it was
immediately dissolved and they just never spoke again. >> All righty. Well, he made it out alive.
>> Like damn. So after her marriage to Parkinson fell apart in 1886, Lizzie returned to Greenwich and found work as
a wash woman. >> And then she found another man. >> One day, not long after returning, she
was visited by George Smith. >> Another one. >> Another one. A former friend of her
first husband, Charles Hopkins. >> Really? >> He'd served in the army with him and was
at his bedside when Hopkins died. According to Lizzie, quote, "George Smith brought me his laundry, and in a
few weeks, he wanted me to marry him." >> Wow. >> He was an old soldier and drew a
pension, so I married him. >> That [ __ ] was rich. >> He had money, so I married him. Little
is known about this marriage, but there is documentation from this period that indicates that her bizarre and violent
behavior maybe got a little worse. >> That's nuts. I didn't expect that. >> Yeah. In July 1886, Lizzie was arrested
and charged with assault and battery after she forcibly entered the home of Mary Behinger, a local woman. And this
woman, I guess, uh, Smith had her husband now, had been staying with her for a period of time and had left a
large feather bed in her home. >> Okay. >> And Lizzy wanted to get that feather bed
back. According to the complaint, Lizzie showed up at Behringer's door on July 24th and after telling the woman, quote,
"By God, I'm going to have that feather bed." She pushed her way into the Can't say I wouldn't say this.
>> Mary to the floor, dragged the bed onto the street, and tore it in the process,
and feathers went everywhere. >> She said, "I got to have it." >> She said, "That's my feather bed." I
don't know why. It just reminded me of that Big Edge video where she's like, "You got to have it."
>> Feather ass bed. >> It's true. >> What the [ __ ] Like just by God. >> By God, I must have it. And then she
just knocked Mary onto the ground and heave hoed that bed right outside >> and feathers went everywhere.
>> So she got that feather ass bed, but she was that feather ass bed. That feather
ass bed doesn't seem like the best. >> You got to sew that feather ass bed. You did a lot to get it.
>> Yeah, >> but she got charged for assault and battery for that. >> You can't be pushing people.
>> Now, within days of their wedding, Lizz's relationship had turned predictably violent and abusive. No way.
>> And she had once again started seeing Hyram Parkinson. >> Who's that again? There's so many of
them. >> Whose [ __ ] she sold? >> Wait, like whose whole >> What? With the ho ass kids. He forgave
her for selling his whole home. What does this woman have? And that man is forgiving her.
>> Yeah. On nights when Lizzie would So Lizzie would sneak out to see Hyram while being married to George.
>> Okay. >> Who has the feather ass bed. >> Does he really? Cuz I think it exploded.
>> On nights when Lizzie would sneak out, George would send the police out to look
for her. >> But other >> No. No. No. No. What are you going to say? What are you
>> But other than reporting back that she was with Hyram, there was nothing they
could do. So they would just go back to him and be like, "She a hoe. She's with Hyram, but like we can't go get her.
Like she's a grown ass adult. Like that's it." So before long, Lizzie had tired of George and seemed more
interested in reconciling with Hyram, >> but now she's got to get divorced. >> But of course, she was still married to
George Smith and she had to end that relationship. So one morning, George sat down to eat breakfast and Lizzy had
prepared the breakfast. >> No, thank And he became a little suspicious cuz she was like, "Hey, drink
your tea." And he was like, "I will." And she was like, "Drink your [ __ ] tea."
>> We say it all the time. You had to be so careful of this [ __ ] back then. You got
to be on your toes about poisoning. >> Yeah. And what's wild is George was like, "You put milk and sugar in it.
That's not really how I take my tea, so I'm good." Like, he was like, "I don't really want that." And she was like,
"Eat your food and drink your tea or I will throw that feather ass bed outside." Like she was pissed.
>> She said, "I'll explode that [ __ ] all over again." >> So in order to appease his wife and he
was like, "She wouldn't do anything. I just want to, you know, I'm suspicious, but that's just me being kooky."
>> Like, "Baby girl, she you literally just had those feelings two seconds ago."
>> She He took a large drink of the tea and almost immediately started getting ill.
After thinking over the entire scenario, he was like, "You you poisoned me. >> Yeah, go make yourself.
>> You poisoned me." And you know what her reply was? >> She said, "If I did it,
>> ready for it?" She said, "And then ran from the room." >> That's what happened.
>> She lulled and left. >> She said, and then just ran. That's so sc That's And he's sitting there like,
"Am I about to die? just dry heaving tea. >> Oh, you got to throw up, babe. >> And she's she's ling. She's ling and
leaving. >> Lols out the door. Just gone. >> What? >> So, George Smith was able to get a
neighbor for help. Was like, "Hi, help. >> What do you even do when you've been poisoned?"
>> And they went to the doctor and George was given a solution to puke out whatever had caused the sick hippoc.
>> Uh both the doctor and the authorities searched for the tea to try to find what
he had consumed. But both the tea and Lizzy disappeared. >> Oh, she took it while she lled.
>> Yeah, she said, "You can't have that tea." >> She lled and left and took the tea.
>> She lled and then she took the tea. She returned home a few days later and offered no explanation for anything.
>> What? >> Would not tell him about poisoning him and would not say where she had been.
>> Okay. You could just leave and stay gone. >> George forgave her. >> That's a That's a nice man.
>> He forgive you, George. Okay. And then a few days later, >> she poisons him again.
>> He returns home in the evening and found the house was locked and no one was inside. So he had to make his way
through a window in his own house to get inside. And he was shocked to find that
Lizzy was not there. She had disappeared. And this time she'd stolen everything that he owned. Even his
feather ass bed. Even his feather ass bed. No. >> And he never saw her again. And that's
why you don't forgive people. Do not forgive people for tale. No, not even for just don't forget.
>> Just a blanket statement. Don't forgive people. >> Don't forget. And don't forget forgive
cuz you'll lose your feather ass bed and you'll lose your feather ass head. >> It's right. It's right.
>> You might get poisoned. >> It's true. Now, it turned out that after abandoning George Smith and absconding
with his belongings and money, >> I love that word. I looked that up the other day. In fact,
>> you did. I thought of it. That's funny. >> Lizzy fled to Bellow's Fall, Vermont,
which is a small town along the New Hampshire border. Before long, she took up with a local painter by the name of
Charles Playell, and the couple were soon married. She said, "Paint me on this feather.
>> I got a feather ass bed. >> You want to paint me on it?" >> Almost nothing is known about this
relationship, but just two weeks after the marriage, she packed up her son and left. They just left.
>> Oh my god. I forgot she has a whole ass child. >> Has a whole ass child. >> Didn't say a word to anyone. and just
said leaving 2 weeks after. >> Oh no doll. >> Now years later after her arrest and
trial, authorities tried to locate Play Stell who she had married. >> Yeah. The painter.
>> They couldn't find anyone in Vermont living under that name and he was never remembered by anyone in Bellow's Falls.
>> I'm deeply obsessed with that. >> Right. That lore. >> Deeply deeply obsessed with that.
>> I feel like that's like a separate lore that needs to be looked into. Or do you
think that any of that ever happened? >> Yeah. >> Could that could that just be in Lizz's
memory? >> I don't think I feel like she really did. I feel like he exists and we just
got to find him, you know? >> Maybe. >> Now, previously when Lizz's relationships or jobs had fallen apart,
she would just kind of return to the familiarity of Greenwich. >> But by the time she abandoned Charles
play style, she caused so much havoc and had broken so many laws in Greenwich that she really couldn't go back.
>> All right. Uh instead she packed up her son. Remember she does have a son and
they headed south eventually settling in Philadelphia. And that's the city where
her parents had first arrived decades earlier. Remember >> I remember. >> So without any job resources or social
connections, Lizzy, who was then going by the name Maggie Hopkins, >> of course,
>> turned up at the door of the McQuillins family pub. >> Whomstar remember? >> Yeah. She arrived in what has been
described as quote a rather expensive horserawn handsome cab. >> Oh. >> Now, apparently the McQuillins thought
that she was someone else, but then they figured out at some point that she was like an old like she was their family
friend's awkward child. >> Uh so they had actually let them stay in the guest room and even when they
realized that she wasn't who they thought they that she was, they were like, "Oh yeah, like we remember your
parents and like it's fine." It was like a weird thing. I think they thought she
was like a sister they hadn't seen since they were little >> and she went along with it
>> and she just went along with it. >> She was like oh yes it is me your sister.
>> Meanwhile, I'm like you were family friend like you have that connection. You could just say that
>> but they let her stay anyways. They were like whatever. >> They're like oh you're not our sister
but you're this little girl we used to know. >> Yeah. They were like oh [ __ ] >> Now as always it didn't take long before
Lizzy got into a altercation this time with McQuillin's wife. And within a short time of arriving, she was asked to
leave. >> Yeah. >> So she is now without a place to stay again. And she found a small home for
rent on Kensington Avenue. And in January 1888, she paid 2 months rent in advance, telling the landlord her mother
and her son would be joining her in the coming weeks. After filling the house with furniture she bought on credit from
a local store and ensuring everything was around $600, Lizzie began setting up the first floor of the house as a kind
of general store. And she set out barrels of onions and potatoes, loaves of bread, other sundries. She was like,
"You know what? I'm going to I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm going to run a general store." All right, why not?
Unfortunately, the store did struggle within the first few weeks and nothing really improved in the months after
that. So, it didn't end up being a good thing. Her business finally came to an end when on the morning of March 14th,
1888, the fire department was dispatched to Kensington Avenue where they found the entire building that contained the
store and Lizz's home was up in flames. >> Oh. >> Fortunately, the families living on
either side of her managed to escape with their lives, but they had a lot of property loss. Oh. Now, after the
firemen had managed to get everything under control, they made their way into the first floor where the store had been
and were surprised to find that it had been emptied of all of its furnishings. That's crazy. But the only thing that
was there was, quote, "Several pots and kettles set in the middle rooms containing burning rags which had been
dowsed in coal oil." >> That little [ __ ] investigative techniques of the day may have been
pretty unsophisticated, but uh not so much that it wasn't immediately apparent that this is arson.
>> It's a literally a smoking pot. >> Yeah. Also, given that the fire had clearly started in Lizz's home, she was
immediately identified as the prime suspect for the arson. >> Awesome. >> It took investigators some time to track
her down after the fire. And when they finally did, she had a weird story to tell.
>> I'm sure she did. >> According to Lizzy, it was not her who had started the fire. No,
>> it was two unknown attackers who swore they would kill her if she went to the
police. >> Oh, >> obviously. >> She said oil was poured out of a lamp over the floor and a match set to it. I
saw it all, but I didn't do it. I didn't speak because I was afraid I would be killed, but I lay in bed with my eyes
open watching the whole thing. >> Okay. Investigators were like, "No." And then they got more convinced of her
guilt when they learned the insurance policy she had taken out on the furniture which was in the name of Mrs.
Miller, an acquaintance of Lizz's who lived in New Jersey. >> Oh, good. >> It was Miller who directed detectives to
Lizzy after the fire. And they found her hiding in a hospital in New Jersey where
she claimed she was being treated for peritonitis as a result of medical malpractice.
>> Wow. There's a lot to understand. >> So much that is layered. They were further convinced of her guilt when they
learned her son had told one of the nurses in the hospital that his mother had set fire to the house before they
fled for New Jersey. >> One thing about kids is they will rat you out. >> Kids are going to rat you out.
>> They're usually honest. >> Yeah. Now, although they had hoped to question her further about the fire,
hospital staff in Camden refused to let them continue to speak with her, saying that she was medically fine, but they
believed her to be feeble-minded, quote unquote. That's not my quote. >> Yeah. um less than average intelligence and
possibly even insane. >> Okay. >> Uh after everything they'd learned in their investigation, detectives didn't
doubt what they'd been told by the hospital staff, but they did bring Lizzie back to Philadelphia to stand
trial for arson because you do >> because you do have to stand trial for arson if you arson. So, if you do arson,
you know, yeah, Lizz's trial was held in late March 1888, and there was a lot of
compelling evidence against her. Uh, and she really didn't have anything to say in her defense, and instead she rambled
incoherently and periodically cried out for her son, Charles. >> That's sad. >> Who had been placed in the custody of
the society to protect children from cruelty. >> Wow. >> With no coherent defense, she was
quickly found guilty and sentenced to two years in the Eastern State Penitentiary.
>> Oh [ __ ] we covered that, I'm pretty sure. Having been estranged from her family or anyone else who might come to
her defense, she had alienated everyone in her life. Damn. >> No one spoke on her behalf in the trial
or sentencing phase. >> And on May 4th, she began serving her 2-year sentence. >> That just reminded me of, you know, Ever
After when they're like, >> "Will no one here speak for her?" And then Drew Barrymore comes around the
corner and she goes, "I will speak for her." >> That's except no one did that. >> Yeah, that didn't happen.
>> That Drew Barrymore was nowhere to be found. >> Drew. >> Drew. Where were you? Come on.
>> So, this is just like, oh, cuz Charles Jr. there and Lizzy, they didn't know it
at the time, but they would never see each other again. >> That's sad, but probably good for
Charles. >> But I also hope that like the society of protecting the children against did
actually protect the children from cruelty. >> Yeah, you hope. Now, little is documented or really known of Lizz's
time at Eastern State Penitentiary, but her prison record does say that she was a model prisoner, which is wild when you
find out how she was later. >> Yeah. Well, and how she just was. >> Yeah. And there was no infractions of
prison rules. And two months before her release, she was transferred to the quote department for the insane at
Blockley. That's what it was called. >> And they should workshop that name. She >> They absolutely should. Where she was
diagnosed as being mentally ill. >> Okay. She finished her sentence at Blockley and was discharged in 1891
after which she was transferred to like a kind of halfway house in Philadelphia.
Now although the halfway house would have provided lodging and essentials like food, she fled almost immediately.
I know. I don't know why I said food like that. Food. >> Food. I don't know why I said it like
that. Did you hear that? >> Like essential's like food >> food. She got some food.
>> I'm sorry. But she immediately fled after her discharge. >> She even from the food.
>> Even from the food. And she started making her way back to New York, presumably with the intention of
probably landing in Greenwich again. >> She loves Greenwich. >> She lives. >> She does. Now, whatever her plan, she
arrived in Newberg in January 1891. And through an employment agency, she got work as a living-in domestic worker like
she started out as. >> Wow. >> In the home of the Vaughn family. >> Oh, the Vans. The Vons. You know, I love
a Von. Now, within a week of her starting, the Vans complained to the agency about Lizzie several times.
>> They said this [ __ ] >> They said on two occasions she stayed out all night at what Mrs. Vaughn
believed was a quote, and this is a quote, gypsy camp. That's what they believe that she was doing. And again,
quote, uh, at this time it was common for Romani and other traveling groups to make their way through the Catskills and
Hudson Valley area. And in the wake of her arrest, a lot was made of her supposed association with these
travelers. Okay, I don't know why it was just like a thing because I think people
were so shitty about them that they were like, "And she's part of this whole thing." Like, you know,
>> it's unclear how well she was acquainted with any of these groups. But author
Kevin Owens says after Lizz's arrest and while awaiting trial in 1893, she confessed to knowledge of specific
events that led to the death of a peddler believed to have been murdered by one of the travelers.
>> All right, >> so there's no conclusive evidence linking her to the murder, but Owen
believes Lizzie not only witnessed the murder, but probably participated in it as well.
>> Okay. >> Either way, a lot was made of her association with this group after she
was arrested. After being dismissed from the Bond house for repeatedly violating
their rules, Lizzie returned to the employment agency and was sent to the work in the home of Paul Holidayiday
where the relationship quickly escalated. I don't know if you know that this is named Lizzie Holidayiday.
>> Bells did start to ring in my mind. >> Quickly escalates from employment to romance.
>> Romance. >> Like several of the men who'd played an important role in her life, Holiday was
widowed. He was a Civil War veteran and he was more than 40 years older than her. Wow, that's an age difference.
>> And if she was more she was attracted to anything, it was likely his pension.
Yeah. And the large farm that he owned on the outskirts of Newberg. >> Who doesn't love a farm?
>> Who doesn't love that? What she was likely disappointed to find out was that Paul suffered from rheumatism and was a
heavy drinker with a bad reputation around town. >> Okay. >> So, also Holiday still lived with his
two adult sons and one of them was a person with cognitive disabilities, which apparently annoyed Lizzy. That
checks that she would be >> which like doesn't shock me that she would be annoyed by that.
>> But shock it should be shocking. >> It should be. Now despite the fact that nearly everyone in Paul's life was like
don't get close to this lady. >> He was like I think I'm going to get close to this lady.
>> Especially his children who hated her. >> Oh like Paul >> Paul proposed to Lizzy for not long
after having met her and on March 26th 1891 they married. >> Why here? You know what? From first
person experience, don't marry somebody your kids don't like. >> Don't do it. Just don't do it.
>> That's shitty. >> Yeah. Not surprisingly, it didn't take long before Lizzie fell into the usual
pattern of domestic abuse. >> And it's domestic abuse like she's abusing them. >> Yeah.
>> Um this time, her wrath wasn't limited to just her husband, though. On many occasions, she would fly into a rage
over anything or nothing and become verbally abusive. And several of times, she assaulted Paul's son, James, choking
and hitting him. But it was Paul's son with cognitive disabilities, Johnny, who was most often the target of her
violence and cruelty. >> That's disgusting. >> Yeah, that's a piece of [ __ ] When um
when she got deemed the worst woman in the world, it she's she's up there. >> Signing off on that. What a [ __ ]
>> On the morning of May 4th, 1891, Paul departed the farm with a team of horses
and a load of coal. At that time, Lizzy was apparently sick and she was in bed. >> Okay.
>> And the only other person in the house was Johnny. Oh, you're going to ruin my
[ __ ] life. >> Not long after Paul left, Lizzie claimed that Johnny came running into the
bedroom, shouting that the house was on fire, and he helped her to her feet and safely out of the house.
>> Okay. >> Once Lizzie was safe, she claimed Johnny ran back in the house in order to save
some belongings. But after two or three trips in and out, he didn't return. And after hearing Lizz's story, the coroner
ruled the death accidental suffocation. >> Oh no. Paul was also convinced by Lizz's
story because why would you think anything else? >> Because she's terrible and hits your
child. >> And apparently they all concluded that the fire had been Johnny's fault.
>> That's nice. >> And apparently what was said was he was careless with the lantern while
wittling. >> Okay. >> In addition to Johnny's death, the fire also destroyed the house, the barn, and
killed several of the horses. >> Yeah. >> Now, as had happened many other times,
Lizzie just grew tired of married life. Um, and it only worsened after the fire and eventually she left Halliday, Paul
Holidayiday, and she took up with a neighbor, John Glenn. >> Oh my god. So, she >> probably murdered his child and then got
with the neighbor. >> Yeah. >> Damn. >> Like Lizzy, John Glenn had a reputation as an unsavory character. And in June
1891, they both stole a team of horses and took them to Newberg where they were trying to sell them.
>> I always wonder how people steal horses like stealthfully. Unfortunately, they
were quickly arrested and tried for seconddegree grand lararseny. >> That's good. Larseny of horse.
>> Yeah. It's unclear what happened to Glenn, but uh Lizzie was brought before a judge in Newberg and she acted out
violently and made a number of bizarre statements before pleading insanity. >> Okay.
>> Based on her behavior in the courtroom and the conclusions of the psychiatrist,
Lizzie was sentenced to treatment at the asylum, the state asylum at the time, quote unquote.
>> Sure. >> Until doctors believed she was no longer a danger to society. They were
incorrect. >> Yeah, I had a feeling >> they were incorrect. It was during this time that Glenn reported to
investigators that Lizzy had informed him that the fire that had killed Johnny Holidayiday was in fact no accident.
>> Yeah. >> It also wasn't the right cause of death. According to Lizzie, she cut Johnny's
throat with a bread knife. >> And they didn't cut >> and then she burned the house down in
order to cover her crimes. >> Oh, >> yeah. >> A bread knife. >> Yeah. >> I cut my finger with a bread knife
recently. Lizzie served a little over one year in the asylum and was released in the
spring of 1893 due almost entirely to Paul Holidayiday's constant efforts to secure her release.
>> What does she do to these men >> to get them to forgive her? >> She digmatizes them
>> like just and it's wild. Paul had forgiven Lizzie after she left him and set his house on fire and murdered his
child >> and she returned home with her husband and after leaving him for John Glenn for
a crime spree >> lararseny. >> He's like it's fine and he gets her out, lives with her again. They rebuilt the
farm. Little did he know though that Lizzy was harboring a lot of resentment towards him and had begun plotting
revenge against him for some perceived wrongdoing. I >> was going to say for what? In fact,
while Paul seemed convinced that Lizzie had been cured, other family members recalled that her behavior became even
more erratic than before. The >> help Lizz to try to fix people. >> Oh, yeah. After Lizz's arrest, Paul's
daughter Mary told reporters, "In one moment, she would be talking about pieces of fabric in a sewing project,
and quite suddenly she would she should be angry and full of rage, muttering about someone who had wronged her
terribly." >> Sounds like the president of the United States. >> It literally does. Like, that was her.
It very much does. >> And Paul became increasingly estranged from his family in the months that
followed, seemingly content to retreat further and further into this life that he was creating in his head with Lizzie
on the farm. And one day in September, Paul's son, Paul Jr., became concerned about his father's well-being and paid a
visit to the farm. He was met by Lizzy at the front door. >> No thanks. >> Lizzie claimed that Paul had purchased
some property in Bloomingberg and had gone there to inspect the land and she didn't know when he was going to be
back. doubt it. Certain his father would have mentioned this to him. Paul Jr. went right to the police because he was
like, "This [ __ ] did it." >> Yeah. >> And asked if they could check on on his father and confirm that he was alive and
well. The constable agreed to go to the farm and check. But when they went there
with another officer, they were met by Lizzy and she said, "You're not coming in."
So, they didn't want to escalate the situation at that moment. So, they went back to the station to come up with what
they could. After conferring with some other officers at the station, they determined that they were able to get a
search warrant. >> Okay. >> And on the morning of September 4th, 1893, they went back to the farm with
the warrant. And despite having a warrant in hand, Lizzie said, "No, you're not coming in." And then she hit
one of the officers with a stick. >> So, I feel like at that point, they probably could have arrested her.
>> Yeah, they now apparently they didn't want to keep escalating. So, but they did come up with a good plan. One
constable asked if Lizzie would accompany them to Bloomingberg so they might speak with Paul together.
>> Okay. >> And weirdly, she agreed. >> Okay. >> So, they were like, "Okay, let's go."
And while Lizz's gone away with the constable, a large team of officers descended on the farm to search the
place. >> Yeah. >> At first glance, Paul Holidayiday did not appear to be home, and nothing
really was unusual. But then, >> but the further they searched, investigators were finding very ominous
and very alarming evidence of a lot of foul play having occurred in that house. On the first floor, they discovered a
bucket that appeared to contain a bloodstained rug that Lizzie had been scrubbing with a stiff brush. In another
room, they discovered a bloody axe handle, >> a crowbar, a bloody board, and two
shovels that have been recently used. >> What the [ __ ] And in another room, investigators found the floor covered
with a large amount of dirt and hay, which when they brushed it aside, revealed a giant blood stain on the
floor. She just covered it with dirt and hay. Also, when they searched the bedroom and removed the piles of
clothing from the bed, they discovered the sheets were covered in blood stains and it looked like someone had tried to
clean it. So all of this evidence of literal carnage in that house and the discovery
of the shovels, investigators are like, "Fuck, Paul Holidayiday is probably buried on this property."
>> Yeah. So they finish searching the house. They move on to the barn and in the crawl space underneath the building,
they discovered what they believe to find a body buried under a shallow pile of dirt and manure.
>> Uhhuh. After carefully removing the debris, they discovered that there was something buried under the barn. But it
wasn't the body of Paul Holidayiday. >> Another one. >> Two bodies. >> What? >> Of two young women.
>> What? >> Both bound tightly with cloth. >> Uh, what? >> So, they don't want to destroy evidence
here. >> Wow. Smart. >> So, the EV the >> early 1900s people not wanting to destroy evidence. That's cuckoo. The
investigators called the coroner and under his direction, both women were removed from the quell space. As far as
the coroner could tell, coroner Ro, one of the bodies had been under the barn slightly longer than the other. Both
were bound at the ankles, wrists, and knees, and both had been shot to death. >> Oh my god.
>> One of the women was estimated to be in her 40s, while the other was in her mid20s. Although no one in Newberg
recognized them, and their identities would remain a mystery for some time. According to Ro, the younger woman who
had had been dead for roughly two days, and the cause of death was determined to
be any one of the seven gunshot wounds to the left side of her chest. >> Wow. >> The older of the two was believed to
have been under the barn for roughly 5 days, and her cause of death was attributed to one of the eight gunshot
wounds to the left side of her chest. >> Jesus. A cable was sent to the constable
in Bloomingberg to let him know what they found at the farm and instructing him, "You should probably arrest Lizzy
right now." >> Yeah. In the meantime, now dealing with a double homicide, the search team
returned to the house and started combing for evidence. Inside, detectives found what they believed to be the two
women's clothing in the bedroom, and one spent 32 caliber shell was discovered near the bed.
>> Just one, >> which led investigators to believe at least one of the women had been shot
while she was lying in the bed. That's why the blood stains were there. >> Yep. Yep. Yep.
>> Now, Lizzie was taken into custody and transferred back to Newberg in the company of the constable. She was
physically abusive. She was verbally abusive the whole way, refused to answer any questions. Elsewhere in town,
investigators kept searching for Paul Holidayiday, who many people remembered seeing in the days before the discovery
at the farm, but no one had seen him since the bodies had been found. >> Okay. >> Now, although she refused to cooperate
with the police following her arrest, she was definitely not quiet. After being locked up in a jail cell in
Montichello, New York, I saw that you can say it. Monteello or Montichello. I'm going with the Hamilton way of
saying it. >> I like it. >> Uh Lizzie continued to act out aggressively and at one point ripped a
large piece of her dress off and tried to choke herself with it. >> Oh, [ __ ] >> Under the circumstances, the constable
was like, she might be a suicide risk and started keeping a closer eye on her. >> Yeah.
>> A day or two after arriving at the jail, she accompanied she was accompanied to
the outhouse and standing outside the door, the guard heard a thud as though something had fallen to the floor. and
concerned she might be trying to harm herself again, he opened the door of the outhouse and found Lizzy preparing to
drop a 32 caliber pistol and a large quantity of shells into the toilet and was able to prevent her from destroying
evidence. They were just on her person this whole time. It's unknown how she still had that. And you know
what? I don't want to know. Yeah. And after taking her back to her cell, a further search of the outhouse was
conducted. Investigators found additional 32 caliber shells, as well as several women's rings and a gold pocket
watch inscribed with the initials SJM on the back. What the actual f Sorry, how long had she been held at this point?
Was this just like a few hours or was this days gone by? >> It was a day or two.
>> What the [ __ ] >> Yeah. Now, >> was that before you guys searched people? They I I think they forgot. But
during a further search of the Holiday property, because they were like, "We still can't find him."
>> Yeah. >> Uh and this is in the days that followed, investigators finally learned
what happened to Paul Holidayiday. During a search of the kitchen, one of the men noticed one or two of the
floorboards was loose. When the boards were removed, they discovered what looked like recently disturbed soil. And
driving the crowbar into the earth about 18 in, they felt it hit something. >> Oh. After removing the dirt,
investigators found the body of Paul Holidayiday. His arms were crossed over his chest, his wrists were tied
together, and a burlap bag was over his head. >> And he's just buried beneath his kitchen
floor. >> He was just in the kitchen. >> This is haunting. >> As far as corner Ro could tell, Paul had
been dead about 2 weeks. >> Oh, that's a longass time. >> Killed by any one of the three 32
caliber bullets that pierced his chest. >> Oh. Ro theorized that Paul had been killed while laying down and was shot at
close range. Also, a large contusion was found near his left temple, and that indicated he'd been struck in the head
with a heavy blunt object. >> I believe it. >> So hard, in fact, it fractured his
orbital socket and knocked loose his left eye, which was now hanging loosely on his cheek.
>> Thank you for that. I need everyone to understand what I just said about Lizzy
[ __ ] holiday. >> I do. >> She hit him with something so hard on the side of his head that she fractured
his orbital socket and knocked his [ __ ] eye out of his head and then she shot him several times in the chest.
>> I really hate eye [ __ ] I really hate eye [ __ ] >> She knocked this man's going to tell me
again >> out of his head. Do you know how hard you have to hit somebody? >> I can't even begin to imagine.
>> And then she shot him in the [ __ ] chest and then buried him under her kitchen.
>> Oh my god, brother. >> Yeah. >> Wow. Wow. Wow. >> So Lizzy Maggie Holidayiday. While Ro
was conducting his autopsy of Paul Holidayiday, detectives had managed to identify the two women discovered on the
farm as Margaret and Sarah McQuillin. You told me to remember >> the wife and daughter of Thomas
McQuillin. >> What did she go kidnap them or something? >> She literally So that I was like when I
read that I was like what? Like how'd she what? Yeah, cuz she the whole reason she got kicked out was because or asked
to leave was because she had a fight with the the wife >> with the wife. >> Now, days we'll get to it, don't worry.
So, days later, a coroner's inquest was held. After which it was determined that
Lizzie was responsible for the deaths of both women. In their conclusion, the jury wrote, "We do say upon our oath
that Margaret J. McQuillin and Sarah J. McQuillin come to their deaths by bullets fired from a pistol in the hands
of Lizzy Halliday. The balls entering the heart were the immediate cause of death." that said Margaret was killed on
or about August 30th and Sarah McQuillin on or about September 2nd. When investigators visited Lizzy in her cell
and told her the identification of the two bodies on her farm, she responded, "Mrs. McQuillin. Mrs. McQuillin." Oh,
yes. I remember Mrs. McQuillin and her daughter. Who murdered them? >> Curly. >> According to Lizzy,
>> why they on your farm, girl? >> She says they both showed up at her farm several weeks earlier with some men and
they brought whiskey with them. So she allowed them to stay but refused to drink with them and she just went to
bed. She doesn't know what happened. >> That's nuts. She just went to bed and then they ended up
face shot. >> Yeah. >> And wrapped up. >> Now from this point forward, Lizzie became increasingly difficult to deal
with at the jail. Under the best of circumstances, when she had visitors or anyone tried to talk to her, she quote
talked in a rambling, incoherent way and avoided looking at anyone in the face. >> I need to know who the [ __ ] was visiting
Lizzie in jail. >> I'm saying >> give me names. During this time, she frequently reported seeing quote a large
woman with a big mouth who was trying to harm her. It me just kidding. It me said that was me. You said girl
>> strand ar put some respect on my name. >> Oh lord that's >> that's I'm picturing in all seriousness
that's sad >> and also I'm picturing that hallucination. >> Yeah that's [ __ ] sad horrifying a
large woman with a big mouth. >> So under the worst circumstances she was completely unruly and a danger to
herself. And in the days leading up to her court appearance, she refused to eat, tried to strangle the sheriff's
wife who delivered her food. >> Why the [ __ ] is the sheriff's wife out here in these?
>> She's given apparently delivered food yourself, sheriff. >> She tried to set her bedclo and
repeatedly fire. >> Fire. She repeatedly tried to cut her arms and face anytime she was given an
implement that was remotely sharp. >> Stop giving her sharp implements. >> And the sheriff said it was has been
been necessary to keep her chained to the floor. I believe it. What are you gonna do at a certain point? Like that's
awful. But >> yeah, now as the trial neared the summer of 1894, Lizz's case had become very
sensational and very closely watched. >> The press was saying, quote, "It will almost in interest be as famous as that
of Lizzie Bordon. >> I'm here to tell you in 2026 it's not." >> No. >> Um but I get it. Her name is also Lizzy.
Yeah. >> Um the trial of Lizzie Halliday, not Bordon. Um, you know, she was called the
Burlingham murderous. The trial for her the murder of Sarah McQuillin began June
18th, 1894 in New York with Judge Samuel Edwards presiding. Assigned to Lizz's defense was a prominent local attorney
named George Carpenter who the New York Times referred to as quote a lawyer of more than ordinary talent and has been
frequently identified with intricate litigation. >> Imagine being described as they have
more than ordinary talent. That's nice. >> Not extraordinary, but but more than ordinary.
>> More than ordinary. >> Uh given all that had happened in the months leading to the trial, this press
speculated, quote, "It seems scarcely probable that Mrs. Halliday will receive from the jury a verdict by which she
will regain her fe freedom." >> Yeah. >> Um in fact, the case against her seemed
very strong, and given her behavior and frequent violent outbursts, everyone pretty much assumed she was going to get
that insanity defense. >> Yeah. Given the considerable press coverage and the anticipation of a very
wild hearing, people at the that came to the first day of the trial were probably
a little surprised and probably because we're human beings and we're kind of the
worst. They were probably disappointed to find the so-called quote worst woman in the world to have quote lost much of
her former strength and vivacity during her imprisonment. During the first day of trial, she sat quietly beside Hut
Carpenter and never said a word. >> That's nuts that she was quiet. >> Yeah. I wonder how they accomplished
that. >> Uh the trial came to an end just three days later and the jury deliberated for
four hours before returning and handing down a guilty verdict. Yeah. >> After the verdict was read aloud for the
court, many wondered whether Lizzie fully understood what it meant because she said nothing on her own behalf and
quote only jerked her head up and down and stamped on with her heel. >> Oh. After the case was adjourned and she
had been returned to her cell, Lizzie quote threw herself on the little bed in the corner of the cell and slept the
sleep of the just and innocent. >> So, she slept real good that night. >> Apparently,
>> I want to sleep the sleep of a just innocent. Yeah, >> that's my I'm manifesting.
>> I feel like I did last night. I had a good night sleep. >> You know what? Retweet. Now, having been
found guilty of first-degree murder, she was returned to the courtroom the next day for sentencing and again had no
response when asked if she had anything to say in her defense. >> Okay. >> When the judge asked her to stand so he
could pass sentence, Lizzie again failed to respond and it took four men to lift
her to her feet where she quote swayed in the grasp of the officers, but there was no expression on her face.
>> That's I'm like, was she drugged? >> I was going to say >> it kind of feels that way. But the judge
then returned turned to Carpenter and asked whether he had any additional comments. In his he replied, quote, "I
have nothing further to say." So with all that out of the way, he returned to Lizzie and sentenced her to death by
electricity in the place designated by the state in the week beginning Monday, August 6th, 1894.
>> [ __ ] >> She was led out of the courtroom quietly. So I think she was >> she was for sure drugged. Uh although
everyone who had followed the case was certain of Lizz's guilt and and her wrongdoings, when the verdict and
sentence was passed down, there was still like a wave of shock, probably due to the fact that she was sentenced to
die in the electric chair, which was a first for a woman in New York. Uh but that wasn't really like they didn't
think that she shouldn't be held accountable for the murders. >> Yeah. >> But given her history and behavior, a
lot of people assumed she would just be deemed insane and locked away in an institution
>> for the rest of her life. >> Right. >> After all was said and done, it seemed
that despite her obvious guilt, the idea of putting such a disturbed woman to death was something that a lot of people
were like, I don't know about that. >> I get feeling that way, but as I'm sitting here, I'm like, what's worse? I
I mean her exactly, >> but it's like >> But I understand that thought for sure. >> It's the morality of the whole thing.
It's like >> there's a lot. It's one of those >> that it's like something's wrong clearly
and like something's off and she did >> a lot of wrong and there are times where
she knew what she was that she was doing was wrong. >> So she should be punished.
>> But I think an institution is where she really needed to She probably would have
been in an institution at that time. >> Yeah. And um one reporter wrote, "No one
expected conviction in the first degree, and now that it has been given in the clamor of those who thought she was
shamming has been satisfied, there's a general expression that confinement for the remainder of her life should have
been the penalty." >> Yeah. >> Now, it appeared as though the gravity of the verdict and sentencing had also
started setting in for Lizzy as well. >> Yeah. In her cell in Montichello, she continued to refuse to eat. And visitors
and jailers noted, quote, "She's very much depressed and seems constantly wrapped up in the most profound thought.
When she wasn't silent and lost in thought, she would become wildly unmanageable and quote continued the
very filthiest habits of which she is capable. Also, she continued exhibiting bizarre behavior like insisting upon
wearing her shoes on the wrong feet and throwing a basin of water at a visiting doctor. I mean, if she wants to wear her
shoes on the wrong feet, >> I mean, let her let her do it, you know. >> But on June 28th, 1894, she was
transferred from Montichello to Danamora prison in upstate New York. >> I feel like we end up talking about that
so much. >> And she was held there. She was going to be held there until her execution. Um,
only a few weeks into her sentence, Governor Roswell Flower, influenced by the prison reform movement. And
>> I'm sorry, what a gorgeous name. >> Roswell Flower. >> That's a gorgeous name. He was
influenced by the prison reform movement and public opinion about Lizz's case. He
assembled a commission to review her medical records and make a definitive determination as to her present mental
state. >> Yeah. >> This was not to determine whether she was sane at the time of the murders.
Like I was saying before, it was to determine whether she should continue to be held in prison or have her sentence
commuted and be transferred to a psychiatric hospital. They knew she did it. They knew she knew she did it. She
knew it was wrong. Obviously, there's something off here. >> The commission began their investigation
on July 12th and started they started with a thorough review of her long legal and mental health history.
>> Other studies included physical examinations, interviews, and making a plaster cast of her head.
>> Huh. Phronology was very popular at the time. And many people believe the size
and shape of a person's head could reveal something about their intellect and psyche.
>> Interesting. very popular thing. >> I got a big old head. >> In Lizzy's case, doctors were
particularly interested in the fact that her quote unusual head was asymmetrical
and her forehead high and tapered. >> Oh [ __ ] >> Finally. >> That's a wreath. >> That is a wreath.
>> But honestly, a high and tapered forehead. >> Yeah, that's modelesque. >> Exactly. That's I mean, yeah.
Asymmetrical, not so much. Now, finally, interviews with prison guards and staff
were conducted, which confirmed that since arriving at Danamura, Lizzie was quote noisy, destructive, dirty in her
habits, and frequently profane and obscene in her speech. The staff also noted that she was often disruptive in
the evenings and engaged in self-mutilation and lashed out at others. >> Oh, that's sad.
>> Before and during her trial, many believed her symptoms of mental illness were an act. They thought she was, which
I get that because they probably thought that she was just trying to get out of trouble. just lasting so long.
>> Well, that's and the things she did are so horrific and so like brutal. >> Yeah.
>> That like I think it's hard for anyone to understand that like she you know like how her brain works.
>> Yeah. Exactly. But after carefully reviewing her case, the commission assembled by Governor Flowers dismissed
any belief that Lizzie was acting and concluded that she was deeply mentally ill.
>> Yeah. >> Uh based on their findings, Flowers issued a pardon on July 16th, 1894.
>> Wow. muting her death sentence to one of life imprisonment. >> Okay. >> He wrote, "The defense for it was
insanity and the evidence to establish it very strong. Doctors at Madawan State Hospital testified that at different
times come years before the homicide, she had been under their charge as an insane patient. At times which she was
unquestionably insane. >> A short time later, she was transferred to the newly completed Madawan Insane
Asylum. That's what it was called. >> Y >> in Fishkill, which was a small town in
the Hudson Valley. >> Not fish. On August 30th, 1895, Kate Ward, an attendant on Lizz's floor at Madawan,
was in the women's bathroom washing her hands when she was attacked by Lizzy. >> And another patient named Jane Shannon.
>> Oh, they teamed up. >> According to Ward, Lizzie had approached her at the sink with a towel in her
hands, appearing as though to offer it. When Ward attempted to take the towel, Lizzie knocked her to the floor and
Shannon held her down while Lizzy tried to stuff the towel into Ward's mouth. >> Oh, [ __ ] The two women then began
kicking, punching, and scratching Ward. With Lizzy tearing out handfuls of the woman's hair.
>> Oh god. >> Fortunately, her cries for help drew another attendant. And with the help of
two more people, Lizzie and Shannon were subdued. Initially, doctors believed Ward would die from her injuries. That's
how brutal they beat her. >> But she was stabilized and recovered. Lizzy never said why she attacked her,
but most assumed it was because Lizzie held a grudge against her because Ward had found Lizzie trying to pick her
pockets a few weeks earlier. >> Oh, now Lizz's bizarre and violent behavior continued after that. She would
exhibit ongoing symptoms of psychosis a lot of the times. At this point, it was definitely more profound.
>> Well, when things go untreated for so long, >> yeah, they just get worse. And I mean,
who knows what they were treating like these symptoms with by then. >> This came to a very tragic head in 1906
when Lizzie attacked and killed Nelly Wix, the head of the head ward at Madawan.
>> Oh my god, >> this is so [ __ ] up. Unlike most of the other staff at Madawan, Wix treated the
patients with respect and kindness. She believed they were deserving of compassion rather than scorn and abuse.
As a result, Lizzie developed an extreme fondness for her and Wix was one of the
only, if not the only staff member that she would listen to. >> By that time, Lizzy was in seclusion,
very isolated from the other patients. So, her contact with other people was very limited,
>> which is probably not great for somebody with her. >> So, yeah. So, Wix would likely have been
one of the only few people she saw or spoke to on a regular basis and was probably the only one who treated her
with any respect. This attachment became a problem in 1906 when Wix announced to
her supervisors that she was engaged to be married and would be leaving her job.
>> Okay. >> While the staff at Madawan was happy for Wix, they did warn her Lizzy is not
going to take this well. So, she felt she knew Lizzy better than they did. She was like, "No, it's fine." But she was
like, "I'll wait until my final week here to let her know." So, when the final week came, Wix went to Lizz's room
and told her she would be leaving the hospital at the end of the week. And Lizzie stared directly in her eyes and
said, "You won't leave me." So Wix was like, "I will be leaving by the end of the week." And Lizzie said,
"I wouldn't try it." Yeah. Oh. So Wix was like, "Okay." And she just went about her day. She was
like, "She's clearly pissed, but like it happened, so like whatever." On the morning of September 27th, Lizzie
followed Wix into the woman's bathroom. And once inside, she knocked Wix to the floor. This part right here is where I
say she knows what she's doing. She knocks Wix to the floor, grabs her set of keys in the process, and as Wix lays
stunned on the floor, Lizzy locked the bathroom door and left the keys in the locks so they couldn't be unlocked from
the other side. >> She made sure no one could get in that room. >> Yeah, that's cunning.
>> Returning to where Wix was laying on the floor, Lizzie grabbed the scissors that
Wix kept on her belt and started stabbing her furiously. >> Oh my god. Nelly Wix is screaming and
trying to block the more than 200 stabs that she inflicted on her. >> Holy [ __ ]
>> 200 stabs with scissors. >> And this woman was the only woman who was kind to her and was engaged to be
married and leaving. >> Yeah. So, the screams are drawing the attention of the other wards who ran to
the bathroom. >> They can't do anything. >> They're trying to get in there, but they
can't unlock the door. The keys are blocking them. So they're having to like break through the bathroom door and by
the time they did they found Nelly unconscious and just brutally bleeding heavily. Lizzy was subdued and removed
to a cell while doctors tried to save Nellie's life. Unfortunately, she died from her injuries 2 hours later. She was
going to be married. She was about to be married. That's why she was leaving the
job. >> And she was the only one who literally like actually was nice to Lizzy. Later,
when the superintendent at Madawan asked Lizzie why she had done it, she smiled and said, "She won't leave me now."
>> What? >> Isn't that [ __ ] up? >> What is that logic? >> Nelly Wixs was the first female
corrections officer killed in the line of duty. >> Wow. >> But the horror of the staff at Madawan
was remaining throughout this. I mean, they this changed everything. But no charges were brought against Lizzie for
the murder of Nelly Wix. >> That's completely unjustified. >> But the Duchess County Coroner made a
special appeal to the New York State, it's called, it was called the New York State Lunacy Commission.
>> Oh man. >> Asking them to authorize extended solitary confinement for Lizzie, which
they did grant. And she would ultimately spend most of her remaining years isolated from everyone. Her physical and
mental health continued to decline after the murder of Nelly Wixs. And it's pretty reasonable to assume she was
probably not treated great after that. >> Yeah, this really is one of those cases
where you just think like maybe it would have been better to put her to death. >> I have no idea. It's the
>> that's why you think of where are >> now. Eventually, she was diagnosed with Brites disease, which is a kidney
disease that causes painful swelling and can be fatal. Oh, >> okay. >> In the fall of 1911, after an
investigation into the safety and security of the hospital, new policies were implemented, including an e easing
of harsh punishment and isolation practices, which meant that Lizz's extended solitary confinement finally
came to an end after 5 years. >> Wow. >> She's in solitary confinement for 5 years. So now she's sick with chronic
illness. And >> that's the thing though that you like sit there and you think is like, isn't
that more cruel than just ending somebody's life? >> Probably. So she's sick with chronic illness.
She's weak from years of self abuse at this point. She no longer posed a threat to really anybody there. Um and she
wasn't but she wasn't eligible for any special privileges either. She was allowed to return to living among the
regular hospital population. That was about it. In 1915, she made the newspapers again, this time when she was
discovered trying to hang herself in her room in Madawan. On March 17th, hospital
staff went into her room and found she had ripped a long strip from her bed sheet. Uh they found her very near
death, but they were able to resuscitate her. Lizzie Hall made the news one final
time on June 28th, 1918 when press around the country reported her death from Bright's disease at the age of 58.
She was described as the worst woman in the world. And the New York Times noted the four deaths she had known to be to
have committed, but reminded readers, quote, there was a strong suspicion that she had murdered several others,
including a former husband and an in a peddler, which was what they had talked about with the travelers.
>> Yes. Yes. >> So, there was strong suspicion that she was involved in several other murders
than the four that they were able to know that she had done. >> What a wild [ __ ] case,
>> isn't that? Bonkers. >> Yeah. Holy [ __ ] >> Like I had no idea. The >> like obviously all of the people that
lost their lives is like it breaks your heart. That was it. Sorry. Was it Nelly Wix?
>> Nelly. That >> is so tragic. >> Oh, it destroy. I was like, "Holy [ __ ] >> Wow.
>> So brutal." like so brutal and so sad because she was about to be married about to leave the job
>> and and like everyone said like >> yeah and she believed in Lizzy enough to be like I can talk to her about this and
she'll handle it. >> You just wait you almost wish and this was just her being a good person. You
wish he just didn't tell her and just never >> I know >> came back. >> Wow. That is
>> Mhm. That's a case where I feel they should have just put her to death when she had
gotten that sentence because the rest of her life was spent in [ __ ] misery >> and another person lost their life
>> and more like more people were assaulted and then ultimately another person was
killed. >> Yeah, it's a rough one. It's tough stuff. >> Wow. >> But you know what? Let me give you a fun
fact that >> please do. >> During the run of the Golden Girls >> Yeah. >> they dug into more than a hundred
cheesecakes. That is a fun fact. >> Yeah, >> I love the Golden Girls. >> Yeah, >> I love it.
>> Beautiful. >> When Dorothy says, "Do you know how many problems we solved over a cheesecake at
this kitchen table?" >> Over a hundred. >> And she says 147 rows. >> She was pretty close.
>> That's a lot. That's a lot of problems solved over cheesecake. >> Yeah. >> Me myself, not a cheesecake fan.
>> I love cheesecake personally, but not a cheesecake girly. >> I also love Dorothy.
>> I love Dorothy. You are Dorothy. >> I love that. I'm like a mixture of Rose. >> I'm like a mixture of Rose and Blanch.
And you're kind of a mixture of Dorothy and Sophia. >> Yeah, I think so, too. >> Yeah, we we make up the Golden Girls.
>> Well, people, with that fun fact, we leave you, but we do hope you keep listening.
>> And we hope you keep it weird, but definitely not as weird as Lizzy Holidayiday, because holy [ __ ] that's a
level of weirdness I hope to never achieve. >> Don't do it. It wouldn't be an achievement even. It's true. Bye.

Lizzie Halliday was known in the late nineteenth century as “the worst woman on earth” and ended up being the first woman EVER to be sentenced to die in the electric chair.

References Brooklyn Citizen. 1893. "Mrs. Halliday guilty." Brooklyn Citizen, September 10: 4. Buffalo Commercial. 1894. "Murderess Lizzie Hallidfay sentenced this morning." Buffalo Commercial, June 22: 1. Buffalo Courier. 1891. "An interesting Newburgh pair." Buffalo Couirier, June 24: 1. —. 1893. "Her first connected story anent the recent tragedy." Buffalo Courier, October 21: 2. Buffalo Evening News. 1895. "Crazy murderess, assisted by another maniac, tries to kill an attendant at Matteawan." Buffalo Evening News, September 2: 6. —. 1894. "Lizzie Halliday sentenced to die by electricty." Buffalo Evening News, June 22: 7. Buffalo Sunday Morning News. 1894. "Lizzie's crazy antics." Buffalo Sunday Morning News, June 24: 1. Evening World . 1894. "A weird murderess." Evening World, June 20: 1. Evening World. 1894. "Lizzie Halliday's trial." Evening World, June 18: 1. Levine, David. 2020. Lizzie Brown Halliday: The Worst Woman On Earth. August 25. Accessed January 29, 2024. https://hvmag.com/life-style/lizzie-brown-halliday-serial-killer/. New York Times. 1918. "Lizzie Halliday dead." New York Times, Junbe 29: 20. —. 1893. "Lizzie Halliday makes statement." New York Times, October 21: 9. —. 1894. "Lizzie Halliday soon to be tried." New York Times, June 10: 8. —. 1906. "Mrs. Halliday, insane, stabs nurse 200 times." New York Times, September 28: 5. Owen, Kevin. 2019. illing Time in the Catskills: The twisted tale of the Catskill Ripper Elizabeth "Lizzie" McNally Halliday. Unknown: Independent. Sun and Erie County Independent. 1893. "A triple tragedy; awful crimes charged against Mrs. Halliday." Sun and Erie Times, September 15: 2. The World. 1893. "Lizzie Halliday in Philadelphia." The World, November 8: 2.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Listener Tale Theme Music licensed from https://www.purple-planet.com Main Theme: Matti Paalanen — Trick or Treat — Provided by Jamendo Ad Music: Title: Artist: BlueJay Studio — Spooky Waltz — Provided by Jamendo

Brief Summary

Lizzy Halliday, the first woman sentenced to die in the electric chair, committed multiple murders amid a troubled life marked by mental illness and abuse.

Key points

Lizzy Halliday: The Worst Woman. Exploring the life of Lizzy Halliday, deemed the worst woman on earth.
Mysterious Deaths. The suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths of Lizzy's husbands.
Lizzie's Quick Marriage. Lizzie marries Hyram Parkinson, believing he is a widower, but he is still married.
The Feather Bed Incident. Lizzie violently confronts a woman to reclaim a feather bed, leading to assault charges.
Arson Suspicions. After a fire destroys her store, Lizzie becomes the prime suspect for arson.
Trial for Arson. Lizzie is found guilty of arson with no one to speak on her behalf during the trial.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

She was known as the worst woman on earth.

Introducing Lizzy Halliday's notorious reputation.

4:22WatchJan 26, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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