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A remarkable story was revealed here late last night in the arrest on the charge of double murder of Mrs. Hazel McNally, 26 years old, formerly of Hammond, Ind., now of this city. It is alleged by Frank McNally, 50 years old, and husband of the woman, that she murdered her twins, born on Dec. 8, 1921. The children disappeared, according to McNally, between Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, 1922.
The arrest of Mrs. McNally follows an investigation which has occupied several months by the Hammond authorities, according to Prosecutor Jellison. Twice the woman escaped the clutches of the law, the State’s Attorney says, because of her feasible explanation of the series of astonishing circumstances surrounding her married life.
In order to detain the woman until the Hammond authorities could complete their investigation Mrs. McNally was arrested and held on a technical charge of assault and battery, this charge also having been preferred by her husband, who traced her to South Bend.
Mrs. McNally, who is a trained nurse, professed to see physical defects in the twins soon after their birth, the husband claims, and she left her home in Hammond on Jan. 25 ostensibly to place the children in a Chicago hospital for treatment. She returned home soon, according to her husband, and explained that the twins would be left in the hospital until February.
Prosecutor Jellison says McNally told him that Feb. 1 the woman again went to Chicago and on her return had with her supposed children, which were in reality two large dolls.
“The twins are still very ill and have weak eyes,” it is alleged she told her husband, “and they must be kept in a darken room and remain undisturbed. It will be some time before you can see them.”
McNally said he was content to rely on the experience of his wife, because she had been a nurse. He complained with Mrs. McNally’s request for a twin baby carrier.
In May, McNally informed Jellison, he discovered by accident that the supposed babies were dolls. At the same time the discovery also was made by neighbours and the Hammond police were notified.
Mrs. McNally explained to the authorities, it is stated, that the babies were still in a hospital, and the presence of the dolls in her house was accepted as one of her eccentricities.
In the meantime the woman made several trips to Chicago, and finally disappeared altogether from Hammond, later being located South Bend. After her arrest she was taken before the State Attorney and Chief of Police Lane and questioned. She was confronted with her husband’s story, and declared the tweens were now in the care of a family at Green Bay, Later she admitted that she was trying to mislead the authorities. Maintaining her innocence, she declared that she had never given birth to twins and that the incident of the dolls was merely a hoax which she played on her husband.
Mrs. McNally was taken to Hammond by a detective from that place.
Mrs. Hazel McNally, alleged mother of Hammond’s “doll baby” twins, was freed this afternoon of the charge of murdering the mysterious infants when Judge Henry C. Cleveland ruled that the State had failed to prove the infants are not still alive.
Source:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E05E5D91E39EF3ABC4E52DFB6678389639EDE
http://dgrim.blogspot.in/2006/09/strange-crime-of-hazel-mcnally.html
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19221018&id=mzxiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u3UNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5384,5397253
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=CrZ1bY0CtWoC&pg=PA240&lpg=PA240&dq=hazel+mcnally+case&source=bl&ots=Skc20uoQQI&sig=RjRviAQKgfkQIAxDv8DQO7heeoI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HhbwVMSlG5SnuQTPi4EQ&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=hazel%20mcnally%20case&f=false
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19221021&id=ykwhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DIIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3394,4877643
http://eventful.com/southbend/events/strange-but-true-story-haz-/E0-001-055052796-8@2013033019
http://www.broadwayworld.com/south-bend/article/The-Acting-Ensemble-Stage-Company-presents-THE-STRANGE-BUT-TRUE-STORY-OF-HAZEL-MCNALLY-329-47-20130328
https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=SBNT19221018.1.11&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------#
http://articles.southbendtribune
