19 Mar 1915 - Poughkeepsie Eagle-News (Poughkeepsie, New York)
Notorious Inmate of Matteawan Makes Attempt to Kill Herself But Is Prevented By Attendant
Seized with the blood lust, which is believed to have impelled her to commit the murders already charged against her, Lizzie Halliday, the notorious Sullivan County murderess, unable to find another victim to satisfy her licentious craving for human gore, undertook to end her own life in the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminal Insane Sunday.
Only the timely appearance of a woman attendant who quickly summoned a guard, prevented the fiendish lunatic from succeeding in ending her own existence. The would be suicide was almost dead when she was discovered.
Although always closely watched, Lizzie Halliday, with the usual cunning and craftiness that has enabled her to lead unsuspecting victims to a horrible death in the past, succeeded in devising ways and means to attempt suicide. In the few moments that she was left alone she tore into shreds a bed sheet. Forming a noose, which she placed around her neck, she in some way got the long strips of cloth around the bedposts and attached them to her wrists so that when she pulled on them with her arms it tightened the noose about her neck. It was a device which only an insane person could have conceived, but it would have answered the purpose, had not the attendant appeared when she did.
Slowly the Halliday woman was strangling herself to death when the woman attendant walked into her compartment. Had Lizzie possessed the strength she did years ago when she accomplished the death of several persons, she doubtless would have succeeded in snuffing out her life before she was discovered. Years in the asylum, however, have weakened this famous lunatic and it is only that fact that she lacked her former strength that prevented her from carrying out her purpose.
According to statement made by attendants in the asylum the woman was more dead than alive, when she was discovered. A doctor was summoned and she was revived.
No more opportunity of resorting to the means she did on Sunday to kill herself will be available to Lizzie Halliday. Immediately after her act was discovered her room was cleared of all bedclothes save a canvas mattress. It will be impossible, it is said, for the woman to tear the canvas covering off the mattress to be used in any further attempt to commit suicide. The canvas is of a particular heavy grade.
The attempt of Lizzie Halliday to end her life came as a distinct surprise to the hospital attachees as her conduct had improved so much during the last year that only recently doctor connected with the asylum have been commenting on her excellent behavior. They were beginning to think that she had lost some of her fiendishness with her increasing years. Their opinion has quickly undergone a change, however, since her attempt at suicide on Sunday and the vigilence over her will be increased from now, for fear that her failure to satisfy her craving for blood on Sunday will only spur her on to redouble her efforts to commit another crime.
The “blood lust” which is a form of dementhia from which many insane persons suffer, is believed to be periodical with Lizzie Halliday. Doctors describe it as a craving to see blood flow. With some insane persons, it makes no difference whether the blood flows from someone else’s body or from their own. The mere sight of human gore appeases them until the “blood lust” attacks them again.