Mysteries of the Cemetery - Mary Hackney

"Woman in Black Evening Dress", 
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Mary was born in Missouri about 1871 to Newton Hackney and Elizabeth Silver.  Her parents were living in North Fork Township, Jasper County Missouri in 1870 where her father worked as a nurseryman.

Mary’s parents moved to Leadville, Colorado prior to the 1880 census.  There, her father worked as a miner during a time when Leadville was becoming a silver boomtown.  By 1885 Mary was the oldest of four children and had three siblings: Hattie, Martin and Fred.

Mary’s father moved again and in 1890 the family was homesteading 10 miles south of Mesa (the area is located near Pecos and Cooper Roads in Chandler, Arizona today).  Mary’s father decided to farm in the desert area.  His crops did not fare well because of lack of available water.  In order to support his family and maintain his land, Newton turned to mining again and went to Globe to find work. 

Neighbors were far and few surrounding the Hackney’s property.  Hattie had married Prentice Phillips in 1891 and moved into Phoenix.  Mary would go to Phoenix to visit Hattie and attend meetings of the Independent Order of Good Templars. 

Mary’s father had several disturbing dreams in early October 1892 that caused him to return home from Globe.  He had dreams for three consecutive days that there was some danger to one of his family members.  Newton saw his wife in mourning clothing in one dream and decided he needed to return home.  He found his wife and Mary at a neighbors’ house and all was fine.

The next day, Newton and his wife left to visit a neighbor a mile from their house.  Mary stayed home.  When her parents returned, Mary was in severe pain and dying.  She told them she had taken poison.  It turned out to be strychnine.

Speculation was that Mary had put the poison in a bowl of bread and milk that was nearby on a table. 

Mary had complained of loneliness with no close friends nearby, but no one thought it was enough that she would commit suicide.  She had friends in Phoenix and seemed in good spirits.  Her father’s premonition had come true.  

Was it an accident or did Mary really end her life?  No one knows....