In 1897, one of Michigan's grisliestmurders occurred in the quiet town of Williamston. It was theaddress of Alfred and Martha Haney, who lived with Alfred's80-year-old mother, Mariah at 320 Elevator Street next to a set ofrailroad tracks.
Alfred left for work one morningunaware of the trouble that would occur at home. Returning home forlunch, Alfred was met with a grisly sight—instead of is meal of theday on the table, was the head of is mother that had been chopped offwith an axe on a dinner plate, with silverware next to the plate.
On the floor was the remains of hismother, in flames, when Martha poured Mariah's body with kerosene andset it on fire. And then Alfred saw Martha sitting calmly by herselfin their bedroom.
Alfred immediately left the house andwent straight to the police. But when police arrived at the Haneyhouse, Martha was nowhere to be seen. Just outside the back door,Martha was found digging a hole with only her bare hands. Havingbeen found insane at her trial, Martha was sentenced to years atMichigan Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
The question remains: what droveMartha to lose control and kill her husband's mother?
After an argument over Martha replacinga photo of Mariah's dead husband with a photo of her kids turnedviolent and Martha went insane, grabbing and axe and, as Marthaclaims to authorities, her dead mother told her to kill hermother-in-law.
Rod Sadler profiles the case in isbook, "To Hell I Must Go", taking the title from the Martha wouldrepeatedly sing in her jail cell:
"O, I can't go to heaven,
To hell I must go.
Murderers don't go to heaven,
And that is where I'm bound to go."
Martha Haney died on September 24,1898. Her burial is unknown. The Haney house at 320 Elevator Streetwas burned down by the Williamston Fire Department in 1990.
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Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III
Non-FictionReal crime stories, paranormal stories, and conspiracy theories are discussed.
