Margaret Hayes
Witness at Emma Elizabeth Smith's inquest.
Born c.1834[1], Margaret Hayes was a resident of 18 George Street at the time of Emma Smith's attack.
She saw Smith at about 12.15am, 3rd April 1888, with a man at the corner of Burdett Road and Farrant Street. The man was dressed in a dark suit and wore a white silk handkerchief round his neck. He was of medium height, but Hayes did not think she would be able to identify him[2].
Hayes also stated that she had been hit in the mouth by a man only minutes before and had also been attacked around Christmas 1887, resulting in a fortnight in the infirmary[3].
Many accounts of a 'Fairy Fay' (who was upposedly murdered near Christmas 1887) were obviously misrepresented reports of the Emma Smith incident and may possibly include elements from Margaret Hayes' claim to having been attacked around the same time.
