Mary Sweeny

Mary Sweeny, also known by the first names Maria, Marie, Marion, Mollie, Margaret, Harriet, Anna, Annie or Kit, and by the last names Sweeney, Ricks, Rix, Kelley, Beece, O'Brien, Haley and Anderson, was an American woman known as "the Window Smasher" because of her mania for breaking glass windows across Wisconsin and neighbouring states during the 1890s. She achieved cultural notoriety in Michael Lesy's 1973 book Wisconsin Death Trip and later in James Marsh's docudrama of the same title. Mary Sweeny was portrayed in the film by actress Jo Vukelich. Life Sweeny's name, date and place of birth are uncertain. According to some reports, she was born and lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota, while others state that she was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, circa 1858, 1859 or 1862. In 1882, she was reported to have stolen a dress from the woman she worked for, and by late 1885, she had already been committed to and released from a hospital for the insane. She claimed to be the wife of a St. Paul druggist named E.J. Ricks or E.J. Haley. She reportedly worked at one time as a teacher at Stevens Point, and was a great wife and mother of two. An injury to her brain caused her to change, as a result of which she ran away from home in about 1890, and traveled around northern Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Montana, breaking windows. Notoriety