Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-02

Ahe ASSOCIATED PreSS. Mrs. Frances
Stevens Hall. widow of the slain Rev.
Edward Wheeler Hall, in her first in
tervlew with newspaper men since her
husband was killed, denied the truth of
the story told by Mrs. Jane Gibson,
so-called eye witness of the Staying,
that Mrs. Hall was present on the
Phillips farm when the Rev. Mr.. Hall
and his choir singer, Mrs. Eleanor
Reinhardt Mills. We're killed
The interview was planned by her
counsel so that she might seek to extri-
cate herself. in the public eye. from
the crcumstantial net in which the un-
folding of the Hall Mills murder mys-
terry has enmeshed her.
For the first time since she was
made widow, Mrs. Hall emerged from
the seclusion she had maintained for
seven weeks, meeting a small army of
newspaper writer's in her home and
subjecting herself to an hours bonn
bardment of questions.
At the end. she retired as she had
entered the room. wan but composed.
She had shed no light on the mystery.
She had fallen into none of the traps
the cross-examiners prepared for her.
Hers was Il negative story. 1t ampli-
fled but did not materially alter the
statements previously made on her be-
HaiI Dy counsel and trends.
Story of Mrs. Hall
Briefly, it was that DR.. Hall had
started out to his DOOM saying he was
going on an errand of mercy-to dis
cuss with Mrs. Mills Il hospital bill
which he was paying with church funds;
! that he was slain by Il person and for
! Il motive of which she had not the!
slightest conjecture; and that her mem
ory of him is unsullied by the ugly
scandal in which his name has been in
voived.
Timothy n Pfeiffer, Mrs. Halls law
year, escorted her into the library of
the Hall home, where the reporters, a
score of men and two women, were
waiting.
He introduced her and withdrew.
leaving her alone with her ordeal of
personal publicity-an ordeal from
which she said she had shrunk since
youth.
AT round mahogany table at her
side, sat two court stenographers to
make a transcript of the interview
The reporters matching her rowing
gaze with intent StareS, saw rather
plump woman of 47-pale, obviously
tired and slightly nervous. Her gray
hair was brushed back in a high pompa-
dour that emphasized slightly the long
on each arm of her rocker, and the
interview began.
Denies Gibson Story
Have you any comment to make,
Mrs. Hail. the spokesman began, ION
that part Of Mrs. Gibson's story Mrs.
Jane Gibson. the so-called eyewitness
Of the slaying) in which she says you
were present on the Phillips farm on
the night of September 14?'
Moistening her lips, Mrs. Hall re
piled:
What comment could I make? OF
course, that was not so, and that is
ALL
You were not there?'
Il certainly was not"
For an hour then, one reporter after
another volleyed questions at her, TAX
ing her over her story of her actions
before and after the murder. quizzing
her sharply for any possible knowledge
she might have had of the rector's
affairs with Mrs. Mills; seeking some ,
point at which an entering wedge could |
be driven into her story.
81 Cannot Remember"
Three or four times she took refuge
behind the reply, II cannot remember. |
and three qeustions she refused point |
blank to answer. But throughout the |
interview she maintained that she al |
ways had believed, and still believed |
in the faithfiuness of her husband TO !
his marriage vows.
Brushing aside the letters and the |
diary, which her counsel admits is
written in hand remarkably similar
to that of the slain minister, she de-
clared:
Il had such faith in my husband. If
he wer" here. he could explain. He
could explain if he were here
She said she had not even read the
pubilshd in the newspapers. asserting
all'. '0' e'' 'i'' "'
When she was pressed to express
an opinion as to whether she did not
think they might have bearing on the
solution of the murder, she said:
81 don't 2even see that that would
tell you WI was 9Th, the criminal
married woman were conducting a,
illicit love afafir?" she was asked.
Il suppose it would
Not Interested in Diary
isn't AIr. Prefer tremendously in
terested to know if those letters and
the diary are correct!"
That doesn't interest me very
much"
The three questions Mrs. Hall re-
fused to answer were:
First, request for her estimate of
the character of the woman slain with
her husband
Second, whether or not she believed
In divorce end would have sought !
divorce if she had known of intimacy
between Mr.. Hall and Mrs Mills
Third, where Mr. Hall got the 500
900 ia securities which were found
in hisk safety deposit vault, and with
the use Of which he was reported to-