New-York tribune., 1922-09-28
Help Run Down Murder
er of My Dear Mother
Charlotte Pleads i'm Her
Letter to Gov. Edwards
Body of Woman
Will Be Exhu1ned
State Admits Failure i'm
Solving Killing of Rec.
tor and Choir Singer
By Boyden Sparkes

NEW BRUNSWICK, N. j., Sept 27.--
Questioned tonight about his de-
clsion to exhume the body of Mrs.
Eleanor Mills, the choir singer who
was murdered with the Rev. Ed
ward w. Hall, Prosecutor A. M. Beck
man, of Somerset County, admitted
that after twelve days of investigation
the officials had not developed a shred
OF definite evidence against any one.
Mr.. Beekman's frank confession of
official failure to stalk the murderer
or murderers, was in contrast with the
frequent hints from the office of
Prosecutor Joseph Stricken, of Middle
sex County, that "an arrest is about to
be made" and can arrest will be made
tomorrow" and 1--WE know more than
we are telling" and "we are nearer to
the murderers' automobiles than any
one knows"
Middlesex May Offer Reward
Mr.. .Stricker, who is campaign man
ager for George S. Silzer, Democratic
candidate for Governor of New Jersey,
said to-day that because of popular de-
mand he would ask the Mddlesex
County Board of Freeholders to-mor-
row to offer a reward for the solution
of the double murder.
The people of New Brunswick, of which
town the murdered clergyman was d
leading citizen and Mrs. Mills life
failure of the officials and are begin
ming to ask embarrassing questions.
Many of the townspeople are decided
ly curious about the failure to employ
the police force of forty men on the
case. For few days the State Troop
ers were at work, but it was learned at
the prosecutors office that these ex-
perts are no longer here.
Charlotte Mills, high school student
and daughter Of the slain woman,
wrote a pathetic appeal to Governor
Edwards to-day for assistance in find
ing the murderer of her mother She
wrote:
"Dear Governor:
u am Charlotte Mills, Of New Bruins
wick. My mother, as you know, was
murdered two weeks ago, and it seems
to me that the investigation is not
| ters from strangers saying that the
political gang is running things.
Can that be true? AS we have no
means whatever to get local help, is
there not. some way, dear Governor,
you could help me to find the murderer
of my dear mother?
! "Anxiously,
"CHARLOTTE MILLS"
Expert Testimony Conflicts
The decision to exhume the bodv of
Mrs. Mills two weeks after she was
killed is considered the clearest exam
pie aof the amazing inefficiency with
! which the investigation has been con-
Quoted. Before the bodies of the min
lister and the choir singer had been
buried the physician who made what
was intended to have been the official
examination of the bodies was making
statements regarding the wounds that
were in direct conflict with the state
ments of physician who examined the
bodies when they were brought to an
undertaking establishment here,
! DR.. William Long is the County Phy-
sician of Somerset County. His Job
corresponds with that of medical
examiner in New York. He said he
performed an autopsy and that there
was only one bullet wound in Mrs
| Mills's head, in the forehead just above
the nose. DR.. E. l. Cronk is a New
Brunswick physician and he has said
that he found at least three wounds
in the woman's head and two in the
| head of the rector. DR.. Long said
there was only one in the rector's
head.
There were other injuries on both
bodies that would have told volumes to
an experienced reader of this sert OF
mute evidence, but apparently none of
the authorities was impressed with the
necessity of laying a groundwork of
this kind. None Of them is in posi-
| tion definitely to fix the course of the
bullets.
Vital Points Not Covered
! There is possibility that the bull
lets are still in the bodies. Had this
! part of the investigation been thorough
! the officials could say with some degree
of positiveness whether the rector and
the singer were shot from behind or by
some one who confronted them; wheth-
er they were standing or sitting, OK
whether the crimes occurred where the
victims were found or somewhere else.
| Had these facts been known from
the start the responsible officials as
we'll as unofficial Investigators might
have been enabled to eliminate many
Of the theories (which offer possible
solutions of the mystery, but all OF
| Continued page three,