Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-16

81 have followed the case as g
private citizen, in the same manner
as most other people have, and I
have made no special investigation
of it. The work of the attorney
general is not along those lines.
And / have Jurisdiction in criminal
matters only through an order is
sued by Justice Parker directing
me to investigate the case.
.It would be impossible for me to
say now whether 1 would continue
to work with Prosecutors Beekman
of Somerset and Stricken of Mid
dlesex and their staffs; together
with the state police The whole
point is that 1 have not been called
in and therefore I cannot talk ABOUT
it."
It is assumed that Prosecutors
Stricken and Beekman of Middlesex
and Somerset counties and the state
troopers will continue to give such
aid as they may. George D. Totten,
county detective of Somerset. says
he will keep on working on the jeal-
Gus theory and that he believes this
mystery will be solved
The attorney general, or whom-
ever he may designate TO act for
him, will be confronted with dis
couraging situation. The "bungling
stupidity of the authorities, to use
the language of the rector's widows
! lawyer, puts them a month behind
in their inquiry.
They will find that no photo-
graphs were taken OF the scene o.
bodies, that it was days before the
exact nature of the victims wounds
were known and that from the start
the ground around the old Phillpss
farm has been trampled at will by
thousands of curious sightseers. The
farmhouse was almost torn apart
yesterday by souvenir hunters.
The new investigators will start
with a clean slate. They will be
committed to no theory and will try
TO separate fancy from fact and find
out just how much is definitely
known and how much that has been
told is based on hearsay.
Private detectives working on the
case declared yesterday that their
investigations have convinced them
that the murders resulted from jeal-
ousy. julius A. Braun, employed in
the interest of Charlotte and James
Mills, daughter and husband OF the
slain choir singer, said that Miss
Florence North, woman lawyer
representing Charlotte. has in hei
possession a packet of letters show
ing beyond a doubt that the rector
and Mrs. Mills were in love.
Braun expressed the belief thai
the love affair became known te
some member of the Congregation
and that the pair were lured from
their homes by the telephone CALI
known TO have been received about
1880 p. m. of the day on which they
were killed. He advanced the the
ory that the rector and Mrs. Millz
were confronted with each other
slain and then taken to the spot
under the crabapple tree on tbs
Phillips place, where the bodies
were found two days later.
He pointed to the fact that thu
rector's eyes were closed as in sleep.
while those of Mrs. Mills left openi
crime of passion.
A statement made by Detective
Totten today would indicate thai
authorities were not content as Yet
that mem bers of the Hall-Stevens
family had nothing TO do with tha
murders. The Somerset county dee
tective told newspapermen the ac-
tions of Henry Stevens, brother OF
Mrs. Hall, on the night of the MUIR
der had been checked up and re-
peated that mo one has been ellm-
mated from this case as yet." Henry
Stevens, who has hunting and fish
ing lodge at Lavellette. N. j., had
told authorities he was fishing with
friend on the night of the murder.
Detective Totten also said today
that it would not necessarily have.
been an automatic revolver that
killed the connie even though auto
matte shells were used.
Prosecutor Beekman said the
county authorities do not know
what action is contemplated by SUI
preme Court Justice Parker in the
case. If outside legal talent enters
the case It will be paid for by the
county in which It is shown the
murder was committed. Prosecutor
Stricken said.
CONTINUED on page 40