New-York tribune., 1922-11-22
70 Women Call
For Vindicati0r,
Of Mrs. Hall
Close Friends of Rector's
Widow Issue Declaration
of Faith That Comedies
With Grand jury Inquiry
From S.aB Correspondent

PfVHt "a SsQU Correspondent
SOMERVILLE, N. j., Nov. 21.-~Mrs.
Frances steyens Hall was given a
pointed declaration Of faith to-day by
seveaaty- six womea prominent in social
and chuss cirefes. ,Shey arc i. gon,ssss,
who know her intimately. In fact, the
list of signatures attached to the state .
ment includes some of her closest
friends and relatives.
The publication Of this tribute to
Mrs. Hall is coincidental with the meet
ing of the grand jury to consider the
/ evidence surrounding the murder of
| the Rev. Edward w. Hall and Mrs.
| Eleanor r. Mills. AS the jurors left
the courthouse after hearing seventeen
witnesses testify in the course of the
day to the physical aspects of the
crime they were hailed by newsboys
selling copies of the New Brunswick
papers which contained the following:
"a few of the friends of Mrs.
Frances Stevens Hall desire to ex-
| solute and unfaltering devotion to
1 truth and integrity and to all the high
est ideals of Christian character They
refuse to believe that in any crisis she
would in any respect abandon the high
principles which have always guided
| her life. To. them she is now and al
ways has been a woman oft he high
est type, above suspicion and above
reproach, incapable Cf thinking, much
less Of doing, evil"
Denies Tribute Was Timed
The names of the women who signed
the declaration followed. Its origin
was explained by Mrs. Ernest II. Webb,
wife OF the president of the Webb &
Webb Wire Company, of New Bruins
wick: She said that ever since the
the first week of the murder all Mrs.
| friends had felt that they should give
public expression to their fait! in her.
She thought their Hardness in doing
| this was due to their fear of publicity
The converting Of the grand jury of
Somerset County had nothing to do
with the publication Of the tribute.
Mrs. Webb insisted 1t merely hap
! pened that the collection of names was
ready at this time. All the signatures
are OF personal friends of Mrs. Hall,
but no member of the Church of
St. John the Evangelist figures in the
list.
An interesting sidelight on this was
a statement made later in the day by
Paul F. Williams, real estate broker
and president of the local society for
| the prevention of cruelty to animal.
| He has known the Hall family and Miss
Sally Peters, the bosom friend of Mrs.
| Hall, for nearly twenty years Not
long ago he was making a social call
at their home, he remarked, when Miss
Peters said to him:
| "You knew DIR. Hall so we'll YOU
| should write tc the local paper telling
what fine man he was and then YOU
could get ell your friends to do the
same"
Jury to Hear Maids To-day
The Hall home will be touched for
the first time tomorrow by the grand
jury proceedings when Barbara Tough
and Louise Geist, maids at the parson-
age, appear to give testimony on what
occurred on the night of September IA.
Louise answered the telephone when
Mrs. Mills called up Mr.. Hall to make
their last appointment Another wit
ness called for 10 a. IN. is James Mills,
husband of the murdered choir singer.
The work of the grand jury, which
has progressed swiftly since it con-
vened yesterday morning, will be in
terrupted by an adjournment to-mor-
row night until Monday of next week
it is understood Seventeen witnesses
were examined to-day, which, added to
eleven yesterday, the first day of the
jury proceedings, makes total of
twenty-eight, or half the total num-
bert the state will call.
From now on it is expected the ex-
fcentinusd on page nIne)