Evening star., 1922-09-30
SILENCE Wells SLAYINGS.
BY NEWTON CHARLES ALLEN.

Special Dispatch to The Star. ,
NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J., Septem-
Der 3O.-When the doxology is sung
tomorrow in the ivy-clad Protestant
Episcopal Church of ST. John the
Evangelist there will be voices merg-
ed in the hymn that could tell, in the
: opinion of most of New Brunswick.
who killed the rector. Rev. Ward
Wheeler Hall, and Mrs. Eleanor Mills.
solo soprano and wife of the sexton
Of the. church.
What should have been a simple
problem has entered the field of mys-
terry. Here were two comparatively
community where none of the oppor-
| tnnities for secrecy and hiding of
movements exist that are present in a
big city. On the surface. at least, it
| would seem to be the "secret that
| half a county keeps" but the sworn
| officials of the law seem to be unable
| to find and arrest the murderers.
| Two weeks ago today a youth and
girl, hunting mushrooms, found the
| bodies lying side by side beneath a
| craoapple tree on deserted farm
mile and half from the church, which
is In the center of the town.
Charitable View of Rector.
There is a very influential portion Of
| this city of 10000 that insists the
rector. husband of the richest woman
| in the community and a member Of
| one of the most noted families in New
/ Jersey, did not go there of his free
\ will. They argue he was either killed
elsewhe1s or kidnapped and taken
there. They are less charitable con-
cerning the woman.
The most influential threads in the
social, economic and political fabric
| of New Brunswick are tightly woven
| into the congregation of ST. Johns. 1t
was the vestry. of the church that
| adopted resolutions Of faith in the
| rector, but withheld all comment
| about the choir singer whose body
! rested on his dead arm, and whose
sentimental notes. seemingly written
for him, were scattered about their
| feet.
official bungling, such as the neglect
of Prosecutor Azariah NJ. Beekman Of
Somerset county to order an autopsy
on the victims. may be partly respon-
sible for the failure to catch the ,nur-
! derer or murderers, but local residents
attribute the growing security of the
| perpetrators to sentiment within the
church. The leaders of that instftu-
ton have not shown any great desire
| to have the murderers located and
punished. New Brunswick's one news
paper charged yesterday that certain
persons had left town rather than
give information which is vital.
| The investigation is being conduct
ed here by Prosecutor Joseph Strick-
Ter of Middlesex county. within which
New Brunswick is located The Som
erset county line comes close enough
| to the city to embrace the old Phillips
| farm. where the bodies were found.
The Middlesex prosecutor has discuss
ed the murders publicly just once.
Then he said every member of the
| church would be interregated. This
has not been done.
Gossip Preceding Crime.
| Unofficial Investigators have estab-
lished that for at least a year prior
| to the murders the church had seeth.
ed with gossip about the rector and
Mrs. Mills. whether Mrs. Mills felt
| for him q love that was reflected only
| in the proper affection due a clergy
| man from one of the hardest work
ing members of his parish has not
| been determined. 1t has been urged
by townspeople that there was sig
nificance in the fact that the choir
| and q scant portion Of the member
ship Of St. Johns attended the funeral
| Of the minister. while only the dead
her daughtet. of the congregation,
! saw her buried.
| Many of the vestrymen are kins-
| men of Mrs. Hall, the rector's widow.
Of her family, which is very wealthy
through ownership Of wall paper
mills, hosiery mills, surgical supplies
and the local banks. A cousin Of
Mrs Hall is head Of the largest bank
here. Mrs. Halls lawyer is William
| the same bank. Mrs. Halls brother,
| Willie, Is a middle-aged Incompetent
His trustee is Joseph Porter, trust Of
| feer of the same bank.
! Last July Mr.. Porter bought the
farm on which the bodies were found.
| When he was sought to learn his
theory it was found he left on a va
cation the very day the bodies were
discovered. He returned few days
later, but refused to talk. He refer
red all inQutrers to his lawyer. Will
liam Florance, who is former county
prosecutor and . leader in political
New Jersey politics. Including tha