Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-24
WOMAN saw MURDER OF HALL
and SINGER and HEARD FIVE
SHOTS FROM PISTOL, She SAYS
Mrs. Anne Gibson Was Watching for Thieves on Night
Of Tragedy and Saw Outlines Of Two Men and Two
Women One Man Dropped at First Pistol Shot, One
Woman After -Four More Had Been Fired Name Of
Rector Spoken in Horror" by Woman With Assassin.
By Associated Press TO Every Evening.

By Associated Press 10 Every Evening
New Brunswick. \. J. Oot. % This
name Of the woman reputed % havs
witnessed the double murder Of the
Rev. Edward Wheeler Hail and MS
choir singer. Mrs. Eleanor r. NILS.
today became known.
She IS Mrs. Jane Gibson. a widow,
who with her son. conducts A 50 acra
farm on Hamilton road IN q sparseiv
settled section several miles from here.
Before harvest time her fields wers
frequently entered al night and rob-
bed. Shortly before the double nnurde-
she decided 70 end THE tnlevery Zach
night she lay IN watt Nearby was
tethered a saddled mule for purpose
Of pursuit
The night Of the murder she vas
said to have told investigator. shs
vas riding down de Rusgy's bang
| through the Phillips farm when shs
saw in n field the dim outlines 4
two men and two women
She became curious halted her mud
and watched. There was moment e
loud talking. the sound of pistol
shot, streak of flame and one of ths
men fell. Then moment later fous
more shots and one Of The worne1
dropped
The man and woman stood oves
J the slain couple the story contin-
ues and the name Of the man was
spoken in horror by the woman.
! Mrs. Gibson then was said 70 have
become frightened and 10 have turn
ed her mule toward home.
| Hope was felt today that the Hail.
/ Mills murder mystery may he solved
/ eventually ss Wilbur A Mott. Newark
/ lawyer. and former Essex countp
! prosecutor, who has been Designated
a special deputy attorney genera =.
/ took over the reins OF the inquiry. II
| behalf OF the state
He went into conferences AZ onrs
| With prosecutors Beekman OF Samer~
set and Stricker of Middlesex coun-
| ties. Who have conducted the invests =
CATION since the discovery ot Septem-
Der is OF the bodies OF Rector Ha IA
and Mrz. Mills.
With deputy Attorney General Mott
here today sas James A Mason, Es-
sex county detective. Mr. Mott an
! nounced also that he nad called Ellis
H Parker, Burlington county detec-
tive. who has won convictions in ~
out Of 90 murder cases In Burlington
| county in the last % years. into tha
| case.
Solution Now Far Away.
The murder inquiry is TO start Al
lover and the solut.on-thought withi,
the last few days 10 be nsar-is as Tar
J on as ever and that the possibility 4
. greater that the murderer or murders
ers never will De captured. or, 4
! caught, will never be convicted.
= 1t is now easily possible that no sos
? luton ever will be found TO this rs-
= markable case, which has attracted az.
2 tention all over the country and waic.
= has elements which nave not been
{ present in any similar case In man,
: decades
The appointment OF Wilbur A. Mot,
4 by Attorney General McCraa IA.
however. oceasIOned general satisfae,
= oon. Prosecutor Stricken OK Middle,
( sex - pleased end so IS Timothy ~
Pfelffer' counsel for Mrs. Hall, the rec.
q tors widow. Only those who hav.
Z gone through the ordeal OF exan.na.
= ton by the prosecutors are chagrinel
/ at the outlook. dreadlng another cross.
= Questioning.
n No Case for Grand Jury.
The case IS a. a s;andstlll. Beekuar
did not put the matter before n.
Somerset Grand Jury as had beer
foretold. The reasons were the an
polntment OF Mott. in the face o
which a representation 10 the .ur,
= would nave been discourteous. and N,
more important fact tha, Beexns,
did not have evidence 10 make Out
prima facie case.
= Troopers Charge Bungling.
It The position of the state .roopen
q sent mere by Gov. Edwards PRACTICAL
Continued on page ?.