Evening star., 1922-10-07
RECT0R'S RELATIVE
QU|ZzED IN KILLING
Willie Stevens Asked About
His Movements on Night
of Tragedy.
By the Associated Press.


NEW BRUNSWICK. y. J.. October
State and county authorities. after
spending most Of the night working on
the case, were up early today to con-
tinue their efforts to solve the mysteri-
ous shooting. September -. of the
Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall rector of
the Episcopal Church of st. John the
Evangelist. and his choir leader, Mrs.
Eleanor Reinhardt Mills Considerable
progress was made during the night by
detectives working directly with Col.
II. Norman Swartzkopf of the New
Jersey state police and the prosecutors
of MiddleseX and Somerset counties.
Willie Stevens. eccentric brother of
Mrs. Frances Stevens Hall, widow of
the slain rector. was returned to the
Hall home about O'Clock this morn
ing after lengthy quiz at the hands
OF detectives who took him from the
Hall home late in the afternoon. Col.
Swartzkopf, who directed Stevens ex-
animation. declined to make any COM
ment today when he returned to New
Brunswick. He admitted. however.
that Stevens had been closely ques-
toned about his movements on the
night OF the killing.
Women Agree on Story.
The state troopers interviewed sev-
enteen members OF the church choir.
and all told the same story. All said
that they had noticed DIR. Hall and
Mrs. Mills were together gr Eat deal.
but had thought little about II. be-
cause the rector was kind to all of
the members of his congregation.
The troopers then learned that all
the women questioned had met last
Friday night after choir rehearsal and
agreed upon the story to be told In
case they were questioned.
several OF the earliest clues discovered
in. the double shooting state and
county authorities announced they
had constructed a framework on
which they expected the entire case
to hinge.
This framework. the authorities
| said. consists of four cardinal uues-
tions to be put to Mrs. Hall and James
Mills.
Tile first of the questions which the
authorities say they wish to clear up
I is the exact number of times Mills
! met Mrs. Hall on the day before the
discovery of the bodies of the rector
| and Mrs. Mills in the Somerset county
orchard.
Mills had said that he met Mrs. Hall
four times on this day, first early in
the morning at the church, twice at
his own home, and once at her home,
Mrs. He'll. detectives said, has told
| and this was at the church,
The second question concerns the
statement OF William Phillips, night
| watchman Of the New Jersey State
| College for Women. that the woman
In the polo coat who entered the Hall
homo early on the morning after the
double shooting was unaccompanisd
Mrs. Hall. who has admitted she ia
the woman to whom Phillips refers
! has declared that she was accom-.
panied by her brother, William
| Stevens.
Find "Love Fence"
| The third question is why Mrs
Hall failed to make any eclaration
of the large sum of money found In
Halls home. and the fourth is why
neither she nor Mills in their ques.
tioning by Somerset county author.
tiles made any statement of the close
friendship and interest which the
rector and Mrs. Mills had shown ir
each other,
The most important new discover
which has been made in the syst6.
mAtic Questioning Of members Of the
church choir and persons living neai
the church was the finding of wha.
This was a special chicken anf
barbed wire fence which Hall orderst
Mills to build about shed in thu
trear of the church. Detectives sale
they were informed by persons liv.
ing near the church that on occasion,
they had seen Hall and Mrs. Mill.
leave the church separately, by a real
door and go to this shed. The barbet
wire barrier. the detectives said, pre-
vented any one from approaching thu
shed from the rear.
The authorities have rseuestionet
Mrs. Benjamin Vogt. one OF the WON
en- who have reported hearing rwt
automobiles racing along Eastsn ave
nue after the shooting II believed u
have occurred. ss.sf.
1--WE know something about thes,
Automobiles" was the. only statemen
(which Prosecutor Sticlkler would max
4Afte. fha n,iAaf ion In r Of MR., Wort y