The New York herald., 1922-09-25
Continued from First Page.

there is much that makes it seem un-
reasonable.
Henry Stevens. brother of Mrs. Hall.
who lives at Lavallette and whom the
County Prosecutors Office mas been seek
ing for almost week, came to New
Brunswick to-day. 1t appears that Will
lam L. Florance. former State Senator
and counsel for the Hall family, told him
to go to New York and keep away from
here.
" was Florance too who advised
against the Hall family having anything
to say for publication but whose advice
was disregarded on Saturday.
Stevens readily gave a detailed ac-
count of his movements to-day. He
also made 1t clear that he considered
unwise his course In keeping out of sight
and that he might have saved himself
and the Hall family much unpleasant
notoriety had he remained here and ac-
cessible. He is a jovial. sunburned man
of about SO. He said in the interview:
Il have nothing to hide. Most of the
week l have spent in my New York
home packing furniture preparatory to
moving in accordance with previous
plans to spend the winter in Europe. My
wife has been giving most of each day TO
dressmakers. On Thursday -we returned
to Lavalette and to-day we came to New
Brunswick to see my sister.
.'On the Thursday night of the murder
] was at Lavalette. In company with
Mr.. Mellinger. Mr.. Egger and other
neighbcrs, was fishing along the beach.
1t was 1890 or little later when we
dispersed to our homes. Next morning
at 6 o'clock l went fishing again with
several neighbors.
You see, I am an enthusiastic fish
erman l caught a big bluefish on Fri
we all had lunch there.
First Hears of Death.
II was on the boardwalk on Saturday
afternoon when ! saw the station master
approaching. waving a telegram. It
announced Edwards death was
stunned. 1t gave no details and I was
puzzled. / thought at first he must
have been killed by an automobile. I
got ready at once and started for New
Brunswick. On the way I bought a
paper and for the first time learned the
details of the tragedy"
The rest of Mr.. Stevens's story re-
ferred to his movements of the next
three days. when he was back and forth
between New York and New Brunswick,
attending the funeral of his brother-in-
law here. He said he would have re-
manned here II there had been anything
he could do, but there wasn't. He con-
tinued:
"As for my silence I can only say it
was on advice of our lawyer. He for
bade us talking to newspaper reporters"
Stevens said he is a rifle marksman
and has never owned pistol. His
wife was present during the interview
and also Miss Sallie Peters. who has
been the constant companion of Mrs.
Hall since the funeral of Hail.
Miss Peters explained that Mrs. Hall
had at first considered hiring private
detectives to unravel the mystery of
Halls killing. but rejected the idea. as
she feared such a move might be con-
sidered as an attempt at personal venge-
ance. In all his life, Mrs. Hall lad told
her friend, she had never known Hall to
resent personal injury to the extent
of wishing to avenge it, said Miss Peters.
Mrs. Hall to Depend on Law.
She felt and still feels that the en-
ployment OF money or effort to bring
pain to any one. even to murderer
would have been to Edward an un-
christian act. She decided to let the
agencies of the law handle the matter.
Miss Peters spoke at length, too. OF
the relations existing between the Halls.
asserting that the affection obviously
existing between the pair was subject
of tender jesting on the part of their
intimate friends and that they were
really like a couple of young lovers after
seven years OF married life.
AT the scene of the crime. IL 1t was
committed where the bodies were found.
the. crowd to-day was enormous. The
old deserted Phillips farmhouse was sur
rounded all day by a crowd, while
twenty to fifty persons stood all the
time about the apple tree beneath which
the two bodies lay when discovered by
Schneider. The roads leading to the