The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-10-15
La1u and Order Get Setback La Handling of New Jersey HaN-MiIs Murder Mystery
Rector and Wife of Sexton Slain One Month Ago, But Perpetrators of Crime Are Still Unarrested
 May Never Be Solved

side by side. The woman's skirts
 had been smoothed down.
 But most significant of all, half
 dozen love letters, written by Mrs.
 Mills to the minister. were found
 scattered over the bodies. Against
 the heel of the minister was propped
 one of his personal calling cards.
 There was studied irony everywhere.
 It was only too plain to those who
 knew the early facts that In the
 double murder there had been an
 impelling motive--jealousy and ven-
 geance. It was apparent that the liai-
 son between the minister and the
 choir singer, which had been going
 on for year or more, had come to the knowledge of others. In the four weeks that have elapsed no tangi-
 ble clue to murderer or murderers
 has been found. Even the pistol
 with which the crime was committed
 has not been located. The bodies
 were hurried off to burial. The rec
 tor was given an impressive funeral
 from tho church he had served.
 The vestrymen met aud passed
 resolutions expressing their entire confidence In the murdered minister,
 as a man, as rector and as a hus- band
 woman's Burial The woman In the case was buried from an undertaking establishment, I although she, too, had been prominent 1 in all the work of the church. Only l her husband. the sexton. and her
 sixteen-year- daughter, Charlotte, i appeared as mourners.
 Investigation Jagged. Authorities were slow, and apparently reluctant
 
 Brunswick began to talk. They said 1 the influence of great wealth and of
 politics was flushing up the crime.
 Then the reporters for the New York papers and other out-of-town corre- spondents arrived. Things began to happen. Charlotte Mills wrote to Governor Edwards who is now run ming for the United States Senate, and pleaded with him In childish frank
 ness to please find the murderers of her dear mother. The governor sent state troopers. and they have been
 here ever since, although their activi- ties have done little more than the local authorities had accomplished toward solution of the great mystery.
 Publicity began to accomplish much. It resulted, first of all, in an exhumation of the bodies and thorough autopsy-a small" detail which had been neglected in the first place. With the new autopsy came the startling evidence that Mrs. Mills throat had been cut from ear to ear. evidence further of vengeance on the part of those who perpetrated the crime.
 Conflicting Stories E Mrs. Hall, widow of tho rector; James Mills, widower of the choir singer; Willie" Stevens, dumb bell" brother of the widow, all were questioned by the authorities as to their movements on the night of tho crime. Mrs. Hall and Milo, the sexton had spent most of the night of Sep- tember IA looking for the missing husband and wife. They met at the church. Their stories did not altoge- ther jibe in every detail, but the authorities accepted what they said. Stories continued to circulate that
 two men and a woman were seen leaving the scene of the murder in a sedan car.
 Pressure for action became greater and greeater. The crime took It's place in the politics of the state. The public was clamoring for an arrest. Governor Edwards sent the com | manding officer of state troops to
 New Brunswick and told him not to return to the sttae capital at Tren- ton until the murderer had been ar- rested.
 Monday morning last came tho ar-
 rest of the murderer" Poor little 21-year-old Clifford Hayes, Q boy of good repute in the town. was locked up charged with the crime. His pal, Raymond Schneider, a boy none too bright, had "confessed." the authori- ties said, that he was with Hayes and that Hayes had shot the couple by mistake. thinking the rector was a bartender and the woman the bar tenders step-daughter. It was the
 most fantastic confession" ever con- ceived in the brain of a "half-wit" detective The arest gave the au- thorities breathing space of several days. Then the bubble burst. Schneider repudiatcd the confession,
 which no one but the hard pressed authorities ever believed. Hayes was rleased and returned home in . blaze of red fire.
 Another Relapse After this flare-up tho investiga- 1 tion re1apsed again.
 The name of Rev. Dr. Hall stands on the gold lettered announcement l board. framed in ivy. as rector of the l Church of St. John the Evangelist. James Mills continues to act as sexton of the church. but in his go- inFs and comings he avoids the con- gregatiGn as much as possible. The old Phillips place out on De- 1 Russey Lane has become a favtrite ! picnic place. Tourists come from all parts of the state. bring their lunch and eat under the old crab apple tree which Is no more mute in | this murder mystery than soma of