The Washington herald., 1922-10-21
Affidavit Kept Secret by
Prosecutor, Describes
Jersey Shooting.
GRAND JURY TAKES
UP INVESTIGATION
Beekman, Excited, Re-
fuses to Confirm or
Deny Indictments.

NEW BRUNSWICK, n. j.. Oct.
N-An eyewitness to the murder
of the Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall
and his choir singer, Mrs. Eleanor
r. Mills, has made an affidavit in
which is described the shooting OF
the couple on the Phillips far-h on
the night of Thursday, September
IA. This affidavit. which is in the
hands of Prosecutor Beekman. is the
backbone of the States case. which
is rapidly nearing a climax.
1t is reported the witness to the
tragedy is a woman of reputable
character, that her accusation in
wolves more than one person and
the only reason the authorities hesi-
tate in making an arrest Is because
they lack positive Identification OF
the slayers.
indictments Forecast.
Definite action toward lifting the
veil over the mystery again ap-
peared imminent tonight. 1t was
stated authoritatively a special ses-
sion of the Somerset County grand
Jury would be called for Monday
morning and that indictments
would be drawn Sunday charging a
New Brunswick woman and a male
relative with the murder.
The indictments, II was declared
will be based on the testimony of
woman who has not yet appeared
publicly ~ the case
Meantime interest centers In re-
ports that E. X. Soper. who says he
saw an old-fashioned. high-bodied'
dark-colored automobile standing In
the murder lane" about the time
that Or. Hall and Mrs Mills were
; murdered. will be called tomorrow
to view an old machine owned by
Charles Carpenter, cousin OF mrs
Hall.
Soper says that in the car he saw
were a woman with a light coat and
a man. He declared he would be
able to recognize 1t il he saw 1t
again. His wife. however. who was
with him at the time. said she
would not be able to Identify the
machine positively and expressed
doubts that her husband could
Much credence Is now given to
the theory that a woman, who was
interested in the work of the church
of which Hall was pastor, was the
innocent cause of the murder.
The story goes that this woman
saw Mrs. Mills put a Low. mtssiVe
in the church stove. which was un-
hred in summer and was used as
q ssnostoffice" by the minister and
his "wonder heart: that the wo-
man took the letter out of the
stove and read II and turned II
over to a third person 1t is be-
Iieved that following the revela-
tion of the love affair. the person
into whose hands the letter had
fallen followed Hall and Mrs. Mills
to their trysting place at the
Phillips farm and there confronted
them with the evidence of their
guilt-that a quarrel ensued. end
ing in the double murder.
The woman who first discovered
the secret romance through the
seizure of the letter has gone into
hiding to escape being brought into
the inquiry.
Probe Removal of Papers.
uthorities are endeavoring to
clear up the tangle regarding the
alleged removal of papers and let
ters from the desk of the minister
the day the bodies were found.
Edwin r. Carpenter. a cousin Of
Mrs. Hall. known as Teddy" was
questioned a few days after the
tragedy regarding a report that he
was seen removing letters from
the Hall home a few hours after
the discovery of the bodies. Car
pender denied he had taken papers
away from the home Of the min
lister. explaining he had taken to
the undertaken clothes and vest
nents In which DIR. Hall was buried
Mrs. Addison Clarke explain ID
that a package she removed from
the church on the day the bodies
were found contained vestments of
the minister.
The seemingly conflicting state
nents were interpreted by Teddy"
,arpender.
II took Dr. Halls clothes and
;ome of his vestments from the
rouse ard stopped by the home of
Hrs. Clarke to get a cassock of the
minister's from the church. to which
drs. Clarke had the key" he said.
carpenter Is Contradicted.
she was at the Mills house. her
husband told me. and as I did not
know where that was. Mr.. Clarke
ihowed me the way We went to
he Mills house. and from there
drs. Clarke and went to the
:hurch. got the rest of the vest
nents and took them to the under
aker."
This statement. in turn. is contra
licted by Miss Millie Opie. Char
otte Mills corroboratss the state
nent of Miss Opie.
Jimmie Mills pathetically de-
dared today tnat he would have
TODD aside. had he known that his
Fife preferred another man.
IF had known that Eleanor and
)r. Hall were in love" said the lit
le church sexton. "he could have
lad her. and I would have stood
side. This murder could have been
voided."