The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-10-28
HENRY STEVENS SAYS TEN
PERSONS BACK UP HIS ALIBI;
CALLSGIBSON TALERUBBISH
Brother of Slain Rector's Widow Asserts Woman Saw
Him Lock Garage on Night of Murders-Arest
Is Invited to Clear Him of Suspicion.

Special Dispatch TO THE New York HERALD.
LAvALLETTE, y. j., Oct. 27.-The names
of nine persons who saw Henry Ste
vens in Lavallette on the night Of Sep
TENDER II, when the Rev. Edwin Hall
and Mrs. Eleanor Mills were murdered
near New Brunswick. and the fact that
there is a tenth person whose name
will be disclosed when necessary, were
revealed here tonight by Mr.. Stevens
and his wife. The names of these per-
sons are:
Thaddeus S. Mellenger of 4030 Lo-
Gust street, West Philadelphia, con-
nected with the piano department of
Wanamaker's; William H. Eyer, hosiery
salesman, with an office at EOS Chest
nut street. Philadelphia, and home at
II Pennsylvania avenue. Brookline,
Pa; William McGonigle of 1896 San
som street, West Philadelphia; Will
lam Shedwick of North Thirty fourth
street. West Philadelphia: Arthur H.
Apologize. town Councilman in Laval
lette; George Johnson, carpenter; Mrs.
Annie Evanson, cook for the Stevenses.
though she does not sleep at the Ste
vens home, and Mr.. and Mrs. George
Oxley of Lavallette. Mr.. Oxley is the
towns butcher and grocer.
The tenth person. an unidentified
woman who. the Stevenses declare. saw
Nf ha
group on the night OF September ~.
will be named when the proper time
comes, Mrs. Stevens said tonight. She
said this woman saw her husband look
up the garage at tho back of the house
about IL o'clock.
Mrs. stevens Not Worried.
When Mrs. Stevens and her husband
were told. of the statement made In
New Brunswick by Deputy Attorney
General Mott, that he was not satisfied
with Stevens's alibi, Mrs. Stevens said !:
ut will not worry me minute If
Henry were arrested. In fact we would
welcome it, because 1t would mean his
eventual elimination from the case. We
welcome Mrs. Gibsou's story because II
appears to give some definite point
from which the authorities can worr
and no one is more interested in hav
ing this mystery solved than we are
But I must say that her story sounds
like lot of rubbish.
Stevens. who listened to his wife,
nodded his head ana said:
Exactly" He continued:
I'm view of Deputy Attorney-Cenera
Motifs statement I am perfectly willing
to tell you right now just what I did
from the evening of Thursday, Septem-
Der IA, up to any point you desire"
1t was the first time Mr.. Stevens has
consented to tell in detail or the abb
which he has put forward. He said:
ION Thursday night. as soon as ]
finished my supper somewhere arounf
6 80 o'clock. I went down and got the
evening papers, which arrived about
6 90. Then l went to the beach and
fished and caught three bluefish just be-
fore dark William Eyer came over and
I showed them 10 him. He went and
got his own rod and ! gave him some
bait and he started fishing alongside of
me.
six Pound BIuehsh Landed.
About that time Art Apologize
caught a six pound bluefish and l
watched him pull II in and take 1t off
matches so / could see my pocket scales
when l weighed it, remember seeing
Mellenger Then Eyer and I fished side
by side until about 80. when / said
to him:
"'Bill. take the rest of the bait. I am
going in. It's little chilly. Before
you go home, stop in
"A little after 10 o'clock Eyer had not
come in and I went out on the beach
and talked to him again. Eyer said he
had hooked one, but it got away. About
1o 80 Eyer came in and l went to the
ice box. took out the three blueflsh and
showed them to him"
Here Mr.. Stevens quickly corrected
himself and said he had not shown the
fish to Mr.. Eyer previously on the beach
Then he went on:
Eyer went home between 0:3O and
IL. When he left / was getting un-
dressed TO go to bed. I went out and
locked up the garage"
Mrs. Stevens interrupted.
That" she said, rs where my inn
portant witness comes in. She actually
saw Mr.. Stevens and spoke to him and
heard him shut the garage door This
woman is ready to come forward and
say this at any time and In any way.
I have her letter here. She is willing
to state positively that it was nearer
IL o'clock than anything else"
Mr.. Stevens continued:
Then / went to bed shortly after IL
should say about II. l slept very
very soundly and woke up as usual :
the first streak of daylight ] got up
about o'clock. cooked breakfast and
went out on the beach to catch bait. IN
about fifteen minutes Mr.. Meilenger
and three or four friends who were
visiting him came out Tor thsi morning
dip. / was so wrapped up in my fishing
/ don't remember whether Mrs. Mel
lenger was there or na.. Mr.. Mellenger
every person charged with crime must
hl.l I'd l..