The Washington herald., 1922-10-10
21-Year-Old Youth in Jail
On Tale of Chronic
Ne'er-DO-Well.
WOUND IN THROAT
is NOT EXPLAINED
New Witness Story Dis
credits Solution of
Hall-Mills Staying.

HuI-MHIS mVuer mystery HOt
explained by the reported con-
teSsion:
JFhy uus the throat Of Mrs.
Mills cut if the shooting 1eds a
case of mistdken identity?
Why acds the clothing arranged
so carefully and 1oho scattered
the incriminating letters oUer the
bodies?
Ho7r 1pds Mrs. Mills. a 1vomdn
of maturity, mistaken for girl
IS years old?
What reason had Schneider to
plot the murder of Pearl Bdhner
arher the pair dbbdrcntlv acre
good friends the merit ddVf
Why should Hayes haze felt BIT
ter to7cdrd Pearl? No indication
that he e1'eu 1cds 7UcH acquainted
UuS OttH S'St".
II the killing 7rus the result of
mistaken identity. Icho took the
gold zudtch 7uorn bv DR.. HdH?
NEW BRUNSWICK. N. J.. Oct.
e-Goaded into action by public
criticism of their lack of method
in Investigations of the murder OF
Rev. Edward w. Hall and Mrs,
Eleanor r. Mills, the rector's COM
panion and choir singer, on the
lonely Phillips farm near here
more than three weeks ago. on-
cials of Somerset and Middlesex
counties today ciapped into a cell
in the Somerville Jail, accused OF
the crime, mildmannered Clifford
Hayes, 81. a former sailor, hon
orably discharged from the United
States navy. This. the first def
mite move of the bi-county sleuthsr
came after a -four-hour
grilling Of Raymond Schneider,
also 81. town ne'er-do- well. in
which examination the latter as
serted that Hayes in his presence
killed the minister and singer,
them for Pearl Bah
mer, I5-year-old sweetheart Of
Schneider, and the girls former
bartender father, Nicholas Bahmer.
Five times Schneider made the
and was let into a
room where Hayes was sitting to
repeat it to the accused, and each
time Hayes lunged forward as II
to strike him and cursing. cried:
You are a dirty liar and when /
get out of this I'll knock your
head off your neck"
Confession secuted.
The confession" of Schneider Is
publicly secuted here, general
opiaion being that someone had
to be the goat" and the sympathy
of the people is with the accused
man. and against the accuser. who
enjoys an unenviable reputation.
Schneider is married. 1t is claimed
he had promised to marry the
Bahmer girl. who has been charged
with incorrigibility by her father.
as soon as he could get a divorce
from his present wife.
Mrs Frances Stevens Hall, widow
of the slain minister, received the
news of the arrest without COM
ment, coldly, pale and dry eyed.
James Mills, husband of the bru-
tally slashed bullet-ridden woman,
who was killed with the pastor,
does not belev Hayes is guilty.
Referring to Schneider's statement,
he said:
He might have had to say some
thing just to get away. know
what II means to be questioned by
detectives"
Keep Confession Secret.
No text of the alleged 300-word
Schneider confession" was given
out by the authorities. They re-
fused to discuss 1t. They evaded
all pertinent questions, their desire
seeming to be to get rid of the
town of New Brunswick and the
presence OF the hundred newspaper
reporters dogging their heels. In
an interview, A ssistant Prosecutor
Toolan said:
You newspaper people will all
be away from here in day or two.
This spo:ls a perfectly good news
story, doesn't it?"
His implication was that other
theories must be eliminated. fol-
lowing the arrest of Hayes and the
statement of Schneider.
Pearl BANNER, who now figures
in the latest Develop
ment of the case, though her role
seemed of little moment when sne
found the bodies, lives at 22S Neil
son street, with her father. Her
mother died last January and the
girls life since has been tragic in
its fullness of experience. Pearl
declared today that the minister's
watch chain was still on Ls body
when she. with Schneider ds-
covered 1t. Halls watch was miss
ing and has been searched for by
detectives throughout the country.
Mrs. Hall Warns GIRL
Pearl told of having a note from
Schneider's wife on the Monday
after the finding of the bodies. This
note is now in the hands of Prose-
cutor Stricken. 1t reads: You will
pardon my writing, but I want you
to stay away from my husband.
When this case comes to trial l
am going to beat you to it."
On the same day on which she
received this note, Pearl was Wis
tied by Mrs. Schneider, who re-
quested the girl to accompany her