Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-17
DOUBLE MURDER
TAKES RECTOR,
'SEXT ON s WIFE
Bodies of Minister and
Woman Found in Sc
cluded Jersey Lane.
Couple Missing for ;
Days; Letters May
Lead to a Solution.

New Brunswick, n. j., Sept. 16.-
(By The Associated Press. THE Rev.
Edward W. Hall, rector of the Protes-
tant Episcopal church Of st. John The
Evangelist, and Mrs. James Mills, wife
of the sexton of the church, were
found dead from bullet wounds Satur-
day under an apple tree in a secluded
lane in Somerville township. The two
had been missing from their homes
since last Thursday night
Coroner R. NJ. Long, of Somerset
county declared it a case of double muir
der. He said the two had been dead at
least 36 hours before the bodies were
discovered and was emphatic in stating
he believed that the shooting did not
occur in the Ruusey lane. No weapon
was found near the bodies, which were
lying about a foot apart. Near the
woman's side, however, the exploded
shell of 80 cahbre bullet was found.
Shot Between the Eyes
The woman had been shot once be-
tween the eyes. Marks of clinched
fingers bruised the left arm. The body
of the rector bore three bullet wounds.
On was over the left eye and two in
the neck. Scattered in the greatest
profusion about the dead bodies were
cards and letters taken from his
pockets.
Mills was questioned by the author
tiles and gave an account of his wife's
movements up TO the time she left her
home on Thursday night. He is not be-
ing held.
Mills said that Oh Thursday night
shortly after 7 o'clock his wife received
a telephone call which she told him
came from "Henry's" the neighborhood
grocery store. Turning from the phone,
Mrs. Mills, he said, went up stairs,
where he heard her moving about in
her room for nearly half an hour.
When she appeared again she was
wearing one of her newest street
dresses and her newest hat
Naturally l asked her where she
was going" Mills said ''and she told
me that if I really wanted to know, l
could follow her and find out
On the front steps as she went out
was Mrs. Mills 16-year-old daughter,
Charlotte. In answer to a question
from the girl, the mother is said TO
have replied. she was going out for
little whirl.'
Did Not Follow Wife
Mills told the authorities he did not
follow his wife. He said as the eve
ming wore on, he was too nervous to GO
to bed and that at o'clock in the
morning he went out for a walk. This
led TO the hill to the little church of
st. John The Evangelist. an edifice
which crowns rising knoll-the church
which he served as sexton, where his
wife sang as one of the leaders of the
choir, where small congregation wor-
shipped and where the Rev Mr.. Hall
had been assigned for ten years
Mills said he entered the church and
sat down in one of the pews. Near
dawn he got up and returned to his
home, to find that his wife had not re
turned. Again at 9 O'Clock that morn
ing he said he wandered back to the
church. On the front step he met
Mrs. Hall. the rector's wife.
She asked him he said if he had seen
her husband. He declared he coun-
tered by telling her his wife was miss
ing. Mrs. Hall then went TO the po-
lice station.
Saturday James Schneider and Pearl
Bahmer went to stroll in Ruusey' s
| lane a quaint rustic way, known BY
young SWANS of the countryside as
lovers lane The apple tree, midway
down the lane was the objective Of their
stroll And there they found the bodies
of the rector and the sections wife.
Letters Are Discovered
J Light winds had carried several OF
1.-THE notes and cards some distance
from the bodies. Mills, in his state
ment to the authorities, asserted that
1 he had seen several of these letters
and declared that they were written
by his wife to their children while she
was visiting in the southern part OF
the state this summer The detectives
declare they were written TO the rector
| One of these letters, bearing nc
salutation and no signature, written in
Ipencil read:
''You are a true priest You see in
me merely your physical inspiration
You are the priest. Was Pan religi-
ous7 God makes his people TO enjoy
themselves deeply
Another in the same handwriting
read: please do not laugh at this,
know I'm crazy cat, but | can't be diff
ferent. Charlotte talks then Dan asks
questions. then he annoys, so how car
| write?"
Dan and Charlotte referred to in the
note are Mrs. Mills two children.
County authorities said that an ar,
rest would be made in few hours
but declined to say whether the per
crtII rAIICEC EIPE