Evening star., 1922-09-23
APPEAL T0PUBu|C
0RMURDER CLUE
New Brunswick Police Prom
ise Immunity From Pub
Iicity in Probe.
RECTOR SLAIN IN AUTO?
Daughter of Dead Choir Leader
Says Jealous Woman Is
Behind Tragedy.
RECTOR SLAIN IN AUTO?

NEW BRUNSWICK. n. j., Septem-
Der 23.-Bafled in their efforts to
trace the slayer or slayers of the
Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall, rector
Of the Protestant. Episcopal Church
of St John the Evangelist. and his
choir leader. Mrs. Eleanor Reinhart
Mills wife of the church sexton, au-
therities today pinned their hopes on
ge1einE some new light through
volunteer statements by members of
the church. A public appeal. with a
promise for protection from publicity,
facts bearing on the mystery.
Some detectives believe that the
rector was shot in the front seat
of an automobile and that Mrs. Mills
broke her ankle in jumping from a
motor car.
witnesses have told the authorities
of seeing two rapidly moving auto
mobiles on the roads near the spot
where the bodies were found.
The tension of the weeks investi-
cation has proved too much for Mrs.
Hall, and she has denied herself to
callers.
James Mills, the dead choir lead
ers husband, told newspaper men
that detectives had not hesitated to
ask him point blank whether he shot
his wife and the rector.
He said also that he agreed with the
theory that the rector and Mrs. Mills
may have been shot by some woman in
the congregation, who was jealous of
his wife.
"A Jealous woman killed my nom and
Mr.. Hall: This assertion was made
last evening by Charlotte Mills. sixteen
year-old daughter of the dead woman.
1t was the first time she had broken
her silence-save before the authorities.
''The woman I think killed mom," the
girl continued. with bitterness in her
strIrac - I1r
whom the authorities also have admit
teo was the center Of most of their
suspicious.
This woman isn't an ordinary wo-
man. she went on. "She has funny
eyes that make you afraid Of her-sort
She is three times as strong as MON.
Mother weighed only hundred eight
cen. She didn't have a chance"
Charlotte admitted she had given
her aunt, Mrs: Elsie Barnhart of
Paterson. a packet containing photo
graphs of Mr.. Hall and her mother.
There also was one picture of Mrs.
Hall. she added.
She said her mother gave her the
packet before an operation last sum-
mer, telling her to give it to Mrs
Barnhart in the event of her death.
Charlotte is not unaware of the
stories on which the supposed jeaI-
ousy of her mother is believed to be
founded. She has heard the gossip
linking her mothers name in an un-
savory way with that of the slain
minister. But she believes in MON"
MON did lot of work that a pas
tors wife should have done in Mr..
Halls church." she said. Maybe
some people connected with - the
church were Jealous because of that.
Nom was romantic-but her character
was beyond reproach. A jealous
VryNv q ~ hNy 1,lr
her."
The Jealousy theory was strongly
supported by several developments.
Assistant Prosecutor, Toolan, who had
been directing the Middlesex county
investigation, declared there was no
vestigators that jealousy was the mo-
tive. All arrest might be expected
momentarily, he said.
Mrs. Hall made her first public ap-
pearance yesterday since her hus-
bands funeral. She drove to the Of
with relatives-members of the Hall,
Stevens and Carpenter families. Wit
ness said she was attired in black,
but wore no veil. She again denied
herself to callers today. but Miss
Sally Peters. family friend. issued
statements that had been attributed
to her yesterday, on the basis of a
statement given out by Miss Peters
Her brother, willie" Stevens, also
remained in retirement.
James Mills, husband of the dead
woman, was questioned again for an
hour today, and 1t was announced
later he had cleared up most Of the
discrepancies between his earlier
stories and those Of other witnesses
Phillip Darnstadt, proprietor Of a
confectionery store opposite the
church Of st. John the Evangelist,
told detectives today that during the
summer Of 1891 he had seen Mr.. Hall
enter the church regularly In the
afternoon, about three times a week,
followed always, after an interval of
ten or fifteen minutes, by a womaD,