Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-18
Contiued from Pase One

the slain woman have been questioned
by Prosecutor Beckman and County
Detective Tottcn.
Mrs. Halls attorney Is former State
Senator William. e. Florence.
Mrs. Hall now admits It was she
who was seen entering her home shortly
before 3 o'clock last Friday morning
Through Senator Florence, Mrs. Hall
said this morning:
II shall always cherish the memory
of my husband for his fidelity. loyalty
and goodness. He was fine holy man
No one can prove he was otherwise and
to me he represented all that is good in
men,
Mrs. Hall "Heartbroi4en"
Senator Florence. who was with Mrs.
Hall when she was questioned by Pros
! ecutor Beekman, declares that any in
! situations that tho wife of the clergy
man. may IN some way be implicated
! in the double crime are "thc greatest
Kind Of libel and only the talk Of
poisoned tongues
Mrs. Hall is heart broken" de.
clared Senator Florence. These in
situations that tend to incriminate her
are too silly to listen to. Mrs. Hall
frankly admits that it was she who
was seen entering the Hall home in
the early hours of last Friday. She has
a perfectly clear explanation as to why
she had been ont of her home.
Her husband. who had always been
regular in his habits. who had never
length of time unless he had advised
her Of his intention and who. if he was
detained always telephoned. had not
done this to me. 1t is only natural TO
assume that Mrs. Hall had become
alarmed over her husbands S absence.
after waiting until she could wait
no longer. like the good woman she is.
she went in quest of him. She went to
his church because she knew he had
study there and thought he possibl,
might have dozed of.
That is why she went out of her
home. And she did not 60 alone. Her
brother. William Stevens, was with her
and can corroborate, in detail, her
statement
Something Big TO Happen" &.
A conversation which occurred last
week in the headquarters of the local
FIRE Department, which the police think
may have some bearing on the case,
was unearthed by the authorities.
Michael Higgin. fire captain. was
passing the time Of day with William
stevens. detectives said they learned.
were rather slow around town.
Maybe they are now Mr.. Stevens
said. but something big is going TO
happen soon
Mr.. Stevens when asked what he
meant by this statement declined to an
Swer.
When Mr.. Stevens came to New
brunswick he invariably stopped at the
Hall home, but Senator Florence said
he did not believe he had home there
or left any of his clothes or by chance
recall when it was that Mr.. Stevens
had paid n visit to the Hall homestead
rrior to the crime.
He laughed at the thought Of Mrs.
Hall being interested in trapshooting
also. and was quite positive she was not
a member of the New Brunswick Gun
Club. which is connected with the coun-
try club. That would be utterly un-
like Mrs. Hail. said the Senator.
Praise for Dead Rector
Bishop Knight has rallied TO the aid
of Mrs. Hall, He is joined in this by
=. f. d. Phelps. senior warden Henry
L. Bartholomew. junior warden. and
Ralph Gorslin, vestrymnn.
All of these men were closely associ-
atcd with Mr.. Hall during his stay at
st. Johns Church. Mr.. Gorsln said
that the dead man represented the high.
est type OF manhood, and Mr.. Phelps and
Mr.. Bartholomew also spoke in glowing
terms Of their dead rector.
Bishop Knight, who conducted the
morning services at St. Johns yoster-
day and who made little mention of the
time with Mrs. Hall. cOnSoling her. aa
he said. ''in her greatest hour OF need" "
Mrs. Hall is pure. molly woman"
said Bishop Knight. "IIer husband too,
was sterling type Of man
don't believe any one could point to a
flaw in his character. He was the vic
Tim of either robbery or blackmal. I
cannot bring myself TO think differently.
II have spoken to hundreds who knew
him. who were associated with him in
his church work and other charitable
every one speaks in the highest OF terms
IT him.
Il have been guest in the Hall
home and | want 70 say that to me that
household represented the ideally Chris.
tian home. How could any scandal be
attached 10 a donicile of this char
actcr: The parshioners. every o.s of
them. share my condolences in the in
tegrity of their dead leader. The
vcstrymcn at their meeting yesterday
ably voiced the sentiments Of the church
members when they expressed absolute
confidence I'm him.
Poor Mrs. Hall! Evidence Of the
great love she bore her husband is quite
manifest, ! am sure, in the request
that she made that his funeral take
place from the church where he was
rector.
'"Too Terrible. Can't Think"
In the meantime while every one
seems to be rallying to the comfort Of
Mrs. Hall, only the son and daughter
are left to console with Mills in the loss
of his wife. Mills Is fral sort of
man. When he was seen in his little
home on Carman street. n few blocks
from st. Johns Church. he begged 10
be- excused from discussing the affair,
1T is too terrible he said. 81
can't think. 1t seems that | am in
to realize what calamity has fallen
on my children and myself. But can
not do It,"
Mills stopped and stroked the head
Of his daughter Charlotte. a pretty girl
of sixteen.
"Why any ono should harm nv wife
is more than ] can understand and God
Himself knows | would not, and could
not do it, he continued.
81 loved her, I believed in her and I
still believe in her, no matter what they
say. My wife was good woman: .
woman who aspired TO be a big woman
in church work. Maybe some one who
was jealous of her ambitions killed her
and the man who was helping in her
church work