Evening journal., 1922-09-19

the nuSDdnQ OF lNe Oedu WOuldIlsr anu
perhaps the most pitiable figure in
the whole affair.
The officers have heard that a gun
was kept in the Hall home by Mrs.
Halls brother. Willie Stevens. They
have heard that Willie had to go 10
Hall for money. and that he fire.
quently quarrelled over the allow
ance he received out OF the fortune
OF about s150.0O0 left to him by his
mother.
In fact. Willie Stevens and his
eccentrlcities have engaged the at
tention of more than one Of the de-
tectives. and for the son OF a well-to-
do family. his habits. to say the least
have been extraordinary, and in
sharp contrast 10 those of his broth
er. Henry. noted trap shooting ex-
pert. Willie passed the winter in
Florida, and part Of the summer at
Bayhead, ". ]. But when In New
Brunswick he seems TO have loafed
about the poor Hungarian quarter
looking at the little girls that played
about the streets. and making
friends OF the poor OF the neighbor-
hood, who gained his friendship be-
cause they did not laugh at him.
Part of his spare time Willie
spent at the frehouse of Engine NO.
3, telling his troubles TO Capt. MI
chael Regan, asking for sympathy
occasionally and going TO fires whel
they would let him. He appeared
there on Friday mroning, the morn
ing after the murder. and told one
of the firemen, as has been published
that, There's going TO be trouble.
He would not explain, although he
was asked what he meant and since
the discovery OF the crime. it has
been surmised that he meant and
since the discovery OF the crime, II
been surrnlsed that he meant the
clergyman was missing and the
town would soon know It.
Had Quarreled With Hall
II now appears Willie went even
further the next morning, for Capt.
Regan said:
willie came in here on Saturday
about two hours before the bodies
were found, and said to me. I've had
trouble up at the house I said
what's the matter. IS some one sick?'
He said. No, can't tell you what It
IS. but, Captain. IL I'm grouchy
around here today don't pay ahy at
tention to me. I've had trouble up
at the house.
HE often made that sort OF re-
marks TO me. When talked 10 him
about It, he explained that Mr.. Hall
acted as his guardian and gave him
his allowance weekly. He complain
ed that he did not get enough, and
told me he had asked Mr.. Hall for
more. but that he wouldn't give It
20 him, and then they quarreled.
"He was a harmless sort. but he
got mad when anyone teased him, !
and then he would say I am not
coming in here any more and the I
next day he would be back just the
same. I saw him this morning be-
fore the funeral OF Mr.. Hall. had
been reading the newspapers. and
asked him II there was a gun in the |
house. He said TO me There wasi
only one gun in the house. and that
was mine. I kept It locked up in my
desk"
Tiis Is in agreement with infor-
nation which the Prosecutor Of
Somerset. Mr.. Beckman, obtained !
to the effect that Willie had a gun
in the house, and that he under
stood It TO be a 3S caliber revolver. /
The cartridge found near the bodies
was Of 80 caliber.
Former Senator Florance explain /
ed how II came that Willie. with a |
fortune Of his own. was on an al |
iowance though he IS moro than
forty. Florance said Henry Stevens
and Mrs. Hall as executors of their
mothers will had a trustee appoint
ed for Willie. The trustee was
Joseph II. Porter. trust officer of the
National Bank OF New Jersey. Por-
ter is away, having gone on a two
weeks vacation last Saturday. the
day the bodies were found.
Regan went on to say that Willie
frequently went over to the Hun
garian district near fhe railroad
track, taking with him a pair of
opera glasses. There he would sit
on a curb or doorstep for hours,
watching the little girls from to 16
years. who played in the street or
passed by.
Confirmation of this was i'm
nediately obtained in the Hungarian
district. where Stevens seemed TO
know everybody. Despite his rather
peculiar actions. he was entirely
harmless, and there has never been
a complaint about him, as far as
could be learned. There was one lit
lie girl of II, TO whom he sent a box
1f fruit from Florida. and many of
he youngsters seemed to regard him
ls mere boy, who got mad" when
some one called him billy goat, billy
goat"
Gossip in the neighborhood was
that he had known rather better
than anyone else a Hungarian
widow, Mrs. Langal. and had stopped
more than once at her house. The
widow, who is elderly and stout and
speaks poor English. denied the
story. She did say that Willie had
good heart and was a kind man, but !
her daughter. Elizabeth. II. seemed ,
70 know a great deal more about the {
nan. (
The daughter confirmed every
hing that had been said of his s
spending hours. sometimes whole
lays. in this lone district. so differ
mt from the better section in Nichon
VENUE. where he lived in the home