Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-22
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE
 HALL-MILLs MURDER PROBE


 New Brunswick, N. J., Sept. 2f (By the A. P.) Detectives '. investigating the murder of. Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall and his choir leader, Mrs. Eleanor Mills, were working tonight on a report that an at tempt had been made on Mrs. Mills life several weeks before her body was found, beside that of the rector. on the deserted Phillips farm.
 This report-which fits in with the. the ory of personal ennity on which the au- thorities have concentrated most ofatheir efforts since the discovery of the bodies was to the effect that shortly before Mrs. Mills went to a hospital for an operation she had attended a tea party and par taken of refreshments. She left short time later. complaining of illness, the re-. port ran. and when she reached home told her daughter Charlotte that she be- Iieved she had been poisoned.
 The name of the hostess at the tea party was withheld by the authorities. Charlotte refused to discuss the report with newspapermen. What she said to detectives, if anything, could not be as- certained.
 This development. coupled with news that James Mills. husband of the slain choir singer. had disappeared from New Brunswick, furnished the high spots in a
  the case
 Detective Ferguson of the Middlesex county force, 1t was learned. had been seeking Mills all day to question him further, concerning discrepancies in the stories told by him and byrMrs Hall, the rector's widow, and her eccentric brother, Willie Stevens.
 When he visited the Mills home this morning Ferguson was told that Mills had gone to the cemetery to visit his wife's grave. The detective failed to find him there.
 Later he was inforRned that Mills, .br oken by the nervous strain under which he has labored since the double tragedy, had .'gone away to rest" Ferguson said he was unable to learn where Mills had gone but was assured he would return soon.
 Besides checking back on the earlier stories Ferguson had desired to ask Mills to try to refresh his memory as to the identity of the woman member of the Church of St. John the Evangelist who spoke to him concerning gossip about the relations of Mir. Hall and Mrs. Mills.
 Believing the establishment of the fact that such gossip was prevalent would strengthen the theory of an enmity mo- tive for the murder-or the theory ad- vanced by Detective Ellis Parker of Bur- lington- county today that a. "self-appoint- ed moral censor's might have committed d the crime other detectives spent the day visiting various members of the conEre- gation and quizzing them as to their knowledge of the gossip.
 Although they were reticent as to the results of these fishing expeditions, 1t was learned that one woman had been found who spoke definitely of two occasions on xr1nf nf1I3 1{e avd NFre 11e f7 been alone together
 They also have. testimony that Mir. Halls car had been seen parked near the mystery house" on the Phillips farm which is expensively furnished and bears evidences of Tsc%at occupancy despite the fact it had been closed for. year It was learned today that friends ot Mrs. Hall in 3 nearby city had invited her to come and stay with them until life in New Brunswick would be more com fortable for her.
 She was quoted as replying T abso. lutely refuse to. leave New Brunswick. never run away from anything" Mrs. Hall continued to deny herself te l in which she reaffirmed her faith in he1 | husbands fidelity and advanced the the. ory that he and Mrs Mills had been slair ! by robbers.
 This was secuted by Assistant Prose cutor Toolan. who commended that rob bers never use weapons as small as tn, .S2 cadbre pistol with which the two wer, slain.
 statement from the Hall home lat, today denied reports of the earlier state ment which quoted Mrs. Hall as sayin; 1 positively, that Mir. Hall had a large sun or money in his wallet when he left hom, for the last time Thursday night. Toolal had expressed surprise at the statement declaring Mrs. Hall had not mentione, this important fact in her talks with him
 The statement tonight said Mrs. Hal believed" he had a large sum of mone- as he had said he was going to the Mill home to attend to the doctor bill for he operation.