Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-11-21
IL HEARD

i It's flrst session.
! The letter constituted an attack on
Mrs. Gibson for bringing Sipel's name
into the case and stated that the pig
woman" sought TO enmesh him as
witness to substantiate her eye wit
ness story of the murders.
| Sipel did see certain of the events
in De Russey's lane. the night Of the
murders. the officials now disclose
His business is similar to that of Mrs.
Gibson.
After the Hall Mills tragedy, Sipel
confided certain things to a friend.
John Garry, who told RMS Gibson.
Mrs. Gibson told the authorities and
that's how. said the letter, that ST.
pePs story was obtained.
According to these officials, Sipel.
driving toward New Brunswick, the
night OF September IA, turned from
f:aston avenue into De Russey's
lane. He drove light truck and he
carried strong headlights.
Something he saw or heard when
he had proceeded a few yards up the
lane caused him to stop, back out
and continue home by the longer
Boundbrook road. What Sipel heard,
the officials refused to divulge until
they can set him before the grand
jury.
Mr.. Mott expects tomorrow to
offer the evidence of 10 or more
other witnesses. Three women are
sitting on the grand jury.
| The proceedings today were more
| than usually guarded. A SQUAD of
statae troopers patrolled the court
| house and surrounding grounds.
They established dead line"
| around the jury room. conference
| room on the ground floor with
French windows reaching almost to
the ground. and beyond it no one
was permitted to pass.
Women. scores of them. came
early. They hung over the dark
rallied balcony which is built inside
the court house on the second floor,
in the vain hope that Mrs Hall. wi
dow of the slain minister, or Mrs.
Jane Gibson, who raises pigs and
has become the most important wit
ness in the case. would appear.
At the opening session, Mr.. Mott,
assisted by Azariah NJ. Beekman.
prosecutor of Somerset County out
lined to the grand jury. the salient
features of the case.
A. j. Cardinal, a New Brunswick
newspaper man. was called to tell
how the bodies. of the murdered pair
lay when he first saw them stretched
out under crab apple tree on the
lonely Phillips farm. His story was
to the effect that he picked up let
tiers and cards about Mr.. Halls body
and held them until the police ar
rived. DIR. E. J.. Loblein. a veterin-
arian, succeeded him on the stand
BY that time, Mott had discovered
that his witness could be seen from
without. So the position of the stand
was changed and later the curtains
were drawn. Mr.. Loblein, an ac-
quaintance of Mr.. Halls was the
first to identify the body of the dead
man as that of the minister
The third witness was George Tot
ten. Somerset detective. whose tes-
timony was followed by that of Dan
iel j. Wray and Frank Denier, two
more New Brunswick Journalists,
then Bogart II. COnkling, former
sheriff of this county, and his depu-
ty, Joseph Novatta. They were fol-
lowed by James F. Mason, Motifs
detective.
A stir was caused when Pearl BAH
mer. who was with Raymond
Schneider when the bodies were
found. came from the Jail to the
grand jury room.
In the hall she met Schneider for
the first time since she became star
witness against him on a charge of
attacking her. She nodded, but
Schneider did not move or speak.
DR.. William p. Long. the Somer-
set County coroner's physician, who
failed to report that Mrs. Mills
throat had been cut, was the next
called. RMS. Grace Edwards, of New
Brunswick, was the last witness. She
told how Schneider came to the
Stryker home to telephone to the
police.
Mr.. Mott refused to discuss with
reporters his plans for tomorrow's
session of the grand jury, nor would
he say whether Mrs. Hall would be q
witness
While the grand jury was in ses.
sion, a New Brunswick newspaper
printed letter from Mrs. George
Sipel, the wife of a farmer of Middle
Bush. which brought a new charac-
ter into the case. The letter said
her husband. George Sipel. knew
nothing of the murders but declared
that Mrs. Gibson, the pig woman,
was trying to bring him into 1t.
Sipel admitted Mrs. Gibson had
talked to him about the case. when
seen tonight by reporters. He de-
clared, however, that all he knew
was he had seen a wagon on East
on avenue the night of the shoot
ing.
Tomorrow Doctors. Cronk Hager-
man and Smith. who made the au-
topsics on the bodies of Rev. Hall
and Mrs. Mills. will be questioned.
The police officers who guarded the
bodies until the county authorities
appeared and several minor wit
nesses also are scheduled to appear.
Hold Up Case of
NGI Axl