New-York tribune., 1922-10-12
Expensive Car Vesiryman
Used Night Of Murder
Is Burned the Day After
Officials Question Him
Took Choir Beauty
Home i'm Machine
Tag Day Proposed for
Funds to Defend Hayes
From Schneider Charges
BY Boyden Sparkes

| NEW DRUMS WICK, N. j., Oct. IL
Superstitious persons might reasonably
/ be inclined to accept belief that 8
maligant fate is pursuing the Protes.
tant Episcopal Church of St. John the
Evangelist. Since the murder of the
Rev. Edward w. Hall and Mrs. Eleanor
| Mills, choir soloist and wife Of the
sexton, attendance has dwindled until
at services now there are more empty
pews than full ones.
Then, it was learned to-day, the
| automobile of Ralph v. M. Gorsline
a vestryman, was destroyed by fire q
few miles outside of town last Sunday
1t was an expensive car, the same
machine in which Mr.. Gorsline was
out riding on the night that DR.. -Iall
and Mrs. Mills were murdered.
Ques., ioned the Day Before
Gorsline was brought to the Office of
Prosecutor Joseph Strckles and ques-
toned last Saturday about his move
ments on the night of the tragedy. 1t
was the day following this interroga
tion that the automobile was destroyed
The wreckage was towed to vacant
lot far from the isolated spot where it
burst into flames. When Mr.. Gorsline
was questioned at the courthouse last
Saturday he explained that he spent
the early part Of the evening of Sep
tember ID at the Y M. c. A., and leav-
ing there saw member of the choir of
St. Johns Church waiting for a street
car. He said he took her to her home
in his car. He declined to give her
name, and Prosecutor Stricken and De-
tective Ferd David both said they had
forgotten it. To-day it was learned
that she is Miss Catherine Rastall, OF
l3 Senior Street, which is about seven
blocks from the Pennsylvania Railroad
Station, near Buccleuch Park.
Beauty of Congregation
Miss Rastalps mother said tonight
that her daughter arrived home between
10:I5 and 10:30 o'clock on the nigh,
of September, IA. Miss Rastall her.
self explained that she had. been tc
Reid's State Theater and left there
about 1910 o'clock, met Mr.. Gorsline, as
she had often done before, and he pro-
posed to take. her to her home. She
said they went direct home, arriving
about 1920, and that Mr.. Gorsline
leaving at once, said he was going
directly home.
~ have. been a member of St. Johns
choir for three years." said Miss Rss-
tall, who is admittedly the beauty of
that fashionable little congregation.
~ had observed the friendship of Dr.
Hall and Mrs. Mills and was suspicious
Of it, never saw anything to justify
my suspicion, however"
Mr.. Gorslire, who is married and
has ten-year-old daughter, is assist
ant manager of Ricketts,, Ltd, laun-
dry bluing manufacturing company.
The head Of this concern is William G..
Bearman, also vestryman of the
church. They, of course. were among
those whose signatures were attached
to the vestry's resolution of faith in
DR.. Halls integrity as an officer Of the
church and as husband.
But the congregation of ST. Johns
Church is being i1convenienced less
and less by the murder investigation
now that Prosecutor Stricken and Pros
ecutor Beekman have directed the in
quiry into the squalid quarter of New
Brunswick where Hungarian factory
hands live, employees, by the way, of
plants that are for the most part owned
by kinfolk of Mrs. Frances Stevens
Hall, widow of the clergyman.
Four Now Locked Up
Nick BANNER, his daughter, Pearl; her
sweetheart, Raymond Schneider, and
Raymond's pal, Clifford Hayes, are all
locked up, although there is not scrap
of evidence to connect any of them
with the double Staying except Schneid-
er's statement accusing Hayes. This
statement was the fifth that this err
ratio youth has signed. To-day young
Hayes, who has become martyr in the
opinion of most Of the people of New
Brunswick, was cheerfully exercising
in the corridors of the Jail at Somer-
vile, seat Of Somerset County But
Schneider, his accuser, was reported to
be on the verge of a nervous breakdown
in the same jail. He is held merely
as a material witness and his lawyer
reiterated to-day that it was his in
tention to seek the release of Schneider
in $4,000 bail tomorrow.
For two hours tonight Schneider was
questioned in his cell by County De-
tective George Totten. The detective
declines to say whether he had gained
any information from the witness.
Through an official not connected
with Prosecutor Stricker's office it
was learned to-day that Hayes admit
ted last Sunday when he was first
asked by the detectives that he had
Continued on page seven)