The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-09-18
DOUBLE MURDER
MYSTERY UNSOLVED
Officials Uncertain Where
Rector Hall and Mrs.
Mills Were Killed
THREE PERSONS ARE
BEING QUESTIONED
Wanderings of RectOr's Wife and Sex
ton Mills, Husband of Slain Woman,
Being Investigated - Mrs. Halls
Brother Also Under Suspicion.


NEW BRUNSWICK, n. J., Sept. is.
The question of where Rev. Edward
Fl. Hall, rector of the fashionable church
of st. John the Evangelist, and his
choir leader. Mrs. James Mills, wife of
the sexton, were slain, shared interest
with that of by whom they were slain,
as authorities of two counties today
continued their inquiry into the trag-
edy. 1t was apparent the detectives
We're unconvinced that the rector and
Mrs. Mills met death beneath the apple
tree where the bodies were found
Mills, the widower of the tragedy
Mrs. Hall. the widow. and her brother
Willie, an eccentric, were the figures
about which the investigation devolved
All three were expected to be questioned
today-Mrs. Hall for further details of
her wanderings in the early hours of
Friday morning. Mills for the story of
his own wanderingS at the same hour ;
and Willie for further light on his un-
canny prediction on Friday morning
that something terrible is going to hap
pen.
Mrs Edward W. Hall. whose hus-
band. the rector of the Protestant Epis-
cOpal church of st. John the Evangel-
st, and Mrs. James Mills, wife of the
sexton of the church, were found dead
from bullet wounds under an apple tree
in rustic lane of Somerset county on
Saturday morning, told detectives yes
terday that she was the woman in the
polo coat who was seen entering the Hall
home at O'Clock Friday morning, a
short time after, the police allege, the
double murder occurred.
She told them, detectives said. that
Ipa Iafl hn fgf1 Of hnr
husband to return home she had gone TO
his church to see if he had been detained
there. She said she had been accom-
panied by William Stevens. her brother.
William Phillips, watchman at the
New Jersey College for Women which
stands directly across the street from
the Hall residence, had told the police
he saw a woman run down the street
about > o'clock Friday morning and en-
! ter the Hall home. Detectives said he
| made no report of seeing man with
| the woman.
| i am tied by my sisters honor. and
| that of my family. They are not going
| to question me-" said Stevens when
/ asked about the affair. He declined to
| comment on the mystery surrounding
| the double shooting and said that he was
/ going out of town, and would not an
.swcr questions.
County Detective Totten said that
| Mrs. Hall had been questioned twice by
| himself and his assistants, and that
! Charlotte Mills. the 16-year-old daugh-
ter of Mrs Mills. once. at some length.
Totten said it had been learned that
! Mrs. Hall was an expert trap shooter.
Mrs. Hall told him. Totten said. that
after her husband received n telephone
i cali on Thursday night, he informed her
| that he was going over to straigthen
out the Mills bill" She explained to
the detective that this referred to Mills's
! wages as sexton.
! Detectives also attached significance
to the fact that Mills told them that
| when his wife failed to return Thursday
night he, too. went to the church about
| , o'clock "for spiritual consolation" and
remained some time, but that he did not
! report meeting Mrs. Hall there until
| about 9 o'clock in the morning