The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-10-14
SHOT
BY MISTAKE,
SAYS YOUTH

Held On Story Re
lated by Raymond
Schneider, %
New Brunswick, Oct. 9.-(By the
Associated Press) ).-Clifford Hayes.
nineteen, was held in-communicado
in the Somerset County Jail to-
night on q warrant charging him
with the first degree murder Of the
Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall and
Mrs. Eleanor Reinhardt Mills, Sep
tember H.
+. Authorities have not revealed
any evidence which would shoS a
logical motive for his alleged act.
Raymond Schneider, twenty-five,
caused Hayes arrest. Hayes, he
said. thought he was shooting f;f-
Ften-year-old Pearl Bahmer and
her step father. Nicholas BahEler.
But the only motive he advanc-
ed was a sort of ouixotism on
Hayes part-a desire to right sup
posed wrong done a friend. Hayes
retort was that Schneider was "a
damned liar He admitted gong
with Schneider to the deserred
Phillips far1n. where the bodies
were found, in search of Pearl ana
her step-father.
They heard shots and screams,
he. said, and ran toward the crab
apple tree. whence the shots SEEM
ed to come observing an automo-
bile cash away as they ran. "a
Beneath the tree, he declared.
they found the minister and the
1.-THE choir singer. dead .and-l1e add
ed-Schneider bent down and stole
the minister's watch.
This Schneider denied during the
all night grilling to which both
youths were subjected. Schneider.
!; in turn. accused Hayes of having
committed. the theft. :
Schneider's story is that neither
he nor Hayes touched the bodies.
except for the filchings OF the
watch-of which he accuses Hayes.
1t has been esta ablished, however,
by a .belated autopsy that Mrs.
51ills' throat was cut from ear to
ear, and her head almost severed
Schneider could not explain this.
Neither could he explain how the
bodies came to be laid out side by
side. as if for burial.
He was also unsatisfactory rs
I to. how. the letters written by Mrs.
Mills to the minister came to be
scattered about the scene-or who
propped one of the ministers cards
against the sole of his shoes, as. if
to make sure Of Identification. His
,account. does tally with the first
! statement. attributed to Mrs. Hall
after the murders were discovered
that her theory of the double
Staying was mistaken IDENTIFY
I; This statement later was repu-
dated by Miss Gally Peters, con-
fdante of Mrs. Hall.
Although they expressed conf
dence that the case had been prac-
tically solved, the. authorities We're
still hard at work tonight trying
(; to reconcile all the tangled skein
of evidence in Schneider's story
or to batter him down to further
admissions which would make his
story more plausible.
Schneider's story-as much a:
she could have been expected 70
fknow-was corroborated by Pear
BANNER.
On the night Of September II
sshe said. she was out with Schnei-
der. remaining until 8 o'clock
When she returned home, she con
| tinued, she found her step-fathel
on the porch. intoxicated, and con
isented to go with him while he at.
tempted to walk Off the effects
OF his drinking. They passed
Schneider, Hayes and Leo Kauff.
mar on a street corner, she said
and the three youths followed
them, After they had walked some
distance. she said. she became tire6
and wanted to return home, bu
her step father seized her by The
arm and insisted that she continue
She began to cry, she said, and The
trio rushed up, Schneider doffins
his coat and expressing his deter.
mination to beat Bahmer.
The encounter ended withou
blows, however. she said. and sht
and her stet-father returned home
Schneider's story tallies Will
hers perfectly up to this point, ex
cept that Schneider said Pearl ant
BANNER walked on toward tn
Phillips Sarm.
Kaufman left them then, he said
but he and Hayes determined t,
follow on. Hayes showing him ;
3esealiber pistol and assuring hin
there was no danger, suddenly, h
said. they saw couple beneath
! the crab apple tree and 1;aye
whipped out his pistol and bega,
firing eNclaiming:
There they are-Tll fix them.
| After he struggles Of the pai
beneath the tree were stilled. h,
said he stole forward. struck /: