New-York tribune., 1922-10-13
Schneider Recants Story
of His Friend Killing
Rector and Singer and
Veteran lis Set Free
Big Crowd Cheers
His Return Home
Baffied Officials Send
for Coat Worn by Mrs.
Hall Night of Tragedy
By Boyden Sparkes

"tAW pnONS WlGh, ~. j., oct. IL
Clifford Hayes, who left his home last
sunday culprit in the clutch Of
County Detective Fcrd David, returned
to-day exonerated of the charge Of
numbering the Rev. Edward w. Hall
and Mrs. Eleanor Mills.
Departing from his home as Job
less youth, who sometimes satisfied a
lust for adventure by toting .22-
caliber, single shot blank cartridge
pistol. Cliff came back .45-caliber
moving picture hero, martyr, an ad-
venturer, suitable material for public
office and one whom 9th Ward mothers
desired their daughters to meet So
cially. And all this because Raymond
Schneider lied about him and officers
of the law professed to believe those
lies.
II there is moral in it Cliff was
as far from having discovered it tonight
as his insanely happy collie pup, Rex,
who was tied up in the back yard Of
SO Richardson Street to keep him from
under the milling foot of the callers
passing before a reception line in the
parlor where the post of honor was
occupied by young Mr.. Hayes, whose
mothers kisses were being printed on
his snub-nosed features whenever he
lowered his guard to shake hands.
Beats Return From War
Cliff has right to be puzzled. When
he came home from the war--thirteen
months in the navy--none but his faith
er, mother and brothers even limited
that. he was hero. Demobilization
meant job cooking hamburger in an
owl lunch-cart near the Pennsylvania
Railroad station. Coming home to-day
Jail he rather hoped to sneak into the
house and this is what happened:
AS the baby blue roadster-it be-
longs to his lawyers-turned the COR
Sner from Easton Avenue into Richard
son Street, Cliff, crowded in between
his spruceiy-dressed legal advisers,
saw crowd in front Of his home.
There were more automobiles there
than have ever before been parked in
the unpaved street of rather shabby
little homes. Then there was wild
yell, the kind that makes ball players.
prize fighters and politicians happy,
and the din began to shape into words,
"Welcome home! Oh, you Cliff"
Mostly that crowd contained kids,
women, girls, but there were some men
in it. One was Cliffs brother, Joe jr.
The father was on the porch, and Mrs.
Hayes" Mon" trying to crawl
over the hood of an auto that stood be-
kindly pushed him out of the automo-
lille, shock his hand so that the tears
that had ,welled up in his eyes began
to roll down his cheeks, to be caught
by the sharp lines made by his fixed
grin.
Dog Howls Welcome
Photographers encircled him for
period Of time which they regarded as
a moment, but which to Cliff and his
mother was just little short of ten
her attempt to still the pounding of a
weakened heart by holding her hands
on the bosom of her bungalow apron,
she smothered him. The crowd stopped
yelling, and out in the back yard Rex
began an excited barking that quickly
became frantic howl as his nose
caught the scent for which it had been
shifting anxiously since last Sunday.
Cliff hurdled the low chain that
guards his mothers two square yards
Of an@mic front yard grass. His
father embraced him and pulled him
indoors, SO that his mother, with a
firm clutch on his coat, could cry out
of sight of the neighbors, but the
would not have it SO and
pushed right into the little house.
There were pies and steaming pot
of coffee on the golden oak table in
the dining room, but Cliff was not per-
mitted to follow his eyes to the table.
He was made to go out into the back
yard, which fell in with the plans of
the hysterical Rex The photographers
We're out there, and Cliff, in his tweed,
pinckback suit had to be photographed
with his mother, with his father, wit,
his brother, with all three Of them,
with his lawyers, one on each side,
with the dog and by himself.
To Have Tag Day, Anyhow
Then he was besieged for a state !
ment and still grinning said, "Just say
thank all my friends for what they
have done and I'm very glad to be
tccntlnued on page slx)