New-York tribune., 1922-11-13
man, f-Somerset County and try to
arrange for the convening Of the grand
jury on Wednesday.

man, Of Somerset County and 4rv IN
| arrange for the converting Of the grand
jury on Wednesday. :
Wstchman's story Attacked
Attorney Pfeiffer also made AN At.
TACK tonight on the credibility of
William Phillips, the watchman Of tho
New Jersey State College for Women.
who says he saw Mrs. Hall enter her
| home at ten minutes past two on the
night of the murder. Mrs. Halls story
was that she returned home after seek
ing her husband ut the church, at $3.50.
Phillips and Mrs. Gibson are two Of
the tive witnesses of the state who are
prepared to attack the story Mrs.
Hali mas told. More than that, they
are the states principal witnesses.
But Phillips's story is far less .vn,.
nerable than that of Mrs. Gibson. and
the production Of Mrs. Russell TODAY
was complete surprise to the states
Investigators, who have said candidly
that she was the star witness against
Mrs. Hall and against the vestryman
of the Church Of st. John the Evan
gelist, whose indictment Mr.. Mott has
been planning to ask rs the actual
slayer Of the Rev. Mr.. Hall and Mrs.
Eleanor Mills, the choir singer and
wife Of the church sexton.
Negress Volunteered Aid
According to Mr.. Pfeiffer tonight,
the frst knowledge he had Of Mrs.
Russell was the letter the colored
woman wrote to Mrs. Hall on Novem-
ber 7. This was delivered on Noyem-
Der 8. 1t read as follows:
Mrs. Frances Stevens Hall-Mad-
anne: In regards to September ID,
Mrs. Jane Gibson was not at Phillips
farm at 10 o'clock, as live back Of
her and she came over at 10 o'clock
or little before to tell me that ahe
had took my dog from man on Ham
ilton Road.
"She sat on the steps Of my little
shantty awhile and ! gave her dollar
for keeping my dog. Then I went
with her home and got the dog. We
talked awhile and came home about
II o'clock. She told me that she
waited until all had gone to bed before
she came. She has told me things
that were not so. don't think she can
help it. Sincerely yours, (Signed)
Mrs. Nellie l.. Russell, New Brunswick,
N. J. General Delivery"
Mr.. Pfeiffer explained tonight that
Mrs. Russell had told him that soon
after publication of Mrs. Gibson's story
OF witnessing the murder and Of iden-
tifying Mrs. Hall as the woman she
had seen at the farm that night she
had met John Sylvester and his wife.
who have farm three miles away on
the Lincoln Highway. This is another
spoke in the wheel Of highways radiat-
ing from New Brunswick. Next to
the Lincoln Highway is Hamilton
Street, and beyond that is Easton Ave
nue., on which the Phillips farm has a
frontage.
Mrs. Russell, according to Mr.. Pfeif-
fer, told the Sylvesters Of her CONVEX
sation with Mrs. Gibson on the night
Of the murder, and these middle aged
farm folk advised the colored woman
to tell what she knew to the authori-
ties. Mr.. Pfeiffer said that Mrs. Rus
sells explanation for her failure to do
this was that she felt that they would
not believe Mrs. Gibson's story any-
way. Bat as time passed and the state
seemed prepared to indict Mrs. Hall
| she decided to acquaint the widow with
her story of Mrs. Gibson's movements
on the night OF the killings.
Mr.. and Mrs. Sylvester corroborated ID
Mrs. RUSSELL" said Mr.. Pfeiffer, "as to
the conversation they had at their
meeting on Saturday morning on the
Mrs. Russell at that time paid to them
purchased from them''
| Mr.. Pfeiffer also said that in his in
| vestigatiow of Mrs. Russell he had
gone back into her life as far as 1907
when the colored woman lived in East
Orange. AT present she is working as
presser in New York dressmaking
| establishment.
Positive of Date, He Says
Mr.. Pfeiffer said that Mrs Russell
came to New Brunswick about March
16. 1921, and now owns five or six
acres Of land which she bought from A
Grecnbaum, a real estate dealer OF
Perth Amboy, on the installment plan
Mr.. Pfeiffer added: "She is behind in
her payment, but Mr.. Greenbaum said
that so far as he knew she was an hon.
est, reliable woman"
Mr.. Pfeitfer was asked how Mrs. Rus
sell could be 80 positive that it was
September Ia when Mrs. Gibson came
! to see her about her stolen dog. Mr.
Pfeiffer said in reply merely that the
woman Was quite nositiya ne IN +h,