The New York herald., 1922-10-07
WILL QUIZ MRS. HALL
AND MILLS TOGETHER
N. j. Authorities Expect to
Clear Up Some Points Hing
ing on Double Staying.
HOPE TO FIND GREEN CAR
Statement of Stevens Prior
to Finding of Bodies Is
Recalled.
HOPE TO FIND GREEN CAR

SpeCtut DtSpdtcH 10 IItB NEW YORK HERALD.
New BRUNSWICK, n. j., Oct. Ga
crisis is rapidly being approached in
the inquiry into the Hall-Mills muir
der mystery, and within a compare
lively few hours the county prosecu-
tors of Middlesex and Somerset coun-
ties will either demonstrate their abil-
ity to solve this mystery. vindicate
Jersey justice and bring to book the
murderer or they will prove beyond
question that their bungling in the
early stages of the investigation has
allowed the escape of the perpetrator
of one of the most brutal crimes Jer-
sey has known.
Possibly tomorrow. and certainly
Stevens Hall, wealthy widow of the
clergyman, and James Mills, poor
sexton of the church and husband of
the murdered choir singer, will face
each other across a table in the court
house, and one or the other will make
good on the statements he or she has
made.
Contradictions in the stories of tho
two that are almost vital must be eX-
planned. On the thoroughness Of the
explanations given at that time the
future action of the authorities will
depend. An arrest may follow this
extraordinary dual examination.
Two to He Examined.
This is the plan of the prosecutors,
Stricken and Beekman. In Mills they
win have mild hammered man of small
stature, who has contradicted himself
more than once since the body OF his
wife and that of the rector were found
side by side. In Mrs. Hall they will
have. on the other side of the table. a
woman who. according to all reports, is
strong minded. cold, determined, shrewd.
r. as Is promised. the two are handled
by the prosecutors without gloves the
examination room will be the setting
Of a most dramatic scene.
In Mrs. Halls story the most impor-
tant point is her assertion that her
brother William accompanied her on her
nocturnal trip to the church in search
OF her missing husband. Against this
is the fiat statement of a watchman,
William Phillips. that she entered her
home, upon her return, quite alone.
Phillips was reexamined by the prose-
cutors to day. Between Mills and Mrs
Hall is an issue of veracity as to
whether when they met the morning
after Hall and Mrs. Mills disappeared
he mentioned the possibility of an elope-
ment. There is also Millss statement
that he saw and talked with Mrs. Hall
not less than three times on the Friday.
while Mrs. Halls statement is that she
met Mills but once, in the morning.
Faith I'm spouses Unshaken.
Both Mrs. Hall and Mills have re-
peatcdly declared their belief in their
respective spouses. They not only be-
lieved no i'll of Hall and Mrs. Mills
but they had heard no gossip of such
thing. Their attitude is that which
many members of the congregation of
the Church of st. John the Evangelist
sought to maintain but have been forced
to rellnquish. giving up almost inch by
inch as testimony piled up against the
rector.
1t may be said now that the be-
havior of the clergyman and his choir
singer not only occasioned gossip but
constituted n scandal and was the sub
ject OF jeering comment and actually of
official action in the church, whose ves
try adopted commendatory resolutions
at the time OF Halls death. Fellow choir
singers and church members not only
knew OF the relations OF the two. but
boys in the school that Charlotte Mills
attends chartered of their meetings.
The pair were seen together I'm New
York arm in arm like bride and bride |
groom"
How was 1t possible the prose-
cutors will ask Mrs. Hall and Mills /
for this state Of affairs to have ex-
listed right under your noses and you
not know about IL? And II you did |
know about IL. why did you not say
so before and what did you do to stop |
an affair that threatened the wreck OF |
YOUR homesy'
III the prosecutors arc TO be believed |
that is the manner in which they in
tend to put questions Stricken and |
Beekman contend that the time has now
passed for kid glove tactics and that
they have built up the case sufficiently /
to warrant the use OF more aggressive
methods OF examination. Whether the
examination of clothing or the checking .
up of movements OF individuals has en-
couraged the prosecutors to adopt new
methods is unknown.
stcvens's Gun Made Harmless.
The authorities have learned that
Hall more than year ago thought 1t
wise to render harmless the revolver
owned by William Stevens. Mrs. Halls
brother. The pistol was taken by the
authorities nearly two weeks ago. IL
is not OF the type that the murderer
used. In addition, on Halls order, the
hammer had been filed down BY a lock-
smith so that the cartridge could not be
fred. Whether Hall feared that William
should not be trusted with weapon