South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-10-28
ny MRS. JANE GIBSON
Eye-W illness Of the ualt-Mills Murder.
Copyright. 1921. By T. \. -

ftopErtEhf. lbEzs by l. =. -
NEN BRUNSWICK. y. j.. OCT. 81.
II am the witness Of the HelI-1fuIs
two fold crime. The murderers were
two-a man and a woman. The
woman Z have definitely Identified as
a woman who stood out most promi-
neat .u che suspicion from the first.
She the-e Mrs. Gibson
named a woman who has been un-
der susr ciou).
By the light OF a tardy moon. I
saw that woman bend over the
bleeding bodies Of Rev DIT Edward
W Hall and Mrs. Eleanor Mills and
weep convuls.ve tears. / heard that
woman sobbins beneath the crab ap-
PIE tree-unIl dangerously late.
An hour earlier I heard that same
woman scream in "a loud angry man
ner. Explain thesel Expla n thesei"
Then I heard the mumbled quar-
rel.ing Of four persons-two men
and two women. Soon I heard one
shot and the terrified CRY of another
woman-that Of Mrs Mills. am
sure.-crying:
"Oh---please. please, please."
There was no more talking but
soon 7 heard three more shots.
Returned To Scene.
The most important thing / have
10 say here is something that l have
not revealed 10 the prosecutors. It
Is this-I returned 70 the scene OF
the murders after midnight on the
night of Sept u. returned to search
for a mOccassin, which I discovered
had lost on my way home. rhe
moccassin was a gift from a dead
friend. and 7 did not wish TO lose IL.
] waited az home for an hour be-
fore got up the courage to return.
When I came near the SPOT where
thought the shots had been fired.
gave up the search for the mocassin
and cut into the field near the
Phillips farm. 7 tied June (the mule
she was riding) to a stub and walked
in the direction from whence I had
heard tie shots.
a woman's cOnvulslve crying soon
brought me TO a stop. II was now
about ] o'clock and the moon was
out l had no fiashlght but 1 could
easily discern the same woman had
seen in the lane earlier in the even
ing. She had the same light hair ana
wore the same light colored coat
and no hat She was kneeHng over
two dark OBJECTS sobb.ng as though
her heart would break. 1 did not
know until Saturday morning that
the prone forms were the dead Rev.
and Mrs Mills but the sobbing was
beneath the crab apple tree.
(The bodies were carefully laid out
with folded arms under this same
crab apple tree when found)
Believe Man Negro.
tt was ev dent 10 was she who
closed the eyehds OF the minister.
fact which has been much comment
ed on.
have not Identified the man of
the murder party. He had more hair
and was b gger than the man un-
der suspicion. CHere Mrs. Gibson
named person who has furnished
an alib). He has a higher forehead
than another suspect
Neither woman called out; "Oh,
Henry" as has been printed. In tell
ing my story TO the prosecutors. I
said the whole affa r seemed like an
60 Henry tale, "a fiction story by
the late author O. Henry-and that
IS how the name Henry came TO
be connected.
The man looked like a negro to
me. / could have sworn he was a
negro. 1 think that il is poss BILE that
the man companion OF the woman
was a hired negro assassin. The
prosecutors are now working on a
negro clew.
At first I did not really think
there had been murders. Folks round
here often shoot 10 scare away peo-
Dle at night I really thought a girl
had been attacked and I wanted to
help her But when I saw the kneel-
ting. sobbing figure I knew wasn't
needed and went home. I kept quiet
for a couple OF weeks because I had
identified TO my own satisfaction
some OF the persons in the tragedy
and I had found they were money
people. Also I felt very sorry for the
woman under suspicion
There is no doubt that Rev. Hall
and Mrs Mills were surprised in a
love tryst 1t is my theory that the
first shot was intended for Mrs.
Mills but instead Rev Hall got IL.