Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-10-12

New Brunswick, n. j.. Oct. 11-(By
A. P)-Oficials handling the Hall
Mills murder mystery drew a close
veil of secrecy about themselves to-
day, evading-or refusing to talk
when cornered-to the little army of
newspaper men who campcd on their
trail.
Through the inevitable leaks"
however, came circumstantial reports
that most Of the days activities tend
&C tod raw sharply into the spotlight
Nicholas BANNER, ex-saloon keeper,
who was jailed last night on a sta
tutory Charge preferred by his daush-
ter Pearl. 15-year- old incorrigible.
Banners record was checked and
y -checked and his story of his
whereabouts on the night of the STAY
ing of the Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall
and his choir leader, Mrs. Eleanor
Eeinhardt Mills, was gone over with
a fine tooth comb. Attempts also
were made to question him further,
but Jail attendants reported he was
Sc badly shattered of nerve, as a re-
suit of deprivation of alcoholic slim
ulant, that he was unable to talk
coherently.
Banners daughter. also in Jail on
., charge of incorrigibility, has told
n-it iy, Of In,.
statements, that BANNER had threat
ened to cut both her own throat and
that of Raymond Schneider, her
sweetheart, on the night that the
minister and chorister were slain and
the latters throat was slashed. Bah
mer denied this, but admitted he was
looking for Schneider that night with
q pistol. He said however, that he
was at home and in bed when the
murders We're committed.
His pistol he added. was Of As
calibre, while that with which the
Sayings were committed, was a 80.
While the authorities were checking
up new leads, and re-checking the
story told by Schneider, on which
19-year- old Clifford Hayes has been
arrested for them urders, citizens OF
New Brunswick forged ahead with
plans for tag day" Saturday to
raise Hayes Justice fund" They
openly express belief that Hayes was
framed
A knife, which the police said they
considered one of the most import
ant clues recently brought to light
in the double killing. was turned
over to the authorities today by Mrs.
Thomas Lyons, a resident OF New
Brunswick
The police said it was a kitchen
knife with a sharp blade bearing
what appeared to be blood stains.
Mrs. Lyons said it was found by her
nine year old son, Johnny, in enc
of the lanes leading from the Phillips
farm, the day after the discovery Of
the bodies.
drawn into the case had promrt ed
her to hide the knife and make no
mention of its discovery to the au-
thorities. She said she finally had
decided to turn it over to the au-
thoritics in the hope that it would
clear Hayes, whom she knows and
who, she said, she was convinced
was innocent.
The drive to raise funds for Hayes
defense gained impetus. when Mayor
Morrison expressed approval of the
endorsement of the drive by me- =
bers of the city commission, and an
nounced he would issue a proclama-
ton tomorrow, calling upon the citi
zens of New Brunswick to aid the
committee backing the Hayes fund.
Hayes was war veteran and it
was announced by the fund commit
tee that approval of the efforts in
his behalf had been received from
American Legion posts throughout
the state.
The MiddlcseX County prosecutor
denied tonight that basket bearing
bloodstains figured in any way in his
investigation. He said that the story
originated with persons who had
seen a basket half filled with chicken
feathers and in which chicken had
been killed.