Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-20
AUTO IS NEW
MURDER CLUE
Search for Old Machine Seen
in de Russy's Lane Near
Murder Scene
NEW BRUNSWICK CAR
Believe Owner of Automobile
Can Throw Some Liht on
Murder

NEW BRUNSWICK, Oct. 20.-
Search for an automobile of an old
model which B. K. Soper, retired
newspaperman of Highland Park,
declared he saw in de Russy's lane
near where the bodies of the slain
rector of. the Church of st. John the
Evangelist, and his choir leader
were found September IA, was insti-
tuted today by all forces seeking So
luton of the crime.
Carried into a tangle of conflict
ing evidence by the various motives
and theories advanced by detectives
and amateur investigators, the su-
thorities have seized upon the auto
mobile clue as the most reliable
bi: of information in the investiga-
ticn. They are being aided by Soper,
who asserts he will be able to iden-
tify the car on sight.
Mr.. Soper declared he was return
ing by motor from a visit to Somer-
Vile the night of the murder and
that the car attracted his attention
because OF Its model and the fact
that it was coming from section
seldom followed by motorists in the
middle of the night.
He was certain, he said. that the
car bore New Brunswick tag
alongside the license.
While Investigators have not en-
tireIy abandoned the investigation
Of the theory that DR.. Hall and Mrs.
Mills were murdered in an old barn
at Weston's Mills, settlement
about four miles from the Phillips
farm, where the bodies were found,
they believe that the automobile
clue brings them closer to the slayer
or slayers, and are making it their
first point of inquiry.
State troopers continue to keep
the Hall residence under observa-
ton. Today. for the first time since
the murder, newspapermen were un-
able to communicate with members
of the Hall household by telephone.
Inquirers at the residence were told
that the telephone connections have
been taken out but the local tele-
phone Office said this statement was
untrue.
Reference was made to the quar-
rel in a letter written by DR.. Hall
to Mrs. Mills, she said:
The alleged trouble arose at the
time the camp was breaking up. ac-
cording to Miss North, Mrs. Hall,
who had not remained at the camp,
drove to Point Pleasant to get her
husband. AS she and the rector
started to drive off Mrs. Mills ran
after the car and demanded of DR..
Hall if he intended to take her with
him. He invited her to get into the
car and she rode to New Brunswick
with them.
This incident was the prelude to
a more or less open rupture between
the two women, it was said. After
Mrs. Hall returned from her vaca-
ton in New England she and Mrs.
Mills spoke to each other perfume
torily but 1t was evident there was
no friendship between them, Miss
North state, Charlotte has In
formed her, Miss North said, that
the two were decidedly cold toward
each other during the ten days i'm
mediately preceding the murder.
Authorities were said to be welgh-
ing carefully a story that Mrs
Frances N. Hall. widow of the Kew.
Edward Wheeler Hall, and Mrs.
Eleanor Reinhardt Mills, who was
murdered with the clergyman, quar-
relied shortly before the Halls ieft
New Brunswick for a vacation last
summer and that the i'll feeling was
pronounced after the vacationists
returned.
Information of the quarrel was
given out by Miss Florence North,
woman attorney for Charlotte Mills,
daughter of the slain choir leader.
Miss North told reporters that
scene had taken place between Mrs.
Mills and the rector's wife at camp
maintained by the church at Point
Pleasant on the Jersey coast last
summer.