The New York herald., 1922-10-05
MILLS SLAYER said
TOBE CRACK shot
ReeXaminatiOn of the Body
Shows Three Wounds in
Row in Singers Head.
NEW ARREST Is LIKELY
Inquiry of Hall Murder
Mystery to Take Entirely
New Turn.
SECOND AUTOPSY TODAY
Three Things to Be Deter
mined by Exhuming
Rector's Corpse.
AUTOPSY TODAY

Special Dispatch TO TIE NEW YORK HERALD
NEW BRUNSWICK, n. j., Oct. A.
Some one who was not only CONVEX
SAINT with firearms but practiced in
the use Of the pistol killed the Rev.
Edward W. Hall, rector of the Church
of st. John the Evangelist, and Mrs
Eleanor Mills, church worker and
choir singer, on the night of Septem-
ber IA.
This has been established beyond
question by the authorities. The in
formation is regarded by them as
eliminating from consideration some
of the persons who have been more or
I less under suspicion.
Within the last .hirty-six hours
much of Importance has been dis
covered. Plans have been laid for deep
and searching inquiry along lines
hitherto untouched. An arrest within
few days is possible.
Should this arrest be made and ex-
pectcd disclosures follow there will be
revealed, it is firmly believed, sur
prising chain of events not only leading
up to the murder but following it. Rea-
sons then may be found for some of the
| bungling that has been apparent more
than once since the inquiry began. 1t
| also may be revealed that the crime was
planned long in advance.
Second Autopsy To-day.
The determination that practiced
pistol shot killed the couple follows on
I 4. H.. x.F
Mills. 1t demonstrates the high inn
portance of the autopsy and the utter
worthlessness of the superficial exam
ination made after the bodies were
found. The latter examination brought
forth the vague and unsatisfactory re-
port that Mrs. Mills had been shot once.
The reeXamination disclosed four bullet
wounds in her head, one being in her
! lip. 1t now appears that three of the
wounds in the head were in a row and
constituted an exhibition of marksman-
| ship of which an expert might be proud.
| The weapon used was a Colts auto
matte pistol. A novice with this weapon
could not. in the judgment of experts,
have scored SO heavily, even at close
range.
Points that the Hall autopsy set for
to-day will decide are whether the
clergyman was shot more than once,
whether the caliber of Illlet that killed
him was the same as that which slew
Mrs. Mills and whether his body was
mutilated after death.
Dr. e l. Cronk, Health Officer OF
New Brunswick, Is TO represent the two
county Prosecutors, Stricken and Beck
man. at the autopsy in Brooklyn. Cronk
did not examine the Hall body before
burial except in a perfunctory manner.
He did examine the body of Mrs. Mills
New Bit of Evidence.
1t was his finding that she had been
shot more than once that led to the
discussion between him and DR.. Will
lam Long, Coroners Physician, who
made the original superficial examina-
tion. When he was asked why he had
examined Mrs. Millss body, Cronk said
he had been engaged to do so by former
State Senator William u. Florance.
counsel to the Hall family.
Theoretically. at least Timothy Pfeffer
OF New York has succeeded Florance as
the Hall family counsel. He has been
here nearly every day. and to-day he
had a long talk with the newspaper
men, He admitted the truth of the story
that he had asked permission to attend
the autopsy to be held Tomorrow and
that his request had been refused by
the two prosecutors His desire to be
present. he said was to enable him to
be sure thorough examination was
made.
There came to the Prosecutors office
to-day another scrap Of evidence that
may be OF value. IL was furnished by
T.. X Soper of Highland Park, who
said that on the night of athe murder
he was on his way home from Somer-
VILE In his motorcar with his family.
when. close to the point on Eastern
avenue where De Russy lane turns