The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-21
HALL mills PROBE NEAR EAST FARLEY
BY GRAND JURY |S'BEG|AS IT'S EFFORT
HELD FROM PUBLIC TO RESTORE PEACE
dead Line" Is Established
Around Investigators-Pearl
BANNER Comes Through
Underground Passage

someryille, N. j.. November 20
The case that special Prosecutor will
bur A. Mott has woven out of the
mystery surrounding the murders of
Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall and Mrs.
Eleanor r Mills had its first official
airing today when IL persons tes-
titled before the Somerville county
grand jury.
Mr.. Mott expects TO offer tho EVIL
dence of 10 or more other witnesses
tomorrow Three women are on the
grand jury.
The proceedings today were moro
than usually guarded. State trooper
established dead line" around the
jury room and beyond 1t no one was
permitted to pass.
Women. scores of them. came early.
They stayed in the vain hope that
Mrs. Hall, widow of the slain min
lister. or Mrs. Jane Gibson, who raises
pigs and has become the most inr-
portant witness in the case might
appear.
At the opening session Mr.. Mott as
sisted by A. M. Beekman, prosecu
tor of Somerset county, outlined to
the grand jury the case.
Tells of Finding Bodies
A. J. Cardinal, a New Brunswick
newspaper man told how the bodies
of the murdered pair lay when he
first saw them under crabapple
tree on the lonely Phillips farm. Car
dinals story was to the effect that
he picked up letters and cards about
the body and held them until the
police arrived. DIR. e. ID. LobIein,
a veterinarian, succeeded him on the
stand. DR.. Loblein, an acquaintance
of Mr.. Hall, was the first to identify
the body of the minister
George Totten, Somerset detective,
Daniel j. Wray and Frank Denier.
New Brunswick newspaper men, b.
CART 7. conkling, former sheriff OF
this county and his deputy, Joseph
Novatta told their stories.
When Noyotta left the stand, Tot
ten was recalled and close on his
come back. Both were followed by
James F. Mason, Motifs detective.
Pear BANNER Causes Stir
stir was caused when Pearl
BANNER, who was with Raymond
Schneider when the bodies were
found. came through an underground
passage from the Jail to the grand
jury room She was on the stand
about Is minutes.
In the hall, as she emerged from
the jury room, she met Schneider for
the first time since she became star
witness against him on a charge of
attacking her. She nodded, but
Schneider, sitting between two detec-
tives did not move or speak.
DIR. W. P. Long. the Somerset
county coroner's physician, who
failed to report that Mrs. Mills
throat had been cut, was the next
called.
Mrs. Grace Edwards of New Bruns-
wick was the last witness. She told
how Schneider came to the Stryker
home to telephone to the police.
Mr.. Mott refused to discuss with
reporters his plans for tomorrow's
session of the grand jury, nor woula
he say whether Mrs. Hall would be
a witness.
Knows Nothing of Case
While the grand jury was in SEES
sion a New Brunswick newspaper
printed a letter from Mrs. George
Sipel, the wife of farmer of Mid
dlebush. which brought new char
dCteT INTO the already OVeEcTOW0ed
case. The letter said her husband
George Sipel, knew nothing of the
murders but declared that Mrs. Glib
son, the pig woman, was trying to
bring him into it.
Sipel when seen tonight by re-
porters, admitted Mrs. Gibson had
talked to him about the case. He
said, however. that all he knew was
that he had seen a wagon on Easton
avenue the night of the shooting.
Last Saturday. he said, Mrs. Gibson
asked him to swear to something but
he asserted he told her she was talk
Ing to the wrong type of man"
Tomorrow Doctors Cronk, Hager-
man and Smith. who made the au-
topsies on the bodies of Rev Hall
and Mrs Mills will be questioned.
The police officers who guarded the
bodies until the county Authorities
appeared and several minor wit
nesses also are scheduled to appear.
and ii must be conceded that he has
done 1.-THE is about the only man in
this country today of great wealth