The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-11-21
TWELVE WITNESSES
AT HALL-MILLS PROBE
Appear at First Days Hearing before
Grand Jury and More VIII
Follow.

Somerville, N. j., Nov. 2l.--The
case which Special Prosecutor VIII
bur A. Mott has woven out of the
mystery surrounding the murders of
Rev. Edward Wheeler Hall and Mrs.
Eleanor H. Mills had its first Official
airing yesterday, when 12 persons
told their stories to the Somerset
county grand jury.
Women, scores OF them. came ear.
~. They hung over the darkrailed
balcony which is built inside the
courthouse on the second floor, in
the, vain hope that Mrs. Hall, WIDOW
of the slain minister, or Mrs. Jane
Gibson who raises pigs and has be.
come the most important witness In
the case, would appear
AT the opening session, Mott, as.
sisted by Azariah NJ. Beekman. pros
ecutor OF Somerset county. outlined
to the grand jury the salient fea-
lures Of the case.
A. j. Cardinal, New Brunswick
newspaper man, was called 10 tell
how the bodies of the murdered pair
out under crabapple tree on the
lonely Phillips farm. AS Cardinal
testified, his gestures could be seen
through the low windows. His s:ory
was to the effect that he picked up
letters and cards about Rev. Mr.
Halls body and he'd them until the
police arrived. DR.. t. l.. LoDlein.
veterinarian. succeeded him on the
stand.
I.oblein. an acquaintance OF DR..
Halls, was the first to identity the
body of the dead man as that Of the
minister.
The third witness was George
Totten, Somerset detective. whose
testimony was followed by that OF
Daniel ]. Wray and Frank Denier,
two more New Brunswick journalists,
then Bogart T. .Conkling, former
sheriff OF this county. and his deputy,
Joseph Novatta.
When Novatta left, Totten was re-
called and close on his heels came
an order for Conkling to come back,
Both we're followed by James F.
Mason, Motifs detective.
A 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 on
ly 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 charge OF
attacking her. She nodded, but
Schneider, sitting between two de
tectives. did not move or speak.
DR.. William r. Long. the Somerset
county coroner's physician who failed
to report that Mrs. Mills throat
had been cut. was the next called
He fidgeted with the door knob as
he entered but once before the
Jurors his story was soon told. Mrs
Grace Edwards OF New Brunswick
was the last witness, She told hon
Schneider came to the Stryker home
to telephone to the police. f
While the grand, jury was n ses
sion New Bruenswick newspaper
printed q letter flom Mrs. George
Spell, wife Of farmer Of Middlebush
which brought a new character into
the already overcrowded case. Th'
letter said her husband knew nothinI
OF tre murders, but declared tina
J Mrs. Gibson, the pig woman wa
, trying to bring him into it.
Sipel admitted Mrs. Gibson hat
talked to him about the case, whel
seen by reporters. He declared, hoy
, ever, that all he knew was he ha
seen wagon on Easton avenue tn
night of the shooting. Saturday, h
, said, Mrs. Gibson asked him I
( swear to something. but he asserte
I he told her she was talking to tn
wrong type of man"