Evening star., 1926-12-05
COP. VICTORY SEEN
IN HALL VERDICT
Murder Trial Declared to
Have Hinged Entirely ~
Upon Politics.
BY ROBERT Il. SMALL.

SOMERVILLE. n. j.. December Z.
The Republicans won a notable VIC
tory in the special or bye election held
in the Hall-hIills case. Just concluded
here. The grand old party carried all
II of the jury precincts. The Demo
Gratis got nothing but "zeros" in all
the wards. A State Investigation of
the election is threatened. but as vet
there has been no demand made upon
Senator Jim Reed of Missouri to bring
his special Senate committee to the
scene.
Farcical and far fetched as it ma,
seem, 1t is none the less true that the
final arguments in this still unsolved
and apparently unsolvable murder
mystery. turned entirely upon politics
The prosecution was In the hands
Of the Democrats. The defense was
handled by Republicans. There was a
political wrangle from the start of
the trial and political prejudice was
appealed to as the jury retired for its
deliberations. 1t remained for Justice
Parker, presiding turist. 10 call the
attention Of the II good men and true
to the evidence in the case and to
ask them please to confine them
selves TO the facts and the law
String Pulling Charged.
The facts and the law apparently
were forgotten by opposing counsel
as they cut and slashed at each
other. The defense charged the
prosecution was a political scheme
intended to further the ambitions of
certain Democratic office holders
The defense charged that Mayor
Hague of Jersey City. Democratic
boss" of northern New Jersey. If
not the entire State, was pulling the
strings behind the prosecution.
Alexander Simpson. the special Al
torney general appointed to handl.
the prosecution. is Democratic leader
in the State Senate. Clarence Case.
one Of the leading counsel for the
defense. is Republican leader in the
same body. Every time Senator
Simpson found himself in Il tighj
place in the trial he called upon Gov
A. Harry Moore. Democratic chief
executive of the State. for support
aud sympathy.
The defense charged that Hudson
and Essex Counties. the Democratic
strongholds. were trying to .'over
awe" the other co1nties of the State
This city is in Somerset County,
which is Republican. Therefore, the
verdict of mot guilty has been
hailed as a great political as we'll a.
a moral victory. II is the first sweep
ing victory the Republicans have
made on State issue in years.
G. o. p. Claims Moral Victory.
The Democratic prosecution at
tackled everything but the Coolidge
administration. The Republican de
tense relied upon the tariff and the
support Of big business.
The Democratic prosecution. de-
feated at the jury polls. claimed some
thing of moral victory for itself
Senator Simpson asserted he had
proved beyond the fear of successful
contradiction the fact that the
wealthy can be brought to trial for
murder. He said nothing about the
fiimsiness Of the evidence upon which
the trial was conducted.
For the past week the North Jersey
countryside has been waiting for the
verdict of acquittal, which came last
night in the glow of the lights of
the little courtroom serving as "a
stage for the most rema rkable
SHOW" ever made of trial where
human lives We're involved. Senator
Simpson himself knew what was
coming. He claimed the jury was
prejudiced and stupid and every
to select that jury and had pro
nounced himself satisfied.
County Tired OF Case.
The prosecution knew it's chain of
circumstantial evidence was not con
vincing and it saw the testimony OF
the alleged eve witness. the strange.
weird, uncanny pig woman" riddled
like a sieve.
The country hereabouts. Somerville
and New Brunswick. and the coun-
ties of Somerset and Middlesex. IL
sick and tired of the whole Hall
Mills case. 1t wants a rest. No one
believes the mystery ever Will he
solved-certainly not until some one
confesses.
And even then all ordinary confes-
sion would not be believed. The con
fessor would have to bring confirms
tory evidence to bear. Otherwise he
or she would be set down as crazy.
The case has been a queer one
throughout. The crime was so open.
the motive so apparent, the commu
nifty so small. the history of the slain
rector and choir singer so we'll known,
1t seemed impossible at first that the
mNderers could escape. Today, four
years after the crime, it seems just
as impossible they ever will be found
Jersey Justice has had Knockout
blow. not in the present trial, but in
it's inability to bring the guilty 10
.ieI,V