The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-11-09
THE HALL-MILLS MURDER
CASE
BY N. ID. Cochran

What we really interested in when we read
newspapers?
Take the Hall Mills case for illustration A dou.
BILE murder was committed-a preacher and n choir
singer OF course the correspondents said she
pretty. She may have been pretty homely. But
the story is better if she is made beautiful. Prac-
ticaly every girl who gets her picture the society
is advertised beautiful. Much Of the time it's
bunk and she isn't beautiful at ALL
In this Hall what can fashionable
Observation-Disclosures this is. But he pastor of an
episcopal church; and that's about fashionable as
you find EN- among preachers They be poor,
and in poor churches, not to be fashionable Besides
he had married into a rich family.
His wife was older than he was had money, fam
lily, and all the rest Of it. They just grabbed the
preacher off and took him into the family trou-
BILE with him that he fairly healthy and even
more human. Religious enough, of course-so far as
it appears necessary for preachers in fashionable
churches to be. But still human.
Anyhow he fell in love with the sections wife and
fell from grace. Somebody killed both Of them. This
happened four years At the time officials clothed
with authority of the law not very hungry for
vengeance. There wasn't much Of investigation.
There was no man-hunt woman hunt for the muir
derer. Things Gained down in New Jersey People
got interested in other things.
Then New York newspaper after investiga-
ton Of its own, started search for the
murderers of Rev. Hall Mrs. Mills. The story in
all it's known details told over and over
again. There were indictments and now we have the
trial
The murder was committed long enough ago to
have grown cold. So the blood lust has cooled off.
There appears be loud cry for vengeance. No
body mourns for the murdered preacher His family
shows no eagerness to discover and punish whoever
guilty Nobody appears think that either fam
lily involved needs sympathy
In other words whatever horror there was at the
time Of the murder to have died out long ago.
Interest in the mystery, however, has been revived
1t is an unsoved mystery story. Without caring much
about the victims Of the double murder, people are
curious to know who committed it and how. They
want to see the mystery solved, and without much if
any what punishment may be inflicted on
the guilty.
What think of murder depends a whole lot on
what think of the victim Sometimes we shocked
and even outraged, particularly if know and
for the victim At other times there may be a tenn
porary shock, but with it feeling, unexpressed of
satisfaction. Many who wouldn't commit muir
der himself couldn't work up honest indignation If
somebody else murdered somebody he hated
The crime of murder always has been intensely
interesting to human beings 1t always will be- The
play of the various human emotiens-ove, hate jeal.
ousy, deep Of wrong cupidty, ambition pride
is capable of such infinite variety of combinations
that people will be interested in murder Stories either
fact fiction until the last toot of Gabrels horn.
1t is the unusual combination Of emotions and the
variety Of personalities involved in the Hall-Mis
murder story that gives it its human interest.