Evening star., 1926-11-20
HALL KIN RELIEVED.
AS STATE CLOSES
Strain on Widows Family
Lessons as. Evidence
Against Them Ends.
BY DOROTHY DIX.
Special DISPATCH to The Star.

Its case and the various members of
the Hall-Stevens-Carpend families
turned 1aint smiles upon each other
and sank back into their chairs with
sighs of relief.
1T has been like looking on at a
horrible meiodrama." said one of them
to me with shudder. And now they
felt that the curtain had rung down
and in the play that followed they
would at least have a chance to set
the stage and marshal the characters
and present their version Of the drama
to the world.
Perhaps in the whole gamut of hu-
man experience there Is none so terri
BILE az being the prisoner at the bar
on trial for ones life. There Is agony
in just facing the judge. the jury, the
staring, curious crowd that gaze at
one as if one had the brand OF Cain
upon ones brow.
There lis greater agony in just hav-
ing to Sit still like an animal in trap
while the prosecution builds up case
that may send one to death or to the
death in life OF a prison cell. And 1t
is the agony OF agonies to go through
the days, perhaps weeks, of awful sus-
pense of knowing ones fate is hanging
In the balance and not knowing which
way the scale will dip, or trying to
read the blindfolded eyes of Justice,
or trying to tell from the inscrutable
faces OF the jurors what Is in their
minds-just not knowing.
Aged by Trial Strain.
Nobody comes through that sort of
an ordeal unscathed. It breaks the
nerves of the strongest. And not less
terrible is the experience on the fami-
lies Of the prisoners, whose lives are
bound I'D in theirs. who suffer with
them, and whose hearts are torn with
the sa me anguish and anxiety.
What Mrs. Hall and the Stevens
and the Carpenters have gone through
in the past two weeks has aged them
more than all Of their 40 or SO odd
years of soft living. They have shown
the staying qualities of the thorough
bred in the way they have met the
situation, They have given away to
no Mysteries. made no scenes. uttered
no protestations or complaints. But
Mrs. Hall has grown whittier and
whittier day by day, until she is like a
piece Of paper. Henry Stevens ruddy
color that days of outdoor life have
given him has paled. and his jolly
grin is seen less often. Even Willie's
moonlike face shows tired lines, and
Mrs. Henry Stevens fine, sensitive.
cameo-like face is so ineffabiy weary
that when she speaks she scarcely
moves her lips.
The Mills family is getting a posi-
tive kick out of having the spotlight
of publicity turned upon them. Char
lotte is making a pretty penny by
writing about her dead mothers ro-
nance with the clergyman, and has
hlossomed out in unaccustomed finery.
But to the Hall-Stevens-Carpende
families, TO have their fine old name
dragged in the dust and to be pointed
at and leered at and to be the syno-
sure of every eye in the courtroom, is
torture unSpeakable. ts...r IN.
Closing Brings Relief.
So it was no wonder that they
drew breath OF relief when the prose
cution was closed. At least they knew
the worst The cards were all on the
table. the states evidence in, and they
knew what they had to fear and what
they had to hope.
Senator Simpson closed his case
with dramatics Of abortive gesture by
producing once again the razor with
which he intimated that Mrs. Mills
throat had been cut. He tried first to
get Barbara Tough to Identify 1t or, at
least. remember that DIR. Hsils razor
had been missing out Of the bathroom
after his death. but Barbara knew
nothing whatever about 1t.
Then he produced large, fat,
hard eyed Italian detective, who said
that Prosecutor Beekman. now dead,
had given hin this razor Immediately
after the grand jury had failed to
make an indictment in the investlga-
tion Of the murder. But after Mr..
McCarter had shown that Mr. Caprio
had been indicted for extortion in New
York and convicted in New Jersey for
obtaining money on false pretenses
Senator Simpson gave up the razor
Senator Case is a Somerset man and
he knows a Somerset jury. and his
opening address to them was a marvel
of tact and intuition. These men are
plain country folk with plenty of hard
horse sense, but with no high brow
frflls upon them.
Map Used to Tell Story.
So he talked to them in the lam
guage they knew He pinned upon
the wall a map of De Russey's lane
that mecca of the lovelorn. which
showed the crabapple tree and the
cedar tree to which Jane Gibson
httched her mule. and the Phillips
farmhouse. and the spring by which
the ''petters" parked and SO on, and
by actual measurement showed them
how far Jane Gibson must have been
from the places where on a dark
night she says she saw and heard the
fishting and the murders committed
Then he began telling them the
story OF the Stevens family: about
Henry. who for more than IS wears
had not lived in New Brunswick and
who had gradually drifted apart from
his sister until he rarely saw her,
although they were still on friendly
terms and entertained a fraternal af-
fection for each other.
He told about Mrs. Hail He said
man. an outdoor man. who. now that
he has retired from business. spent
most of his time I'm fishing and hunt.
ing, and he told of how Henry would
prove hv dozen reputable men and
women lust where he was on the
Thursday night that the murders were
committed and all day Friday and
Friday night and Saturday. until he
got the wire from Edwin Carpenter
telling of Or. Halls deafh.
Ne told about Mt< Halls. He said
that up to the time Of the tragedy
Mrs. Hall had believed her marriage e
to be one of the few idea, marriages.
that she had been wrapped up In her
husband that she had idoiized him:
that she had thrown her whole energy
into helping him with his work in the
church. and that Sha haG hcIeved
him 10 be as devoted to her "a she was
to him.
Fond OF Mrs. Mills.
He said that Mrs. Han had been
fond Of Mrs. Mills because she was
the lead ng woman iii the church. an
fndefatigable church worker. and that
she had thought there was nothing
unusual In DIR. Hall seeing her SO
oftap and baipr wit h her M much
He said that Mrs. Hall did not hear
the telephone message OF Mrs. Mills
making a rendezvous In Ds RuSsey's
.La. LII hnao kar crcs,a .hs.