Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-07
Mrs. Hall, Acquitted
OF Murder, Says Less
Proud Is American

New Brunswick N. j., Dec. 6-(H)-
Mrs. Frances Stevens Hail. acquitted
on Friday of the murder Of Mrs.
Eleanor r. Mills, has lost some OF
her pride in America because of the
trial itself and the methods Of the
prosecution, all Of which she consid-
cred prosecution
II used to be proud of being an
American" she says, land especially
when 1 went abroad and saw the peo-
pie of other countries and saw my
own countrymen I was very proud OF
being an American, and to say that
was from America. Now l am not
so proud.
The pitiless publicity Of the court
room surprised her, she declared, as
did the relentless pursuit of curiosity
seekers and news photographers. The
taking of snapshots, she particular
~ deplored, stating that she Thought
it was stealing"
IT think ones appearance is ones
own, and l think that no one has
right to take that appearance in a
picture without permission" is her
view.
Mrs. Hall took pity on photograph
ers who stood guard outside her
home in snoW-storm yesterday,
however. She invited them into her
home along with reporters and con-
scented to pose for them in her library
but baked at suggestion that she
go to her kitchen and don an apron.
She expects to remain in New
Brunswick this winter with her bro
Their, Willie Stevens, who with an
other brother, Henry Stevens, was
acquitted with her. Henry Stevens
is still in Somerville, but plans to
leave for his home in Lavalette, n.
j., tomorrow. Henry de la Bruyere
Carpenter, freed from indictments of
killing Mrs. Mills and the Rev. Ed
ward w. Hall when all indictments
were quashed after the acquittal YER
dict remained at his home here, pre-
pairing for his start south today on a
hunting trip.
A fight over the payment of costs
of the trial is already underway. the
Somerset County Freebooter meeting
tomorrow to discuss the problem. A
delegation of taxpayers will be
| present. The cost to the county will
be somewhere between $4,000 and
s125,000.
State Senator Alexander Simpson
who prosecuted the case, said yes
terday he would urge legislative in
| vestigation of not only the trial just
ended but of the investigation fouI
years ago. He will have Senator
William H. Bright, a Republican OF
/ Wildwood, introduce such a .reso-
luton, he said.
| Simpson, whose request to be re-
! lieved as special prosecutor immedi-
ately the verdict was reached, was
granted. said he had not heard from
| Governor Moore. He said he would
| count, not even for meals.
Mr.. Carpenter apparently has no
| Ill feeling toward Simpson personal
ly. He says:
ut is hard to account for the tao
tics of Simpson and, anyway, let's
not go into that now. Even more
blameworthy is the tabloid newspa-
per which sicked him on.
! But the tabloid paper handed him
a lemon. We shall sue for damages
from this and certain other news
papers in due time. Simpson him
self squeezed the lemon. His fall
ure appears to have been inability to
gauge details. His acrobatic mind
grabbed at big things; the big things
were wrecked by the details.
For instance he brought in Dick
man, who said he had interviewed
Henry Stevens at Lavallette on the
fishing pier. There was no such
pier. Dickman set certain time for
this interview. Henry Stevens was
at that time in Florida"
Mr.. carpenter says his Wall
street brokerage firm lost thousands
of dollars because of his imprison-
ment.
He is a senior member and the
firms stock exchange seat is in his
name. All the time he was in jail.
he says, the firm had to have it's Or
ders executed by other floor brokers.
The usual charge for this is from
$3.50 to So a hundred shares.
you see the firm was penalized
that amount for every 100 shares of
its transactions in all the time was
in Jail. Moreover, there were extern
sive profits accruing to the firm by
my execution Of orders from other
firms. feel 1t keenly that my part
ners should have to suffer SO on
my account"
Mr.. Carpenter said his own for
tune was not more than $4,000
and that talk of any of his family
being millionaires was absurd.