Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-11-13
PHONE CALLS OF
MINISTER AND
SINGER RETOLD

S&A NOAAA IA -
| SOMERVILLE, N. j., Nov 12.-0P-t
one telephone conversation between
| the Rev Edward W. Hall and Mrs.
| Eleanor r. Mills, who were slain in a
| double murder four years ago, was de-
| scribed today in the trial of Mrs. Fran
ces Stevens Hall, the minister's widow,
| and her brothers, Willie and Henry
| stevens. The testimony was given by
Louise Geist Riehl, former maid in
! the Hall household.
| Mrs Riehl, who was Louise Geist !
| when she was employed in the Hall
home, told of answering ring of the
telephone in the late\ afternoon of Sep
/ ember IA, 1922. The murders were
committed on the night of September
! a. The former maid said she recog-
| nized the voice of Mrs. Mills inquiring
, for Hall. Mrs. Hall, said the witness,
also started to answer the call at an
! other telephone on the floor below,i
| but replaced the receiver and walked
away when Informed that the call was
/ for her husband, ana tnat he had called
from a bathroom that he would answer
! it.
The STATE submitted that at a grand
jury investigation in 1922 the witnessI
had said that she did not know whether
! Mrs Hall heard the conversations
The one-sided dialogue as repeated
today quoted Hall: '"#
Eyes, yes, yes. That's too bad. II
was going to the church a little later.
Can't we make an Arrangement for
oLo,,+ r,,avtar +o aip 3'fs
Mrs. Riehl said that tho minister
later went out with the, explanation to
, Mrs. Hall that he was going to "see
. about Mrs. Mills hospital BILL" with
the added assurance that he would not
be late returning.
During the examination as to pos
, sible conflict between her Testimony
, of 1922 and that of today, Mrs. Riehl
lost the calm assurance she had had
during her stay on the stand. She
plainly was annoyed as she pounded
, her gloved hands against the side of
: the witness box and almost shouted in
r reply to the questions of Special Prose-
cutOr Simpson.
She said that when she retired be-
tween $50 and 10 o'clock the night of
September IA she left Mrs Hall play
ing solitaire in the library. Early next
morning she said that she saw Willie
Stevens in the dining room and that
when she asked the reason for his un-
usually early arisab lie replied:
II would rather not tell you. 1
would rather Mrs. Hall told you. Some
4 thing terrible has happened. Mr.. Hall
has not come home all night"
She quoted Mrs. Hall as. saying that
night, in bidding her brother, Willie
Stevens, goodnight, that: Il thought he
would come last night, but he won't
come tonight. 1 know he must be dead
or he would have communicated with
me- r as, trH
The witness quoted her employer
again, in conversation developed by
the maids question as TO whether she
should keep Mr.. Halls breakfast warm
2 the morning after the killing. She
said that Mrs. Hall, with her eyes red
from weeping, replied:
mo. Mr. Hall hasn't been home all
night. don't know where he is and
1 can't imagine what has happened to
, him."
An effort at one telephone CONVERSE
tion which failed to materialize was
described by Miss AIillie Opie, a dress
maker and neighbor of Mrs. Mills, at
the time of the singers death. She
said that on the day of the Staying
she was asked by person who said
= he was Mr.. Hall" and whose voice
she recognized as that of the minister
; to summon Mrs Mills who had no tele-
. phone Miss Opie said she did nos
succeed in reaching Mrs. Mills then,
but saw her that evening about 1880
o'clock and told her of the attempt to
= communicate with her. Miss Opie also
said that Hall visited Mrs. Mills often
too frequently in the opinion of the
neighborhood.
Two New York newspapermen told
of the transfer of a calling card, fig
:. uring largely in the case, from New
Jersey to New York and back again,
and the undertaken who prepared the
. bodies of Hall and Mrs. Mills for bur-
E ial completed the outstanding testi-
mony of the day. a;
News of a blood TRANSMISSION for Mrs.
: Jane Gibson, regarded as the states
: star witness, patient lin Jersey
City hospital, was received in court
during the luncheon recess making the
date of Mrs Gibson's appearance on
5 the witness stand even more uncertain
e than it has been since she was stricken
Y the first day of the trial.
f Edward Tillman, juror suffered a
e bereavement in his family, his brother
c having died today, but itwas announc-
ed that no delay will be caused in the
t case by the death. Accompanied by a
J. baliff, the juror was permitted to visit
e his family tonight. o'4
= LATZO-SIMONICH SIGN