New Britain herald., 1926-09-14


 cost, although both were married?
 Charlotte Mills, daughter of the murdered woman, after four years of silence, now reveals for the first time the true background Of this tragic romance.)
 Gossip
 There has been a terrific amount of gossip not only in our home town of New Brunswick. but everywhere, about my mother and Mir. Hall. There are some things regarding their relationship that 1 simply do not know, and nobody else knows.
 But there are things I do know. It is absolutely preposterous for anyone to say they had known each other intimately for 20 years and that there are doubts whether even my brother and I-well, l can't make myself write It.
 wouldn't even mention the fact that Mir. Hall was not in New Brunswick and that none Of us ever laid eyes on him until years after mother began working in the church if I had not all of a sudden heard this contemptible hint. After he did come and take charge of the church 1t was years before he Knew mother or any of our family except just to speak in passing, as he dld to everybody else in his congrega- tion.
 I was about eight or nine years old when l first really knew nm well, and my brother Dan was about four or five. He used to romp ana play with us children, and with all children, like a big brother or father. I have already said how l used to wish he was my daddy, ana how marvellous it would be to nave a daddy who invented games and got up sports and gave prizes and told stories and took you riding piggy | back"
 Whenever Mir. Hall went away ne would send us postcards with Deau- tiful views of the places where ne was, and those big colored folders that 6pen out and show whole clues and rivers and mountains and lakes. I still have some of them; one from Boston. showing a monument Of an Indian or a horse, holding up HIS face to "The Great Spirit
 He wrote on it: 'I hope some day vou will visit Boston and see for vourself some of these beautlful buildings and statues-and other places, too. My kind regards to all the family. Sincerely, E. w. Hall
 There waS always great rejoicing in our family when he came hack from trips and came to see us Ana mother looked so much happier don't think mother ever heard any eossip about her and took it for granted they were warm friends es- pecially since she did so much WorK at the church and the meetings and societies connected with it, and sang in the choir
 have read about their 'trysts in the old Phillips farm house, apout q mile from where their bodies were found four years ago. They never kept any trysts in the fhil- lips House. The house was old ana had been tightly locked up TOT years They could not have gotten in if they had wanted to, Every thing inside was dilapidated ana dusty. They say there were signs of someone occupying it, that there were cigarette ashes around, etc. We'll MT. Hall never smoked Tn his life, nor my mother either though she wasn't in the least nrudish. She always said if women felt like smoking and got any pleas ure from it, they should smoke-lh moderation: she always believed Tn moderation in everything. She never cared to drink anything, although her people were German and en- loved a glass of wine or peer Mother may have taken little wine sometimes, but in all my lifetime if was never in our house unless somebody from mothers 1amily brought over bottle at Chrlstnlas or New Years. But mother would never have forbidden us to drink. She would know we could De trust- ed and wouldn't overdo.
 She was like that in everything never pestered me for details about whom I was going out with, where to. what I did and said.
 She brought us up strictly ana trained us to behave ourselves. For the rest she trusted us. And she could, too.
 There is one piece of gossip" that l believe has truthful founda- ton. For a year or two before mothers death. she would say from time to time, 'I can't go on staying here, MugEs, just cant. You and l are going to strike out together, and wen get along all right until song thing happens" q forgot to say mothers nickname for me almost ever since I was five was Mugs. People even call me Muggs who never knew mother. I've got a bracelet brought by Q friend from the Indian country, with Mugs" engraved on itD
 Now. what mother had in mind by her words "until something hap pens" was, l fully believe, until MT. Hall found some way of leaving New Brunswick, leaving his home there, even leaving the ministry if he had to. never heard him say anything to that effect, but I do think he and mother talked it over often and that it was quite understood between them But they never intended to "elope" from New Brunswick