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E193: The Hall-Mills Murder
5.4k Plays1 year ago
In 1922 New Brunswick, New Jersey, when there were rumors of an illicit love affair between a local pastor and a choir member, the town was buzzing with gossip. But, when that same pair was found brutally murdered, the topics of conversation shifted from the affair to which jealous person may have had enough anger to commit such a heinous crime. Listen this week to hear about the double homicide of Reverend Edward Hall and choir-member Elenor Mills.
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Transcript
Exploring the Depths of Love
00:00:00
Speaker
At what lengths would you go for true love? Over the last several weeks, I found myself lesson planning, even though I know I won't be returning to the classroom in August. One of the plays I taught was Romeo and Juliet, and nearly every student comes in thinking that's the greatest love story of all time. But is it really?
00:00:19
Speaker
The eternal themes of love have been a source of inspiration and fascination throughout human history, sparking countless tales of passion, sacrifice, and heartache. Amid this rich tapestry of love stories, one of the most iconic and tragic tales is William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. This timeless play explores the complexities of love and infatuation, and what a contrast those two can be.
00:00:42
Speaker
On one side in Romeo and Juliet, we witness the powerful force of infatuation. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two star-crossed lovers from feuding families, are drawn to each other like moths to a flame. Their initial attraction is immediate and intense, characterized by a whirlwind of emotions and impulsivity. Shakespeare creates an infatuated state, highlighting its heady rush, the thrill of secrecy, and the desire to be consumed by one another.
00:01:09
Speaker
In contrast, true love in Romeo and Juliet could be argued to evolve throughout the play. As their relationship deepens, the young lovers learn to navigate the obstacles surrounding them. Their bond transcends physical attraction, touching the soul in profound ways. True love, as exemplified through Romeo and Juliet, requires patience, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion. Their love isn't simply about fleeting passion, but a profound connection that withstands the test of time and adversity.
00:01:35
Speaker
Tragically, the play also demonstrates the consequences of infatuation. Romeo and Juliet's impulsive decisions fueled by their infatuation lead to a series of disastrous events. Their haste in marrying after only knowing each other for a short time and Romeo's impulsivity in reacting to Tybalt ultimately contribute to the devastating end. But on the other hand,
00:01:56
Speaker
True love is a force that preserves throughout the darkest of times. In the midst of the Montague and Capulet feud, Romeo and Juliet find solace and strength in each other.
Unraveling the Hall Mills Murder Mystery
00:02:05
Speaker
Their love becomes a beacon of hope amid the chaos, and they're willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to be together. Which has me wondering, what sacrifices should someone make for quote unquote true love? Surely it would be taking a bullet for the person you love, or maybe taking their place in a dangerous situation.
00:02:24
Speaker
But the star-crossed lovers at the center of today's case caused true love, commitment, trust, and even religion to be thrown aside as they put their love affair above everything else. This is the case of the Hall Mills murders.
00:03:13
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:03:22
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families.
00:03:32
Speaker
With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week. Listen, I'm just gonna go ahead and warn you all, it is really hard to say hall mules murders. I've said mall mules, I've said it all when I've been reading this, so just know.
00:04:02
Speaker
Apparently I'm a little dyslexic and that may kick in a little bit during this episode. But it is Paul Mills. Hall murders. Yes, because there's a man and a woman. Okay. Mr. Hall and Mrs. Mills. Okay, ready.
00:04:18
Speaker
Okay. And this case took place way back in 1922. And it was one that really with so many shocking details and it had so many twists and turns and sort of like perplexing things that happened really has stayed with this community and captivated the people within that community so much at the time, because it is a case with a very brutal murder.
00:04:48
Speaker
of a Reverend, Reverend Hall, who goes by Dr. Hall or Reverend Hall. So even though he was not a doctor, but he goes by that. I didn't know one could do that, but apparently you can. Maybe he got his, did he get his doctor of divinity? I don't think so. His doctorate? Well, well, he just wanted the title. I guess so.
00:05:11
Speaker
So his murder and the murder of Eleanor Mills, who was a choir singer at his, like she sang in the choir at his church. And they were found dead together in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Oh, yeah. I would imagine back in 1922, you know, before you've got the movies and things that we have today, then these stories that you read in the newspaper, this was probably pretty,
00:05:40
Speaker
tantalizing in terms of all the details. Yeah, captivating. Yes, captivating.
00:05:47
Speaker
So like you said, we are in the twenties. So, you know, we're set in this backdrop of the roaring twenties. And during that time, we did see a lot of social change. Women's dress was changing. Oh yeah, you got the flappers. Yeah. Definitely a time of social change. This case did kind of strike a social chord because it was involving things that weren't
00:06:16
Speaker
typical during that time period because the victims did have an unconventional relationship that many raised eyebrows at within their community because they were engaged in an illicit love fair. They're in a love affair, the Reverend? Yeah, the Reverend. And the choir member. Yeah.
00:06:36
Speaker
No, no, no. OK. Yeah. So that involvement in the church kind of added another layer of. Well, yeah. Complexity. Yeah. Because in the 1920s, you know, the church was the centerpiece of most communities, like whether that was their religious life or social gatherings that played a significant role in the community. So at the heart of this religious community, then is Reverend Hall.
00:07:05
Speaker
and Eleanor Mills, and they both were significant members with obviously the Reverend, but even Eleanor within that church community. So it raised some eyebrows. Yeah, I'd say so.
00:07:21
Speaker
Reverend Hall was charismatic. He was really well respected as an Episcopalian minister. He was born into a religiously devout family and he was passionate about the church from an early age. He graduated from seminary in Manhattan with honors and quickly rose through the ranks and became the rector, which I didn't know what that was because, you know, we just have a preacher. Right.
00:07:50
Speaker
But he became the rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in New Brunswick. So the Reverend of this church. Okay. And his sermons were known to be like elegant, eloquent. He had a way of speaking. He was compassionate and really committed to his congregation. And because of that, he had it about following within the congregation. So people really liked him.
00:08:14
Speaker
Mm hmm. And according to crime library org, quote, he'd gone from New York to Basking Ridge, New Jersey. And finally, St. John's in New Brunswick. In 1911, he married Frances Stevens, a woman of wealth who was seven years older than him in quotes. So he's this like ideal life. I mean, this exactly everything he's supposed to be doing. And he's good at what he does, it sounds like. Yeah.
00:08:44
Speaker
But then he meets Eleanor Mills who was, but she was very vivacious. She was a musically gifted person. So she sang in the church's choir. Her family had a long history I read of involvement at St. John's Church. Her voice and warm personality made her a beloved figure within the congregation. But despite this radiant exterior, she actually,
00:09:13
Speaker
was longing for more in life. She was really pretty. She was small. She was slender. People liked her. She was kind of popular, I guess you would say. Okay.
00:09:25
Speaker
And she was very passionate, but her home life wasn't the home life that she wanted. So she was kind of forced to live a more frugal lifestyle with her husband who just was more kind of go with the flow and was happy with the, assuming she would describe mediocre lifestyle that they lived. Okay. So she's kind of, I'm, I'm taking,
00:09:53
Speaker
the implications here that they have a typical husband-wife 1920s relationship, which I guess would make her more, I don't know, subservient or didn't have a voice maybe.
00:10:10
Speaker
in the goings and I think she wanted more of a lavish lifestyle. Okay. That just wasn't something her husband could afford. Okay. So as fate would have it though, the paths of Reverend Hall and Eleanor Mills crossed in ways that would change their lives forever. I'm sure they did.
00:10:31
Speaker
because they shared passion for music that brought them together. And the Reverend was rumored to watch Eleanor in the choir as she sang because her voice would catch the attention of him during like church services. And through those interactions, they formed a bond with one another that transcended the typical pastor
00:10:59
Speaker
member relationship. And as their friendship blossomed, it evolved into this secret love affair that was known by a few individuals. And we'll get to that like later on. I just, I know I probably shouldn't, but I could, because I know that preachers are humans just like everybody else, but I expect more.
00:11:25
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like it's kind of like the president. Like he's a human, but you hold him to a higher standard. Exactly. Yeah. You're human, but you're my preacher. So you're supposed to be teaching me about right and wrong. That's right. Shape up Reverend Hall. Shape up. So I think part of what kind of fueled this relationship was those constraints of their respective home lives, because Reverend Hall and his wife, Frances, she was a very dedicated,
00:11:56
Speaker
pastor's wife, if that makes sense. She was very supportive of her husband's ministry. She was like the ideal pastor's wife, but their marriage I read had lost its spark over the years. Then you have Eleanor, who was married to a man named James Mill, but their marriage was met with unmet desires and discontent. Right. Because she's wanting a different lifestyle than what he
00:12:25
Speaker
wants or can't afford to give her. Exactly. And to spot the risks involved, we find Reverend Hall and Eleanor finding solace in each other's company. So they would seek refuge from their burdens and stolen moments of passion and love. The church, which had been a sanctuary for them individually, also became a place for their hidden romance to flourish, which is another
00:12:52
Speaker
Yeah in the church. Yeah they exchanged love letters bearing their hearts and their deepest desires to one another um and you know with words about how strong their bonds were and it just kind of made them grow closer and closer and I read in one source um that they actually used Eleanor's hymnal to exchange love letters in like
00:13:17
Speaker
This is getting worse and worse. I feel like this is a soap opera episode.
The Investigation and Trial
00:13:24
Speaker
Oh my goodness. The hymnal that should be songs to God and its love letters to each other. And it's full of your sin. Gosh.
00:13:39
Speaker
But you know, this is a tight knit community. So rumors and whispers of the fair did begin to circulate. So people from the congregation caught glimpses of those stolen glances that they shared.
00:13:53
Speaker
And that would lead to raised eyebrows and those judgmental whispers. And the rumors began to spread that the two are more than just quote friendly. They were very friendly. Yes, they were. The affairs existence actually threatened the fabric of that religious community because tensions simmered just beneath the surface as the rumors were like there, but not there, there, you know.
00:14:20
Speaker
Well, yeah, because I guess for them, you never want to think that somebody who you respect is capable of something like that. And so I'm sure there's that plus we're talking. I mean, I'm sure affairs happened at all times. They're not, you know, but we just know more about them now. But so, yeah, I'm sure it's just rumors. And so there are those who were probably like, come on, people.
00:14:44
Speaker
open your eyes, it's plain as day, it's happening. And then others who were like, no, he's a really good guy. He's not going to do something like that. He's a man of God. He's not going to risk something like that. So I'm sure I could see it from both sides. And what's crazy is, which I mentioned this later on, James was that person. He was like, oh no, the Reverend's too good of a man. He's my friend. He would never do that. So yeah, a lot of people
00:15:14
Speaker
Yeah. We're blinded maybe by the title, I think. You know, you never think a reverend or a preacher, like you said, would do something like that. Before we get into what exactly happened to these two lovers, I do want to talk briefly about some details in their lives or the lives of those closest to the couple leading up to the day that their affair changed their lives forever.
00:15:43
Speaker
So on Thursday afternoon, this was September 14th, Frances, the member of the wife, had made preserves in her kitchen. She took a phone call from Eleanor Mills who left a message with
00:16:01
Speaker
Dr. Reverend Hall. She told the Reverend at 6.30 that evening about the message. Another call came at seven and around like 8.40. Dr. Hall said that he was going to check on Mrs. Mills' medical bills because he had been helping pay for some medical things she had going on. What? Yeah.
00:16:32
Speaker
Like I have heard of churches like paying for adoptions or helping out a family whose electricity has been turned off through the church. I don't know that I've ever heard of just a pastor being like, oh, let's pay that bill for you. Yeah. That's a little fishy. And the fact that she's calling all these times, I'd be like, honey,
00:16:59
Speaker
This needs to stop. And it's 840. I'd be like, where are you going on Thursday at 840? To pay a medical bill. Yeah. So he's leaving at like 840 to go check on Mrs. Mills and this medical bill situation.
00:17:20
Speaker
So Francis plays solitaire for the next two hours while she waits for him to come home. Her brother Willie or William who was 50 couldn't live on his own. I don't know why. Came out of his room to say good night and then she went to bed. She wakes up so that's like what 10 40 she goes to bed. Yeah. She wakes up at 2 30 in the morning
00:17:45
Speaker
She sees her husband's not home. So she gets dressed and goes to the church in search for a missing husband and brings her brother along with her. Because, I mean, maybe she's up late writing a sermon. I feel like you could do that at home. That's true. Good point. Touche. But yeah, I would be curious too. And I wonder, did she take her brother because
00:18:14
Speaker
Like where he has a medical condition, maybe she can't leave him home alone either. I didn't get that impression from my research that it was something that he had to be watched constantly. Okay. I'm thinking more. She just wanted the company and didn't want to be alone. Okay. Gotcha.
00:18:33
Speaker
So when they get to the church, the church was dark. And so then she's like, well, he was going to Ella Moore's house to check on this medical bill. So she drives past where the Mills family lives. It's also dark.
00:18:48
Speaker
Cause it's two 30 in the morning. Right. So then she's just like, they're asleep. I guess I'll go home. So she goes on home, but in the morning when her husband still isn't home, she calls the police department and she's like, have any casualties been reported? Anybody, but you know, anything weird happened in like car accident, anything like that.
00:19:15
Speaker
But when she called, she didn't leave her name. So it's not like she called and said, my husband didn't come home last night. This is, you know, Mrs. Hall. If something happens, could you give me a call? She just says, hey, were there any casualties that had been reported? And then she just kind of ends the phone call. Let me ask a couple of things. Number one, at what point did we switch from having operators?
00:19:45
Speaker
Good question because if it's an operator then they would have known if they were paying attention Who called you know like I'm thinking Andy Griffith show when he's like hey, can you connect me with? so-and-so and then and then they talk so that or if she's so kind of
00:20:11
Speaker
frazzled by the fact that she doesn't know where her husband is. And she calls that she doesn't even think to say her name, she just says, have there been any casualties reported? And then once she hears no, then she's like, okay, and you know, kind of hands up. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I don't know. So Google says that we have not used or that switchboard operators were used up into the 1950s.
00:20:41
Speaker
Okay. So, so I bet she would have been able to speak to an operator just to talk to either the police or whomever. Right. Cause I was just picturing like she dials the, you know, the line directly to the station, but I guess that wasn't the case. Hmm.
00:21:04
Speaker
So she speaks with them. She doesn't learn anything there. And she does continue looking for her husband.
00:21:13
Speaker
So at the same time, so remember we have another family that's involved as well, because we have the Mills family. And according to Crime Library, James Mills was actually the acting sixth in at St. John's and was a full-time janitor at a local elementary school. And remember, this is the guy that is married to Eleanor. Yes. He was described as hardworking. I feel like you have to be hardworking to be a janitor. That job is not for the faint of heart. That is not.
00:21:42
Speaker
Especially in the school. Yeah. At the elementary school where I subbed like kind of long-term before I moved to Central Kentucky, I was one day filling in for the family living teacher and she had lunchroom duty and her job was wiping down the tables in between grade levels when they came in. Oh my gosh.
00:22:07
Speaker
My hand touched a lot of things that none of which you wanted to touch. Y'all don't get paid enough. No. Okay. So the janitor at the elementary school, he's married to Illinois. He was described as hardworking, but a lot of people said that he was an ambitious and almost not super intelligent.
00:22:33
Speaker
Okay, so I mean, it's kind of like what her frustrations were, you know, if he's, if he really is not ambitious, and she's wanting that lifestyle, then yeah.
00:22:49
Speaker
And I think that is a lot of it. I think she was embarrassed by their home. It wasn't a super fancy home. It was described as a ramshackle home. It was about five blocks from the hall residence. And Dr. Hall was a frequent visitor at their home. But I mean, James is highly active in the church. So was Eleanor. So that part
00:23:10
Speaker
kind of make sense. But like I said earlier, James claimed ignorance of this affair and said, quote unquote, that Reverend Hall was too good of a friend of mine. Do anything like that. Right. But like we talked about, he's doing things that
00:23:32
Speaker
a typical pastor doesn't do, like paying out of his personal pocket for major surgeries. Maybe he's just, maybe if we're playing ignorance, which obviously we know they had an affair, but if we're on the outside and we're playing ignorance, we could be like, oh, he's just a really upstanding guy that he's taken his own personal money to help pay for this. Yeah. I mean, maybe if, who knows.
00:23:57
Speaker
Maybe he had done it before for another church member. I mean, we don't know, like had helped pay bills or something that would make it not seem as odd. Yeah, maybe. So at the same time that Francis is playing solitaire, here according to crime library is what James was doing.
00:24:24
Speaker
He had been sweeping up at St. John's at 5.45 on Thursday. He was late for dinner, arriving home at 6.15. Afterwards, he went out on the porch while his wife left the house to make a phone call to Reverend Hall. Pause here to say, why do you have to leave the house? Did they not have a phone? Maybe they didn't, because they were a strap for cash. Yeah. And we have talked about cases before where people didn't have home phones. Yeah. And they would have to go. So maybe. OK.
00:24:54
Speaker
We'll give her that one. She came back and left again challenging him to quote follow her and find out when he inquired about her destination. So she's almost kind of challenging him. That's a little rude. Yeah.
00:25:10
Speaker
Carm Library goes on to say that he kept working on the porch until 9.45, then read the paper. At 10.30, he went to the church to look for his wife, stopping for a soda and arriving there around 11. She wasn't there, so he went home and went to bed. At 2 a.m., he went back to the church, but failed to find her. So very similar as Frances.
00:25:35
Speaker
A couple of questions. I get why the pastor's wife would think that he is at the church at 2.30. I mean, I don't do it. But why would he be like, oh, I wonder if my wife is at the church at 2 a.m.? That seems weird. I also find it weird if he's worried about where his wife is that he stops
Theories and Reflections on the Case
00:26:01
Speaker
for a soda.
00:26:03
Speaker
He's like, you know what, craving that peach knee high, gonna stop in and get it. That's what I was about to say. Maybe he just needed a little pick me up to, you know, keep going. Cause it's so late. He needs a little bit of sugar. And I think he probably subconsciously did know this affair was going on. And that's the reason he goes to the church at 2 AM. There's no other explanation. No, there's not.
00:26:25
Speaker
The next morning though, without reporting his wife missing, he does go to work. At 8.30, he went to the church and he encountered Mrs. Hall, who mentioned that her husband hadn't been home the night before and that she had also been looking for him. And he asked whether she thought they eloped, like as a joke. No, you're not joking. No, you're not joking. That is no.
00:26:48
Speaker
I would never say that about Anthony. Especially when there's rumors going around that that's exactly what's happening. Like I'll joke that Anthony has a work husband but that's different. That's his friend Josh. That's different. Right. Hmm.
00:27:06
Speaker
He says though, according to the crime library, that when he jokingly says like, Oh, you think they, or she's like, Hey, I bet they eloped. That she replies, quote, God knows I think they're dead and can't come home. Uh, okay. Weird comments. Weird comments. That's not where my mind would go. No, no.
00:27:33
Speaker
He says that she contacted him a couple more times that day and he replied, you know My wife still isn't home. Don't know where she is and that again. She would repeat the oh, they must be dead comment Yeah, no, I Don't think I don't think you go there. No Interestingly, he did notice a page of his newspaper that had been missing so he remember he reads the newspaper there was a missing page and
00:28:02
Speaker
And that page is on Dr. Hall's desk. And the article is about a prominent minister, like a more, I guess, nationally known
Engagement and Farewell Notes
00:28:12
Speaker
minister, voicing his views on divorce. I feel like this is what he should say. Yeah, because it's almost like
00:28:25
Speaker
That makes me think maybe he was saying, oh, I can't get a divorce. It's against my religion. We can't do that. And then here she's found proof that a prominent minister says, oh, yes, you can. And that's why it's dry out because she wants to show them. Yeah. And it wasn't until Saturday after lunch
00:28:51
Speaker
that his wife's body had been found. Like he heard this on a Saturday after lunch, that his wife's body had been found. Like he didn't have any idea that she was dead. And so after that, then he goes to the hall of residence to see what's up there. So much like in Romeo and Juliet, little did they know that this clandestine love affair would lead to a great tragedy.
00:29:19
Speaker
On September 16th, so remember 1922, the bodies of Reverend Hall and Eleanor Mills were discovered lying lifeless in a secluded area that was often called Lovers Lane. And the crime scene was marked by both brutality and viciousness. And it sent shockwaves through their town. Wow.
00:29:44
Speaker
as if the shock of actually finally seeing them together, which proves all of the rumors, wasn't shocking enough. Oh, oh, it gets crazy. OK. So we know their love story was once hidden in the shadows of the church. It now became a dark tale of passion, betrayal and murder. So very, like I said, soap opera ish.
00:30:14
Speaker
And as the investigation began, the spotlight turned to those who had been touched by the lives of these ill-fated lovers because they're trying to piece together all that they can. And here is how we found
00:30:34
Speaker
Dr. Hall and Eleanor. So this Chilling Discovery was made by two local fishermen who were just passing through the area. And as they walked along the road, they stumbled upon this horrific sight. So they reached the small thicket of trees and the fishermen spotted the lifeless bodies of a man and a woman who were lying side by side.
00:30:57
Speaker
And we know obviously that was Dr. Hall and Ella Martin. The bodies were arranged in a manner that seemed deliberate and staged, which they would later say intensified this eerie atmosphere of a crime scene. The murder was extremely brutal and very violent, especially towards Eleanor.
00:31:27
Speaker
So both victims had been shot. Their hands were intertwined, um, and almost as if they were clutching each other in their final moments. And the side of the two lying dead was just more than most people could really bear in this community. Right. Both were on their backs. Both had been shot in the head with a 32 caliber pistol.
00:31:52
Speaker
The man, so Dr. Hall, had been shot once and the woman had been shot three times. Wow. The bullet entered Dr. Hall's head just over his right ear and exited through the back of the neck. The woman was shot under the right eye, over the right temple, and over the right ear. So all on the same side of the head.
00:32:22
Speaker
Yeah, just multiple times. And while that to me is violent enough, you know, you've been shot multiple times. A little overkill probably. The police officers at the scene also noticed that the woman's throat hadn't just been cut, had been severed.
00:32:50
Speaker
There were already maggots in her wound I read in some articles. So they had been dead for a while for several hours. And their bodies were pointing towards a crab apple tree. The man had a hat covering his face and like his business card or his calling card placed at his feet, almost like a burial. Cause you know how they'll put that little marker. Yeah. The foot marker. Yeah.
00:33:21
Speaker
And even more creepy, I guess, is that there were torn up love letters from the couple, just like kind of scattered in between the couple, stacked up. Okay. Pause because you told me about the love letters that they would often get passed back and forth in the hymnals. Right. Which tells me
00:33:49
Speaker
that if somebody found these love letters, it could have been any number of the members of the church. Well, I'm wondering if they're leaving them or taking them though. Cause I almost feel like, like in high school, if Anthony had passed me a note, if we were dating them, like I wouldn't leave that in my chemistry book and take them home with me. Okay. I get what you're saying. Well, so,
00:34:17
Speaker
unless they're in the Reverend's office or something at the church. But I know of at least two people who went to the church the night that these two were last together. And if those love letters were at the church, then either one of those two people could have gotten them.
00:34:39
Speaker
Well, when we get to theories, there's a lot of different theories, but I think, because there's more details that we learn about, particularly Eleanor's death. Okay. But it is so brutal. It was an act of passion. Like whoever killed her was mad. They weren't just, you know, killing her to take her jewelry. They were mad. Yeah, this was not a random attack. Yeah.
00:35:09
Speaker
Okay. There were conditions on the body that hinted to a struggle that took place. Um, I read that Dr. Hall's face had some bruises on it. Um, his hand had a little bit of bruising. There were some cuts on his leg. So people think that he likely fought against whoever was trying to murder them. I did read that Ella Moore's dress was torn. So many think that she too had fought desperately for her life.
00:35:36
Speaker
The combination of those gunshot wounds and physical injuries painted a very bleak picture of a vicious and cold-blooded attack. As you can imagine, the news of the murders spread quickly and
00:35:53
Speaker
This part, I don't know, because we talked about this in another case. I don't know if times have changed and things are handled differently now with investigations. I don't know if there was some question as to which jurisdiction this case fell in. I don't know if that played a part. But the crime scene was not very well protected.
00:36:22
Speaker
In fact, we had a lot of curious onlookers and the media on the scene passing around like this calling card, taking pieces of evidence. They would cut off sections of that crab apple tree as like a creepy souvenir. Oh, gosh. So this whole this whole area was contaminated.
00:36:48
Speaker
So, you know, we don't have that secure crime scene. We did have that jurisdiction issue because the crime was close to the border between Somerset County and Middlesex County. So New Brunswick being in one county and they arrived to the crime scene first, but the crime was actually in Franklin Township, which was Somerset County. So there was some confusion as to
00:37:15
Speaker
who was supposed to handle what. And while that confusion is being kind of figured out, we have people trampling all over this crime scene. So this lover's lane was just right over the county border or something. Yeah. Now, if you remember, Dr. Hall's wife and Eleanor's husband, they see the couple or their spouses
00:37:43
Speaker
And then they're gone throughout the night and then bodies are discovered like on Saturday. Right. So they really hadn't seen them since they left the home, but there were people who saw the pair before they were found under this crab apple tree. Oh, okay. So they're out in public together somewhere. Ish. Okay. So according to crime library, there were actual several people who noticed soddings, particularly of Eleanor.
00:38:13
Speaker
So one person saw Eleanor and he was a trolley driver. She was the last person to board the trolley Thursday night.
00:38:25
Speaker
or the last person he let off, sorry. So she was the last passenger that he let off and she walked toward this Lovers Lane area. Oh, okay. So she took the trolley there. So she didn't go to the church. Well, I guess she could have before this, but the trolley ride is likely the last ride that she does. It was her last ride.
00:38:51
Speaker
The lady named Agnes and her children also saw her on Easton Avenue and looked like she was carrying a small little package, a person named Mrs. Bliss. These people have, are these common New Jersey names? They're weird Appalachian names. No, I don't think so. I like them though. Yeah, they do. So Mrs. Bliss also said that she passed Dr. Hall
00:39:19
Speaker
going in the same direction as Eleanor. So first she sees Eleanor on East Avenue. She's carrying the small parcel. Then Agnes sees Reverend Hall heading in that same direction. So together but not together. Maybe, maybe, Eleanor
00:39:38
Speaker
was carrying that newspaper article that says, you know, you can get a divorce. Here's a famous preacher saying it. And she had a packet of their love letters. That's what I was going to say. Maybe she had some love letters. Yeah, maybe she was like, listen, if you don't want to do this, then you don't mean all of these things and you can just take them back. And that would explain because so then really anybody could have killed them if the letters were already there. Yeah.
00:40:06
Speaker
Interesting hmm, but I don't know how they would have known they were at Lovers Lane Well, I because and Agnes says no one's following them or it didn't appear that anybody was yeah, hmm a student at a nearby College said that the church windows were lit up at 115 a.m. On Thursday night They not watch men at the New Jersey State College for women saw lights on in the whole house all night He also saw a woman go in
00:40:35
Speaker
to the house at 230, which could be Mrs. Hall. Oh, this wife coming back. Yeah. The Hall's maid remembers the call from Mrs. Mills coming in, the second one, and she saw the Reverend leave. And she also says, yeah, Mrs. Hall stayed home and she played solitaire. Okay.
00:40:57
Speaker
In the morning, this maid said that she saw William or Willie, and he told her, quote, something terrible happened last night. And miss, Mrs. Hall and I have been up most of the night, end quote. But then that wouldn't elaborate. Hmm. So either there's some involvement there or she's just so shaken up by the fact that he's not home. Like he should be. And maybe they stayed up. Yeah.
00:41:26
Speaker
Good point. A neighbor of the Mills's, Millie Opie, said that Eleanor and Dr. Hall were meeting regularly at the Mills's apartment almost every afternoon. So we have a lot of questionable sightings. So we talked, so we have all of those sightings and then we talked about those jurisdiction issues and they caused delays in the early investigation.
00:41:52
Speaker
So it wasn't until Monday after the bodies were discovered that the investigation actually was transferred to Joseph Stryker's office in New Brunswick. So there's a few days until we figure out, yeah, this office is taking care of this. Because they theorized that the couple had actually been killed in New Brunswick and then dumped in Somerset.
00:42:23
Speaker
So in the days prior to that transfer, we do have prosecutor Beckman saying that he had what he thought could be maybe like a motivation or a lead. Um, he thought that maybe the two victims had been killed by a jealous couple in that lover lanes area, not really feeling that, but several weeks would really go by before much else happened in the case. Once we get that transfer,
00:42:52
Speaker
So about two weeks after the jurisdiction matter is figured out, we do finally get a break in the case, which, you know, in our world, two weeks doesn't seem like a long time, but for investigators and for the families, I'm sure with a lifetime. So one interesting thing I want to tell you before we go any further is that when the bodies were taken from the crime scene, they were not given autopsies.
00:43:23
Speaker
OK, that seems odd. We find that out in that two weeks, that there's no autopsy. OK. And Beckman is actually in the process of having their bodies exhumed because he's like, you know, it's probably important that we figure it out. Yeah. Yeah.
00:43:45
Speaker
So while they're doing that, then we have the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders offering a reward for information, but only if the crime took place in their county. They don't, only then. That seems a little misguided. Yeah, and Dr. Hall's wife hired a private investigator to look into her husband's death, supposedly. Yeah, lots of things happening.
00:44:13
Speaker
So rather quickly, those bodies were disentered and autopsies were performed. It was through these autopsies that we learn the details about the death that we know, right? That Dr. Hall had the single bullet, that he had the abrasions to his hands, particularly the right hand. He had some bruises on his left side of his face and he had that big cut.
00:44:41
Speaker
on like the calf area of his leg. So we find that out through the autopsy. Weirdly, and I don't know if like, I'm sure this is science, but I don't know that. Eleanor's body was more decomposed than the Reverend, which I thought was interesting. So they examine those three bullet holes and then they pay more attention to the degree of violence to the throat area. So this wasn't like they just cut her throat.
00:45:12
Speaker
severed the windpipe, they cut through the esophagus. And I read in some articles that they cut her tongue out. Oh, this was clearly a message they were trying to send.
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00:49:46
Speaker
Right. So they talked to Mrs. Hall and Mr. Mills and they're like, did you all know that these two were in an affair? Both of them are like, didn't have a clue. What are you talking about? I don't know. Read the signs. Yeah.
00:50:07
Speaker
But the torn up love letters at the scene had many questioning how true that really was. Police being one that found this very difficult to believe. And they felt that Frances in particular at least knew more than what she was letting on.
00:50:25
Speaker
So she has this continued denial. There's some weird behavior that we're going to talk about. So investigators begin to shift their focus to Francis and the possible involvement of her brothers, William. There are so just PS people. There are so many in the last half of this case. Oh, people. Oh, Henry. OK. So they shift their focus to Francis with the possible involvement of her brother, William or Willie. Henry Stephen.
00:50:55
Speaker
one cousin, one brother, and cousin Henry Carpenter, okay? So, and then there's gonna be another Henry. Yeah. Especially because of that comment about it was a terrible night and then we were up all night talking about it. And William did own a 32 caliber revolver, but when police talk to him, he's like, hey,
00:51:24
Speaker
I haven't used that in over a decade. Here it is. You can look at it. So he hands it over. But like I haven't used it. And police do examine it thoroughly and they find that he's telling the truth. The gun didn't even work. OK. He didn't even shoot. So they're like OK. But still their suspicion of this group continues. So they're thinking somebody else could have a gun. Right. Oh yeah.
00:51:51
Speaker
Henry Stevens, the older brother of the two, was very well off. I read in some sources that many thought he could potentially be a millionaire, but he had a very short fuse. He got angry very quickly. Crime Library said that he was an expert. He had this expertise in firearms and he had been a marksman before retiring. So he can handle again.
00:52:20
Speaker
So then police are like, well, maybe he was the shooter, but Henry actually lived 50 miles away in another town in New Jersey. And the night of these murders, he was able to provide an alibi that seemed very solid. It was backed up by other people, like they saw him there. Now, can I say something before you continue on with this line of details to me?
00:52:50
Speaker
Because she got the worst of the aggression. I know this is illogical, but I feel like it's true that if you find out that your spouse is having an affair, how many people put more blame and anger on the other person?
00:53:13
Speaker
than their spouse, even though it's your spouse who made the vow to you to be faithful. It takes two to tango. Yeah. So because she got the brunt of the aggression, and because I know that typically the anger goes, is pointed more at the other person, it makes me feel like whoever had
00:53:35
Speaker
committed the crime. Is someone who is associated with the pastor? I will say that. And the fact that his face was covered with his hat. I think so too, because like you said, I know logically we should be mad at our partner, but we're more than often more mad at the other person. So I think if it had been opposite and the
00:54:00
Speaker
Pasture's throat had been severed and then they wouldn't be looking more at the Mills family Yes, but because it was the other way around I think that's why it's the Hall family. Yep. I would agree a hundred percent So remember earlier I said that Francis had done some peculiar things. Yes Well about three weeks after the murders took place police actually found out that just a couple days after she finds out her husband's dead and
00:54:28
Speaker
She sent several items of clothing to a cleaners in Philadelphia and wanted the items cleaned and then dyed black Before sent back to her Who's clothing like her own clothing like she's in mourning Cuz I just read clothing because it's You know not
00:54:56
Speaker
something that's going to say she did it, but it's something that's like, oh, it's not really a good look for you. So you're saying some people were thinking, did she have it cleaned and then dyed another color because there was blood on it or some kind of evidence?
00:55:14
Speaker
But you could excuse it away. Like I was trying to play devil's advocate and say, oh, maybe she was doing this because she's in mourning because she's lost her husband. And so she's taking some of her clothes and having it dyed black. Because I don't know really when that tradition stopped, but there was a certain period of mourning where, you know, widows would dress in black.
00:55:41
Speaker
So maybe that a good point. Maybe that is what that was. I'm trying to play devil's advocate. I'm trying. Well, you know, we all know that the early investigation had some very frustrating moments, the crime scene contamination being a huge one. But by that fall, investigators felt they had finally kind of caught their stride when this lady named Jane Gibson showed up with a witness testimony. Oh, okay.
00:56:09
Speaker
So on October 24th, Jane, who was a pig farmer, which led to her nickname in the media of Pig Woman. Oh no, how unfortunate. I don't know what Jane Gibson looks like, but I have a picture in my head. Why can't it be Farmer Jane? Oh, that's Jane. Yes. Nope, she's Pig Woman. Okay. So she told police that she witnessed the Hall Mills murders.
00:56:39
Speaker
Oh and here is her tale according to Unsolved Casebooks. Okay. She says on the night of September 14th around 9 pm her dogs began barking ferociously. She assumed someone was trying to steal her corn and so she went to investigate and this is like where I'm forming this picture of this farmaging. Yes. Gibson spotted someone in the distance so she got on her mule
00:57:08
Speaker
and went to track down the dark figure. I'm laughing just because it sounds like something that, you know, people back home might do. But and so I can picture her doing it. Yeah. But I'm sure this was a legitimate concern. And
00:57:27
Speaker
A lot of my grandma's sisters became farmers, including my aunt Shorty, which is aunt Charlotte, the baby. She's a farmer. And I'm telling you, you're not really scared of anything. I guarantee you, if she heard something out there and she thought somebody was stealing the crops, she'd go out on her meal too. She's just taking care of business. Yeah. So as Gibson,
00:57:53
Speaker
approach, she was surprised to see a group of four people, she says, near the crab apple tree on Lovers Lane. No sooner had she arrived near the scene, then she suddenly heard the sound of a gunshot. One of the group fell to the ground in a heat before the woman and she heard someone scream, don't, don't,
00:58:18
Speaker
Further gunshots could be heard before Jane Gibson saw a second person drop to the ground. Gibson, at this point, stunned and afraid, fled the scene before anyone saw her, but she did hear one final scream from a female voice saying, Henry. Okay, and we know there's two Henry's, so.
00:58:44
Speaker
Police are wary of this story. First of all, they for some reason think that Dr. Hall was already on the ground when he was shot and not, he wasn't standing up then fell. And this isn't consistent with what Jane said. Jane also seemed to either add a little bit of spice or slightly alter her story each time she retold it.
00:59:13
Speaker
So despite initially saying she only saw silhouettes in this moonless night sky, soon she added that there was a car parked near the location. And thanks to a passing by car, their headlights allowed her to get a good look at these four individuals. And then she's hearing specific names. So all of this could be clouded by because time has passed before she even comes forward, could be clouded by or
00:59:43
Speaker
clarified by newspaper articles and things like that that have come out in the meantime with people's names and details and theories and pictures. Yeah. Yeah. And yeah, because that happens too. So, you know, one to ill of events, she recalls this is like the with the headlights that passed by that the group consisted of two men and two women. One of the women was wearing a long coat and one of the men had
01:00:11
Speaker
like really brushy hair and a mustache. And Jane even added that she heard an argument concerning some notes before one of the women tried to flee unsuccessfully, but was dragged back to the apple tree.
01:00:26
Speaker
alongside the dead man. Then she's asked a third time in a third interview what has happened and according to that Unsolved Casebook she then stated around 1 a.m. she returned to the spot from which she had fled to retrieve an item she thought she dropped. Oh I'd be like that item's gone. I'm not going back here there. I hope it wasn't important because it's never coming back. Exactly.
01:00:54
Speaker
And she says on this outing that under the crab apple tree where the executions took place, she saw a woman knelt by the body of the male victim crying and was like mourning this person's death. And she says that woman was Francis Hall.
01:01:13
Speaker
See, and I feel like because her story changed, it could be 100% true. It could be accurate. And, you know, they say as time passes, your recollection, you can maybe remember things. That's why police always give a card. Like if you remember any other detail, give me a call. Because sometimes if you spend time and you're really focusing, maybe you'll remember something that you didn't initially. But because it changes so much each time,
01:01:44
Speaker
It makes you feel like none of it's true. Yeah, because hers are dramatic changes. Another witness would cast doubt on Jane's story.
01:01:59
Speaker
This lady named Mrs. Fraley lived nearest to the location of the murders. I read that she was so close to the scene of the crime that if she looked out her window, she could have seen the crime take place. Oh, so it's right there. Yeah. But she stated that she heard nothing on the night that the two lovers were killed. She also
01:02:23
Speaker
said that she spoke to Jane that next morning and that Jane didn't say anything about a death or a murder, didn't say anything about any weird accident. And Mrs. Fraley says that's just really out of character for her because Jane was a notorious gossip. Oh, yeah. I mean, she would have mentioned it.
01:02:47
Speaker
Clearly, because it sounds like it. Plus, I remember you saying now that the police believed that they were murdered in New Brunswick and their bodies brought there, which means Farmer Jane couldn't have seen it happen there if it actually happened elsewhere.
01:03:10
Speaker
And everybody would have heard the gunshot. And I would think that Farmer Jane would have mentioned it to Mrs. Fraley. Oh, for sure. Especially if she's like a gossipy woman. She may not have gave all the details away, but she would have been like, oh, you never would have guessed my dogs were barking at me. Yeah. I thought somebody was selling my Kumi wool. But she didn't.
01:03:32
Speaker
In the days following her original statement and her identification of Frances, Jane would also name her male attack, like the male attacker, not her male attacker, but the male attacker. And here we have Cousin Henry. So Cousin Henry, who I'm just going to call Cousin Henry because there's so many, live just two doors down from Frances. But he immediately gave an alibi that he was dining with friends and his wife at the time of the murders. And the people that were with him were like, yup, we were at dinner.
01:04:02
Speaker
Okay. But on November 20th, 1922, prosecutors took their case hoping for indictments before the Summersville grand jury. And then this took, I think eight days. There were 67 witnesses that were called in to give pieces of evidence. Mrs. Fraley was one who cast a doubt on Jane Gibson's testimony. The other neighbor who didn't hear anything. Mm-hmm.
01:04:32
Speaker
Yeah. And Jane now stated that she heard gunshots around 10 p.m. on the night of the 14th. So again, just time. Times are changing. But she was called in to give her testimony.
01:04:50
Speaker
But shortly after the jury convened, after this testimony, and they did not deliberate very long, it was less than an hour. And when they came back, this was the verdict that they read. Quote, for reasons which to them seemed sufficient and controlling, the grand jury took no action on the Hall Mills murder case and laid the matter over. This does not necessarily mean that the matter cannot be taken up by this or a subsequent jury. End quote.
01:05:19
Speaker
They said there's not enough evidence to go to trial. Yeah. And so we're out of standstill. And the case really kind of remained that way for about four years. But finally, in July of 1926, we're going to trial because we have, yeah, we've arrested some people.
01:05:46
Speaker
Oh, you know, we we've nearly forgotten about this case by now. Yeah. It's been four years later. But some amazing things happened that led to this trial in July. So on July 3rd, a piano tuner. This is like so 1920s. I feel like it is. Yeah.
01:06:07
Speaker
named Arthur Geist filed a petition for divorce from his wife of just 10 months. And inside this petition for divorce was this claim that his wife had taken $5,000 from her employer for her silence about the murder of Dr. Hall and Eleanor. And who made this employer have been? Yeah. It was none other than Francis Hall.
01:06:38
Speaker
So, Louise, which was author's wife, was the former maid of the Hall residence. And she's the one who gave the alibi that Frances was in there playing solitaire. Yeah, she'd given all that evidence in defense of the Hall family back in 1922 in front of the grand jury.
01:07:05
Speaker
But he claimed his wife had confessed to him that Dr. Hall had confided in her his plans to elope with Eleanor. And rather than keeping that confidential between Louise and Dr. Hall, she actually told Francis. So in this new chill of events, Louise told Francis where Dr. Hall and Eleanor were planning to meet.
01:07:34
Speaker
And then Francis ordered her chauffeur. Okay. How much money did these people have? This is the pastor. Right. Which we did. We did talk about Francis came for money. So maybe this is her money. Right. And her brother's a millionaire. So maybe I'll pay for your chauffeur.
01:07:53
Speaker
Yeah, if Anthony's world was a millionaire, I'd be like, I need you to write me a check. I will not be paying this back. Thank you. But she tells her chauffeur to take her
01:08:05
Speaker
to this lover's lane with her brother, William. And this story hits the press. Oh, yeah. The past year's wife paid off her maid and goes to the location where these two star-crossed lovers were found murdered. And then kills them both. Right. So I mean, this is like big news. Yeah.
01:08:30
Speaker
On July 28, just over three weeks after that story hit the press, Frances Hall, along with her brothers, William and Henry Stevens and cousin Henry were arrested for the murders of Edward Hall and Eleanor Mills. On November 3rd, 1926, the trial began. At this point, cousin Henry had successfully partitioned to be tried separately and he ended up never being tried at all. Oh,
01:09:00
Speaker
Yeah. And as with the grand jury, Jane Gibson, Farmer Jane was once again the star witness for the prosecution. I'd be like, as soon as she gets on the stand, I'd say, uh, how many times has your story changed? Listen,
01:09:21
Speaker
I read she couldn't even walk in the courtroom. She had to be carried in on a stretcher because she was ill, like very ill the days prior to this. I wonder how much of that was true. I don't know Farmer Jane, but she seems a little, shall we say, dramatic. Yeah, good word.
01:09:45
Speaker
Also interesting to me, before her testimony could even begin, it was interrupted with screams of liar, liar from the gallery. OK, I immediately would think, oh, obviously this is someone who supports Frances and her family, you know, and they think that Jane is a liar. No, these were coming from Jane's own mother. Oh, yeah, that's a little bit worse.
01:10:15
Speaker
Yeah, so weird. Just like before though Jane's story changed again. Of course it did. Of course it did. One major difference was that Jane now stated that she had seen William and brother Henry alongside their sister Francis. So not cousin Henry as she had said in 1922.
01:10:40
Speaker
Yeah, because her memory has been sharpened by four years after the crime. This kind of sounds like Salem witch trials. Like we're just changing things. We're just adding people. We're making up names. Yeah. But this left everyone wondering who was missing then because in her original story, she had seen four adults, not five. Yeah, because obviously the pastor and
01:11:10
Speaker
Eleanor too. Eleanor there, yeah. Maybe she can't count very well. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe two have similar builds and like she saw one and then one bent down to tie a shoe and it was the other one. I don't know. I don't know.
01:11:26
Speaker
And Salt Casebook said that in order to discredit Jane's testimony, it was pointed out, you mentioned this earlier, that she had been unable to pick out suspects when shown pictures until a week later after
01:11:41
Speaker
Francis Hall's picture have been featured in the newspaper and then she's like, there she is. It's kind of like, have you ever noticed when you hear a new word or you see a certain car or something for the first time and then you see it everywhere? I like when you buy a new car and everybody has your car. And you think, oh, how did I miss it before? I think memory is so malleable.
01:12:08
Speaker
that it could be the case, and maybe, you know, I'm mocking Farmer Jane here, but maybe she really did see a shadow, but then after seeing the picture, she has convinced herself that she saw more detail than what she did. Well, like today,
01:12:30
Speaker
I heard the ice cream truck when I was sitting outside reading through this podcast again. And so then I was like, well, sometimes it takes a while for the ice cream truck to get through because we back up to another subdivision. So sometimes it'll be in that subdivision. It takes a minute to get to mine. So I was like, well, I'll go in the living room and I'll open up the window, the blinds, so I can watch for the ice cream truck because, you know, I'm seven and a half months pregnant and I like ice cream trucks.
01:12:58
Speaker
even though I had already ate two packs of gushers, but it's fine. So I was waiting for the ice cream truck, which ended up being Kona ice and was not, it was a little disappointing because I wasn't in the mood. But every time I would like glance up, I thought my mailbox was a person looking in my window. So maybe it was nothing similar. Yeah. And you've just convinced yourself that that's what it was. Yeah, maybe. Further discrediting though, former Jane, her neighbor, George.
01:13:28
Speaker
actually says on the stand that Jane offered him money if he supported her statement. Oh, that's not a good look. Okay. Yeah. And the defense also did their best just to paint farmer Jane as a crazy person with an unreliable testimony. Yeah. Another witness who claims to have seen brother Henry near the side of the murder was a man named Ralph.
01:13:56
Speaker
Now, what's interesting with Ralph is that he was also, according to my research, a past lover of Elinor's. So he claimed that on seeing him, brother Henry fired two warning shots at him, which then he was like, okay, bye, and leaves.
01:14:22
Speaker
So this means that either Ralph or Farmer Jane are lying because Jane said she heard four shots, but if she was there the whole time as she claimed to have been, she would have heard six because she would have heard those warning shots. Right, because Dr. Hall was shot once and Eleanor was shot three times. So that's the four, but there would have been the two warning shots, hence six. Yep. Another witness
01:14:52
Speaker
was also easily dismissed by the defense. His name is Henry Dickman. So we have our next Henry. Henry III. Yep. Henry III. He was a former state trooper who claimed he was paid $2,500 by Cousin Henry in order to drop any investigation into the Hall family or Cousin Henry's family and their involvement in these murders.
01:15:21
Speaker
The problem here though is that Dickman didn't really have the best reputation. I read that he had just been released from prison and one article said that it was Alcatraz because he had been not a very truthful, not an upstanding police officer. He wasn't the gold standard, if you know what I'm saying.
01:15:43
Speaker
So many didn't buy what he was selling. For the defense though, both Francis and William took the stand and both denied any involvement. And after a month long trial, which included the evidence of 157 witnesses. How did our witness list grow that much? Well, they have a ton of just the indictment thing. Yeah. Wow.
01:16:11
Speaker
I guess this town does a lot of talking, but the time for talking was over. And on December 3rd, 1926, after five hours of deliberating, the jury returned its verdict and Francis, William, and Brother Henry were all acquitted and Cousin Henry never went to trial. Which again, says that there's not enough physical evidence to convict.
01:16:40
Speaker
Yeah, and you know, at this point, I feel like we all kind of have our gut feeling at this point. And so I'm sure you guys are like, there's no way there could be any potential theories of what you thought wrong. Because there are nine that I read on crime library. They're short that I want to discuss with you guys because this is still technically an unsolved case. Okay. So one that,
01:17:09
Speaker
the prosecutor Beckman was quick to dismiss, was that the Ku Klux Klan did it as a justice in their eyes? Because I have a couple of things with this, but in this theory, they did it because they frown on the loose morals of the Reverend and Eleanor.
01:17:36
Speaker
And people say that they often would pose bodies in the ways that they were posed like pointed towards trees or whatever. And there's a book that the author goes more in depth in this theory. But here are my problems. Here are my problems. I do not have a wide knowledge of the Ku Klux Klan because
01:18:01
Speaker
I think obviously they're evil and I just, you know, that's what I go on. So I don't spend my time reading up on them. But from the limited knowledge that I do have, I feel like their acts generally leave a clear message. I don't think we would be like, hmm, what's this, the klutz clan?
01:18:25
Speaker
Again, I just don't see it. There are some that would argue that Mrs. Hall did this all by herself out of revenge. I just don't think that this would be something she would would or could do on her own to take on her
01:18:49
Speaker
her husband, a grown man, and another grown woman. She also, I think, was so dedicated to her husband's ministry that even if she did know about the affair, I don't think she would have ever done anything about it. I don't think she would have caught them in the act on her own because she just took such great steps into hiding that this affair was going on.
01:19:21
Speaker
But my biggest thing here is I just don't think she could have done it by herself. She wouldn't need help. Right. Because I would think her husband could overpower her, especially with the help of somebody else. Yeah, definitely. There are some that believe James Mill, so Eleanor's husband did it because he knew his wife was unfaithful more than once, obviously, and that she had challenged him to follow her. Because remember, she was like, well, if you want to know where I'm going. Follow me and find out. Follow me and find out.
01:19:50
Speaker
But several people saw him working on his porch. He was like fixing some window boxes. He did go visit the church around 1030. And the time of death for Dr. Hall and Eleanor was never officially established. It was loosely estimated to be around 10. But no one pursued this lead very thoroughly from what this source said.
01:20:17
Speaker
But again, I just don't I don't see it being Kim one because most of the violence was towards Eleanor. But, you know, he did say that him and the pastor were really good friends and he would never do this. So maybe he was more mad at Eleanor than he was at Dr. Hall. Maybe. Well, especially if he knew that she had had an affair already.
01:20:45
Speaker
And now what was happening again? Oh, that's true. Like, oh, we've already, we've been through this before and now you're going to do it again. Interesting. There is a theory that it was Mrs. Hall and the brother, William, with William being the killer. We know that no weapon was ever found at the scene.
01:21:13
Speaker
and that the 32 had been used to kill Dr. Hall and Eleanor. I read in a couple places that the Halls did have guns of that same caliber and that gun wasn't seen again. I didn't really find that in a lot of sources. That was just like maybe one or two.
01:21:36
Speaker
Some think that William also posed the bodies and cut Eleanor's throat because when rage overtook him, he didn't really know what was going on. His buddies that worked at the fire station seem to think that he knew more about the murders before the bodies were discovered, but they didn't offer anything at William's trial. Like they weren't brought up and said, oh, he knows more than he's telling you all. Right. But I don't think he would have cut Eleanor's throat.
01:22:05
Speaker
and removed her tongue. I mean, he may have shot them, but I definitely think it was the wife that slit the throat of Eleanor. Francis definitely cut that. Yeah, because I almost think the act of cutting out a tongue seems very psychological.
01:22:30
Speaker
in terms of reasoning, like you're never gonna be able to tell anybody about this. You're not gonna be able to talk about this. So I'm curious about that injury. The fifth theory is that Ralph did it. So remember he's the guy that has the testimony that kind of throws into question Farmer Jane's testimony. He was the other lover.
01:22:57
Speaker
Some believe that he was jealous and angry with Eleanor since they had once had an affair and she had kind of moved on.
01:23:06
Speaker
And in this theory by Crime Library, he and a woman who wanted the minister for herself often spied on the two, according to this source. And although he originally denied it, he finally did admit to being near the crime scene the night when the murder was going on. The day after the police, who suspected he may have played a part, questioned him, his expensive car caught fire and burned to lock the shell. Oh.
01:23:37
Speaker
So a lot of people think that he may be more than what he was saying. And he would have had a reason to kill both the Reverend and Eleanor. And he certainly would have been passionate enough to slit Eleanor's throat. But unless what you said earlier that the parcel she was carrying was
01:24:04
Speaker
maybe some of their letters. I don't know how the letters would have got there. I'm going to bring something up in a minute. OK, there is another theory that there was a rival of Elinor's who wanted the Reverend's attention to herself. So sort of playing into theory five. There were a few others in the choir and in the church who hated Elinor for being favored by the Reverend. And a few days after the murder, someone tore up several hymnals.
01:24:34
Speaker
We know that the symbolism layer. So some say that it could have been one of those members, but there was never any evidence brought up against her. Okay. 37 is that Francis hired an assassin. So there was a friend of her brother that claimed, this was like,
01:24:57
Speaker
50 years later, nearly 50 years later, on the day of the murders that William hired him to carry two envelopes each filled with $6,000 to a young man in an alley.
01:25:12
Speaker
But the act of hiring these quote unquote thugs didn't fit well with the character of Mrs. Hall. And so she didn't want to be seen, but she would pay somebody else to do it. That's a lot of money in the 1920s. Yeah, it is. But she has a show for anime.
01:25:33
Speaker
Then there are some that think this was just a random robbery in theory eight, but no, no, like they cut out her tongue. And then some people think in theory nine that former Jane slash pig woman did it. And I read in the.
01:25:54
Speaker
in this source that, um, the defense made this suggestion as something within the realm of possibility, giving how many inconsistencies she had to her story, but she had no motive, no pistol. And she didn't even really know who Eleanor and Dr. Hall were. So that theory doesn't make sense. So what are you, what are you thinking? Okay. I'm going to throw, I'm going to throw you a curve ball.
01:26:22
Speaker
right here. Are you going to do murder, suicide? No. I am going to say that it was Ralph, the first lover. And here's why I'm going to say that. I get why the attention was on Reverend Hall's wife. I get why there was suspicion on Eleanor's husband. The reason I think it was Ralph is because what if, what if
01:26:52
Speaker
Because we know this crime scene was not handled with care. We know that it was contaminated. I don't know what was collected in terms of evidence, what was disposed of, et cetera. What if those letters at the crime scene were actually the love letters between Ralph and Eleanor?
01:27:22
Speaker
And, you know, if they're just like, I love you, you mean so much to me, it wouldn't mention a name. So how would they know that it wasn't ones that Eleanor had written to Reverend Hall?
01:27:33
Speaker
So what if he brings those because he knows this affair is going on and he says, you must not have meant any of these things and he rips them up and then he kills the Reverend, which he feels bad about, which is why he puts the hat on his head and he puts the calling card like, you know, a proper burial.
01:27:54
Speaker
But there's such violence and the tongue being cut out psychologically because he feels like she tells lies and that the words that she speaks aren't true. That's my theory. I like it.
01:28:13
Speaker
Today we took a journey into this 1920s mystery that took us deep into the heart of New Brunswick, New Jersey, where the lives of two star-crossed lovers, Reverend Edward Hall and Eleanor Mills, were brutally cut short. Despite the efforts of law enforcement and the captivating courtroom drama, the Hall-Mills murder case has remained officially unsolved.
01:28:33
Speaker
leaving behind a legacy of unanswered questions and lingering mysteries. The lack of conclusive evidence and conflicting testimonies continue to shroud the case in uncertainty, keeping the true identity of the killer or killers hidden in the shadows of history. Yet the enduring fascination with the chilling unsolved crime serves as a reminder of the complexities of life and the mysteries that still lie buried in time. As we bid farewell to this case, we're left to contemplate the tragic fate of Reverend Hall and Eleanor Mills
01:29:02
Speaker
and the impact their story has had on the world of true crime. The shadows of the chapel still echo with the whispers of secrets lost to time but never forgotten. Their tale endures a haunting reminder of the thin line that separates love and passion from obsession and betrayal.
01:29:17
Speaker
Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Twitter, at casescoffee, on Instagram, at coffee cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com. Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon.
01:29:47
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.
01:30:15
Speaker
I hope you guys know I do a little dance every time I do that. That's why we need video. Yeah. Oh God. Then you all would really judge me. And I'm excited that we heard from so many of you guys the last couple of weeks. We heard from Sarah.
01:30:37
Speaker
Spartacus and Ashley on Instagram and from Sarah without an H on Facebook suggesting a case and to Kat, Morgan and Twyla for listening or listening, listing us
01:30:53
Speaker
as recommendations for others to listen to. I know. I loved that. I got so excited. I love when you guys give us a shout out to other people. We also have lots of love for Leanne who left us a Facebook review that we just saw and she wrote quote, Maggie and Alison bring light to those lesser known cases. I enjoy learning about ones I haven't heard about before.
01:31:18
Speaker
I think one discussing a case and the other giving good insight and asking questions makes things very interactive. There's never any judgment and I enjoy their friendship. My new favorite podcast for all the traveling I do and my work day." End quote. Thanks, Leanne. That was super sweet. That was nice. Also, not listed here, but because I forgot to tell you, my boss's boss,
01:31:47
Speaker
started listening to us, and she messaged me on Monday, and she was like, I just want you to know you and Allison kept me company all weekend. And I was like, I hope you're having nice. That's super sweet. And this is cool, I think. Let's not forget to mention, I don't even know how to say this country, Allison. Latvia? But now I feel like we need to move there.
01:32:14
Speaker
Because in that country, we are number one on their true crime courts this week. So we're above crime junkies. We're above true crime garage. We're above morbid. In Latvia. Yeah. Thank you, Latvia.
01:32:32
Speaker
So we love you. Yes. And now we need a vacation there. Yeah. I thought that was so crazy. You know what else made me so happy this week is that we also have love to shout out to our two new Patreon members, Tara and Michelle. Welcome to the CNC fam. We are so excited to have you here and we really appreciate your support of the show.
01:33:03
Speaker
And speaking of Patreon, which is like a total family.
01:33:10
Speaker
Speaking of Patreon, we have swag boxes going out at the end of this month to those who have joined at the $12, $15 and $20 level and who doesn't love getting gifts in addition to knowing that you're helping keep the show going. Also, I feel like I got my own personal swag box in the mail. I guess I should say Ezra got a swag box in the mail because
01:33:39
Speaker
one of our patreon
01:33:42
Speaker
people and longtime listener of the show. We love her. Yes. Trisha was the sweetest and sent Ezra a baby gift. So if you're curious what she got him, we're going to do a live or the live opening of that baby gift will be posted on Patreon. So if you haven't joined and you want to know what I got or know what all the fuss is about, check out
01:34:11
Speaker
the episode oh yeah that we did a couple weeks back we did give them that little sneak peek of charlie brand brand that episode you can check that out because that'll give you just a little sneak peek of what kind of content you'll find over on patreon.com slash coffee and cases and we've made it easy for you because you can also just click that and the show notes to join today
01:34:37
Speaker
And with that, all of our love is going out to each and every one of you. Until next week, sleuth hounds.