On a September morning in 1922, the quiet, rural landscape of Somerset County, New Jersey, became the setting for a grim discovery that would captivate and scandalize the nation. On September 16th, the bodies of a man and a woman were found lying side-by-side under a crab apple tree in a field often used as a lovers' lane. The man was identified as Edward Wheeler Hall, a 41-year-old White male Episcopal priest from the nearby city of New Brunswick. He had been shot once in the head.
His companion was Eleanor Mills, a member of his church choir with whom he was having an affair. The scene was peculiar; Hall's face was covered with his hat, and his calling card was propped against his foot. Between their bodies, torn-up love letters were scattered, a silent testament to their forbidden relationship.
The ensuing investigation was fraught with missteps and sensationalism, quickly turning into a media circus. Suspicion soon fell upon the priest's wife, Frances Noel Stevens Hall, and her socially prominent family. Investigators theorized that Mrs. Hall, a well-to-do woman seven years her husband's senior, had discovered the extent of the affair and sought revenge. Her two brothers, Henry Hewgill Stevens and the eccentric William 'Willie' Stevens, were also implicated. A cousin, Henry de la Bruyere Carpender, was another primary suspect. The initial 1922 investigation, however, failed to produce an indictment, and the case went cold, though it remained a fervent topic of gossip and speculation, fueled by relentless newspaper coverage.
Four years later, in 1926, the case was dramatically reopened after new allegations surfaced. A key witness, Jane Gibson, a pig farmer who lived near the crime scene, came forward with a sensational story. She claimed that on the night of the murders, she had seen Mrs. Hall, her two brothers, and their cousin at the scene. Based on this and other developments, Frances Hall and her brothers were arrested and indicted for the murders. Their trial in Somerville became a national spectacle, attracting hundreds of reporters and curious onlookers daily.
The prosecution argued that Mrs. Hall had instigated the murders out of jealousy, with her brothers acting as her accomplices. However, the evidence against them was largely circumstantial. The defense team fiercely attacked the credibility of the witnesses, particularly Jane Gibson, painting her as an unreliable and eccentric figure. In the end, the jury found the evidence insufficient to convict. Frances Hall and her brothers were acquitted of all charges. The charges against their cousin, Henry Carpender, who was to be tried separately, were subsequently dropped. Despite the trial and the immense public scrutiny, no one was ever held accountable for the deaths of Reverend Hall and Eleanor Mills. The case officially remains unsolved, a haunting piece of New Jersey history that continues to intrigue crime enthusiasts to this day.
