[Please note, the library does *not* have the hat.]
The year is 1922. Edward Wheeler Hall, an episcopal priest, and Eleanor Reinhardt Mills, a member of his choir, are found dead near a farm in Franklin Township. Investigations revealed there was an affair between them; therefore the motive was beginning to form in the minds of local detectives. Hall's wife, Frances Noel Stevens Hall, and her brothers stood accused of murder, and the papers could not stop writing about the case. In the end, they were acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence. No one else was suspected or charged.
Skipping ahead to 1969: Julius Bolyog, a Hungarian immigrant, finally comes forward with further information on the case. He had been friendly with Willie Stevens, one of the accused brothers. His story was broadcast by WINS, a New York City radio station, in approximately 1969. The broadcast can be listened to here in 8 report segments, each no more than 5 minutes long. Click the links below to access the MP3 files.
- Part 1
This first segment introduces the listener to the Hall-Mills murder case and the recent development of Julius Bolyog coming forward with information. - Part 2
This segment delves into the murder case a bit more, with information about the "Pig Woman" and how her testimony came into play. - Part 3
This segment explains more about Bolyog's involvement. - Part 4
This segment discusses how Bolyog's story was met by officials. - Part 5
This segment speaks to why Bolyog came forward when he did, and what officials did with the information he gave them. - Part 6
This segment discusses evidence supporting Bolyog's story. - Part 7
This segment speaks to the continuing investigation. - Part 8
This final segment explains why Bolyog remained silent for so long, and wraps up the story.
A reel-to-reel tape of the broadcasts was acquired by the New Brunswick Free Public Library from the Home News Tribune office in East Brunswick, New Jersey, in 2013. It is not known if the audio recording was made at WINS or recorded off the air. The library had the audio tape converted into a digital format and made transcriptions of the entire recording, which can be downloaded here.
The Paper Documents Collection of Mr. George Wilson
Mr. George Wilson of New Brunswick donated his extensive records of the Hall Mills Murder. The collection consists of 5 boxes of materials copied both from the original depositions and court testimonies and well as nearly daily clippings from 3 different newspaper sources.
Click here to view the finding aid of this collection of documents.
Click here to browse the 1922 Depositions, Interviews, and Statements: Texts from Box 5 of this collection.
Joe Pompeo Research Collection of Articles from the 1926 Daily Mirror on the Hall-Mills Murder
In Blood & Ink: The Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder That Hooked America on True Crime, Joe Pompeo wrote about the unsolved murder and the origin of tabloid sensationalism. The tabloid at the forefront of the history was the New York Daily Mirror. Joe has kindly provided us with a list and copies of the articles he used to write the book. These are focused on the 1926 revival of the investigation of the 1922 murder, which went to trial as a result of The Daily Mirror involvement. The murder still remains unsolved.
Neither Joe nor the New Brunswick Free Public Library are the creators or owners of the articles or the copyright, and cannot provide authorization to use them for commercial purposes. We can provide copies of the articles for educational purposes or personal enjoyment.
The list is composed of the titles, dates, and page numbers of each article. Download the list here. These are only those that Joe Pompeo used and do not include others that he did not use. The library does not have any Daily Mirror articles other than these.
Should you want a copy of a specific article, please call or email the library with the information about which article. You may also call us at to make an appointment to visit the archive to look at these articles or the other Hall-Mills Murder collections.
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