hi guys how are you today
my name is Bailey Syrian and today is Monday
which means it’s murder Mystery and makeup Monday
if you are new here
hi my name is Bailey Sarian
you said that
and every Monday I sit down
I talk about a true crime story
that’s been heavy on my noggin
if you are interested in true crime and you like makeup
I would highly suggest you hit that subscribe button
as far as today’s story goes
I thought we could actually talk about a mystery
that’s been left unsolved
I don’t really like doing unsolve stories
because I’m the type of person where like
I need that closure
I need to go to bed at night knowing like
it’s closed
so that’s why I don’t really dabble
too much in unsolved stuff here
but I you know
I should include more I should
but today we are going to talk about the Hall
Mills murder mystery doo doo
Edward Hall was born in 1881
yeah we’re going back 1881 baby
oh well that’s when he was born anyways
he was born middle class parents in Brooklyn New York
now when he grew up
he became a minister at a church in New York
and in New Jersey before he accepted a position at ST
john’s in 1909
ST john’s was located in New Brunswick
and at his new job
this is where he would meet his new wife
Francis Stevens
Francis Stevens
now she let me tell you
she was born in 1874
now Francis was an heiress
of the Johnson and Johnson surgical supply fortune
you know that Johnson and Johnson money
now it’s said that Francis and her 2 brothers
Henry and Willie
they were worth
you know like 2 million dollars each
2 million dollars was like
wow I’m rich
cause now it’s like 2 million
that’s not even gonna pay for school
it’s said that Francis was um
a homely woman
a homely looking woman
which I think it kind of made me laugh
it’s sad because
I feel like it always comes down to our looks
but back then
if you came from money
you were expected to look like you came from money
you know and people would say that Francis
she just wasn’t known for being beautiful
and one reporter commented that she was quote
not fully unattractive
just not fully good looking
so that’s nice
Francis and Edward
they were married in 1911
Edward was 30 years old
and Francis was 37 years old
now naturally
everyone assumed that Edward was
into this marriage only for money
it’s easy to think that because
Johnson and Johnson
hello yeah but after they got married
Francis and Edward
they moved in together
and they moved into their
of Francis’s family home
now at that time
Francis’s brother
Willie also lived in the family home
okay so now I’m going to talk about another couple
who was involved in this story
James Mills
and Eleanor Mills
James Mills was born on the 27th of January in 1878
a long time ago
he worked as a shoemaker
before becoming the janitor at the ST
john’s Church
the same church that Edward Wheeler
the man we talked about
first ministered at
and then Eleanor Mills
she was a soprano in the church’s choir
and she married James at the age of 15
Eleanor was a prominent member of the
church Ladies group
it said that she spent her time in church activities
she would read romance novels
she was just always hanging around the church
between the 2 of them
they had 2 children
Charlotte Mills
who was born in 1906
and Daniel Mills
who was born in 1910
now the Mills
they lived in a pretty
run down home
James only made about 35 a week
which wasn’t cutting it for the family
money was just tight
but they tried their best
and they made
they made it work
they had to
they really had no choice
now this is when it gets juicy
Eleanor and Edward began having an affair
remember Edward is the minister
Eleanor works in the church choir
and also part of the women’s group
it’s unknown when the affair officially started
it is said that in 1919
Edward would go see Eleanor daily
both of their partners
Francis and James
would deny any knowledge
as far as this alleged affair
they had no idea
but it seemed that everybody else knew
so not only the church
but it seemed like the entire town
knew of the infidelity
everyone was talking about it
like it was just the town gossip
you know how that goes
just one of those secrets everybody knew about
does your town have one of those
it’s weird how that happens isn’t it
on September 14th 1922
both Francis Hall and James Mills
they would find
that neither
Edward nor Eleanor
had returned home
normally they would come home around dinner time
5 6 p m Like
what are you doing
it’s 2 30 in the morning
now none of their partners are home
Francis and her brother Willie
they decided to go down to the church
and search for her husband
now they go looking around the area
and they’re
seeing that he’s nowhere to be found
like he’s not at the church
I mean that’s where he works
so where else could he be
they don’t find them
and they don’t find any trace of them
all right so then
they just end up
going back home
to their place
so on September 16th
which is 2 days later
a young couple was out on a stroll
they were going down lover’s Lane
lovers Lane was like
one of those areas
that all the young
the young kids in love
would hang out
maybe they would make out
do stuff like that
you know but
it was like
a walking area
a lot of people would just go and take a stroll
lovers Lane
was in Somerset
New Jersey which was
right outside of New Brunswick
so it’s like
it wasn’t too far off from
the location so
so this young couple
is taking a
strolled and
as they were walking
they came across
2 bodies in like
a field area
so they see
laid under a
crab apple tree
a man that was
handsomely dressed
in a dark gray suit
he had on a
white shirt
with a stiff
white collar
and a white tie
he also had
a Panama hat
that had been placed
over his face
as those like
shielding him from the sun
at his side
there laid a lady
and her legs were crossed
her head pillowed on her
what seemed to be like
her companion’s
outstretched right arm
her left hand
was resting on his knee
now again they
they’re dead
and they’re
under this tree
so their bodies are like
positioned in this
kind of like
romantic way
it was very strange
now the girl
she was wearing
a polka dotted
blue dress a brown
woolen scarf
covered her throat
and when they looked closer
at the body
they see that the lady
had been shot
3x0 shit so
this couple
that had came
across the bodies
they hurry to like
the nearest home
and they let the owner know like hey
we just saw
some bodies
under a tree
can we please
use your telephone
and call the police
2 police officers
were on the
scene within
minutes now
once the police had arrived
they moved the
scarf that the
woman was wearing
and they see
that her throat
had been ripped out
so they were able to ID
the bodies as
Edward Hall
and Eleanor
Mills mm hmm
now littered around the bodies
were pieces of torn up
love letters
allegedly the letters
had belonged to
the 2 of them
Edwards business card
was left at his feet
and due to the
state of the wound
on Eleanor’s neck
police were able to assess
that the 2 of them
had been dead
for at least 24
hours for years
members of the church
had whispered
about the close
relationship
between the minister
and the choir singer
but now that gossip
was confirmed to be true
because again
around the bodies were
like torn up
love letters
and they weren’t
torn up into
like tiny itty
bitty pieces
you know so
the police gathered
these letters
and were able to
put them back together
and one of the letters
was from Eleanor
and it said
quote sweetheart
my true heart
I know there are
girls with more
shapely bodies
but I’m not caring
what they have
I have the greatest part
of all blessings
a noble man’s deep
true eternal love
I want to look up
into your dear face
for hours as you
touch my body
close end quote
super hot now
in these letters
they come across
another one
and this one
was from Edward
and Edward had written
quote darling
wonder heart
wonder Heart
okay I just
want to crush you
for 2 hours
I want to see you
Friday night
alone by our road
where we can
let out that
universe of joy
and happiness
we call ours
end quote yeah
I don’t know
about you but
if someone wrote me
a love letter
saying quote
I wanna crush you for 2
hours and quote
I’d be like
yeah I can’t
I’m like really busy
around that time
you were thinking
about doing that
sorry so these
love letters
confirmed that
of course they
were having
well not of course
but that they
were indeed
having an affair
autopsies revealed
that Edward
had been shot
at a Point Blank rage
with a 32 caliber
automatic pistol
the bullet it
had entered
his head near the
right temple
and came out
of the back
of the left side
and then Eleanor
had been shot
3 times in the head
the New York Times
had reported
that one of
the bullets
entered the
woman’s forehead about 2in
above the nose
another went
through the
right cheek
and the 3rd
pierced the
right temple
and then on
top of that
whoever did this shit
because her
throat had been
cut so deeply
that her jugular vein
windpipe and
neck muscles
were completely severed
and her backbone
could easily be seen
what the fuck
kind of sick
shit is that
what the hell is
wrong with people
how come they
didn’t do it
to the dude
now naturally
I know what you’re thinking
because I’m
thinking it too
hello it’s the spouse
it’s one of
the spouses
right affair
it’s got to
be one of the
spouses now
the hall’s Mills case
had all the elements
it was dramatic
it involved
wealth and sex
I mean everything
that just really
interests people
so when media
got hold of this story
everyone lost their shit okay
everyone just went nuts
people were just heavily invested
technically we still do that to this day you know
like on the news and stuff when something major happens
so I guess nothing really has changed
but anyways
so the media went crazy
this is dumb
but this is also a different time
people were just
it’s just different
because it’s so fucked up where the bodies were found
it turned into like a major tourist attraction
so on weekends the crime scene
it became like a carnival
there were vendors out there selling popcorn peanuts
soft drinks
oh help balloons
you want a balloon
people died here
celebrate with the balloon
hordes of people
curious cats all came out there
it said that there were about 1 000 cars a day
just coming out to see where this crime took place
mind you their bodies weren’t there anymore
they had taken them away
but hundreds of people flock to the crime scene
because they wanted to see the blood stains
they wanted to see if they could find any evidence and
and solve the crime or something
I don’t know
but people just lost their shit okay
getting balloons and like
but yeah it’s weird right
but it’s a different time
so I’m trying not to judge
but I’m judging
so it’s like
so within a few weeks
the crab apple tree that the bodies were found under
had been completely stripped of every branch
and bit of like bark
people were coming and they wanted a souvenir
so they would take a piece of the tree
yeah I don’t know
they were really excited about it
there was one person who took like
samples of the dirt in the surrounding area
and they put it in little bags
I don’t think ziplock bags were a thing yet
did Johnson and Johnson make it yet
I don’t know
they would put the dirt in like
these little bags
and they would sell it to people for 25 cents
who were looking to take a souvenir
and they couldn’t take the tree anymore
cause the tree was destroyed
they took dirt at the crime scene
you guys what the fuck
people are weird
we’re a weird breed
so saying that people were obsessed is like
an understatement
and then naturally
naturally because people suck
even back then
they sucked
the seller people would get dirt from different areas
put it in the little bag and
be like yeah
this is crime scene dirt ¢25
now the problem with like all these people coming to
the crime scene and kind of making it into a show
it was interfering with the
collection of evidence in the investigation because
everything was literally being destroyed and again this
is like the 1800 no it’s not it’s the 19 hundreds now
they’re born in the 1800s
okay yeah it’s the early 1900s
okay so their ability to investigate
crime scenes isn’t that
high tech I don’t even know what they do how they solve
crimes back then it must have been very challenging
cause they didn’t have any DNA yet
stuff like that that we really take for
granted now huh
I think that’s why a lot of these
older cases go
unsolved because
they didn’t
have anything to work with
anyways so initial initially
initially wow I can’t talk
police did not question
James Mills
Eleanor’s husband
because they thought he was
quote unquote dull
and they honestly
thought he had nothing to do with the murders
he also had a pretty
strong alibi
his neighbors had seen him at home
and they heard him doing some woodwork
now these neighbors weren’t
super close with him so they
would really have no reason to lie
now Francis
the Johnson and Johnson girl
she had an alibi
as well she said that she had been home with her maid
the maid of course
was like yeah she was here
I’m the maid
police are stumped
they really have no
other leads
they’re like
we got nothing
now a few weeks
after the bodies
had been found
a 50 year old woman
her name was
Jane Gibson
she owned a hog farm
right next to
Lovers Lane
it was a lot of land
at that time
so I guess she
would kind of
ride around
on a horse not a hog
but she would
ride around
on her farm
in her land area
and she could ride up to
Lovers Lane
which wasn’t
too far off
so she was on her horse
and she was
riding around the areas
and she reported
on the night
of the killing
to hearing gunshots
and then she
heard a woman
scream Henry
now she believed
that she had seen 2 men
and 2 women
at the scene
before the gunshots
now when miss Gibson
the hog farm lady
came forward
she tells like
all this information
that she she
heard that night
once media got a hold of this
they of course went crazy
they were harassing
this poor lady
who came forward
and then they
ended up giving her
the nickname quote
the pig woman
in the papers
so anytime her
story was referenced
um in the papers
they called her
the pig woman
I would be so pissed
I mean really
I’m trying to help
what are you guys doing
and you’re calling me
the pig woman now
in the media
and whatnot
they were like
just showing all this
upset with her like that
calling her a liar
and saying that
she’s lying
for attention
and just like
attacking this poor woman
who was just
trying to help
if you remember
Francis had her
2 other brothers
Willie and Henry
the witness
reported hearing a woman
scream Henry
before the gunshots
before the gunshots
police go back
and they question
Francis and her brothers
and they actually end up
taking them in
and arresting them
they go in front of her
grand jury and
they end up just
letting them go
because there was
no evidence
pointing to them at all
besides the
witness report
so the case
gets dropped
and they all get let go
for years no one
heard anything
then in 1926
a man named Arthur
this Arthur guy
he was actually
trying to separate
from his wife
at the time
the reason that he
wanted to separate
was because
she kept secrets
now what kind of
secrets was she keeping
well she was hiding
information
about the Hall
Mills murder
now what could this
random ass wife know
about these murders
you know well
this random ass lady
was the former maid
of Francis Hall
remember Francis’s alibi
Arthur said
that his wife
had known that
Edward and Eleanor
had planned to elope
she knew Willie Stevens
had a point
36 caliber pistol
and they also paid this
x made 5 000
to keep her mouth
shut media gets a
hold of this
and of course
it just turns into
a big story
so then the ex made
ex wife now
she comes forward
and she’s like no
my husband’s lying
he’s making all this up
he just wants attention
all of its fake
but at that point
it was way too late
Arthur her ex husband
his statement
had been pushed out
by the press
so I’m sure
the ex made
if it was true
she’s probably
like oh fuck
do I still get to keep my 5 000
because the
media picked up
this statement
and it just
got like crazy
police did actually
reopen the case
and go and investigate
Francis Hall
I’m not exactly sure
how it worked
back then like
I’m assuming
they didn’t need
hardcore evidence
in order to
take you into custody
I guess I should have
looked into that
a little bit more
my bad but on
July 28th 1926
Francis Hall
she was actually
taken into custody
after several hearings
involving more than
50 witnesses
a lot of the
people were just
coming forward
and saying that they
heard something
because they
wanted to be
a part of the story
what is with that
what is with
people doing that
people do that
all the time anyways
and the jury
actually indicted
her brothers
Willie Stevens
and Henry Stevens
as well as their
cousin Henry
so there’s 2 Henrys
so they’re like
it’s gotta be one
the Henry’s
we don’t know
which one it is
so we’re just
gonna take both
of you guys in
okay cool the
trial turned into
a complete spectacle
main Street
was littered with
again these
a bunch of vendors
and they were selling
refreshments
they were selling popcorn
trying to just
sell whatever
they can to
make some money
do you remember
when they found the body
they found Edward’s
business card
which was left
by his feet
and they brought that in
for evidence
prosecutors
stated that
the card had
Willie Stevens
fingerprints
all over it
this same card
had been handled by
curious visitors
to the crime scene
as well as police
I’m not kidding you
when they found the bodies
they were laying
under the crab
apple tree right
they take the
bodies away
of course but
they leave the
evidence there
so the business card
that was found by
Edward’s foot
was left there
and then it was
handed around
when people
came to like
look at the
crime scene
they passed it around
so everybody was
touching it
which is like
not a good piece
of evidence
to have but
they brought
it in anyways
now remember
the pig Lady
remember she
actually like
heard something
and they dubbed her
the Pig Lady
which sucks
but I can’t
remember her name
right now but
they actually
called her to
come testify
miss Gibson
that’s her name
Gibson Jane Gibson
Jane Gibson
she actually
was pretty ill
she was brought in
from the hospital
on a stretcher
and also a doctor
and 2 nurses
came with her
she was carried
into the courtroom
on a stretcher
and placed on an iron
hospital bed
facing the jury box
it’s like theater
during her testimony
her account
of the awful
double murder
her own aged
mother sat in
the front row
of the gallery
and would chime in
yelling quote
she’s a liar
she’s a liar
she’s a liar
again the media
had set her up
Jane Gibson
the Pig Woman
as like a liar
and an evil person
who’s making
this all up
why I don’t know why
they were so
against her
they just like
didn’t wanna
believe it anyway
so her own mom
she’s being
brought in by
a stretcher
and her own mom
is there like
she’s a liar
what the the
drama of it all
defense attacked
Miss Gibson
they attacked her
credibility
pointing out
that she had
gotten a divorce in 1898
for adultery
they questioned her morals
and brought
up the names
of a few ex
lovers trying to
discredit her
and make her out to be
untrustworthy
which it was
kind of working
so then Francis
the Johnson and
Johnson girl
I wanna be part of
the Johnson
and Johnson
family like
that’s fucking
that’s like
money money
she took the stand
and swore that
her husband
was absolutely
devoted to her
after over 80 witnesses
and 5 hours
of deliberation
they found all
4 not guilty
of the murders
of Edward Hall
and Eleanor
Mills the case
to this day
still remains unsolved
now after the
trial had ended
the Stevens
the Johnson
and Johnson family
they ended up
suing both the
Daily Mirror
and the Evening
Journal for
slander and libel
both cases were settled
outside of court
many scholars believe
that this case
was actually
the basis for F
Scott’s it’s
Gerald’s The
Great Gatsby
you know the book
the book was
written 3 years
after the murder
and it takes
place in 1922
so it’s rumored
that the book
is based off
of this unsolved
murder mystery
I could believe it
so that’s the
story about
the Paul Mills
murder mystery
so the case
never was solved
technically
but I think
it was Francis
and like her
brothers um
hello first of all
she’s rich money
can get rid of
anything I mean
ain’t that the
truth come on
if her husband
was having an affair
and they separated
I wonder if
at that time
he would be
receiving money
from her estate
because I’m
sure the family
didn’t want that
and I’m sure the family
didn’t even want
the scandal
in general so
they probably
were able to
get the family
off the hook
shit like that
pisses me off
if you have
money in this
country you
could get away with
murder I mean
we’ve seen it
over and over
and over again
do you think
it was one of
the spouses
what if we’re
looking at the
wrong person
completely and
it was the husband
Eleanor but
what would that
benefit him
I’m not sure
the fact that the
bodies were like
posed seems
kind of like
intimate and
something that a
random stranger
wouldn’t be
comfortable
doing right
or is that just me
and the fact
that Eleanor’s
throat was ripped out
I mean to the
point where
you could see her
effing sorry
I shouldn’t cuss
her neck bone
what the fuck
like where did
her throat go
they never found it
who the fuck
got that the guy
he was a shot
so that makes me
think that it was
probably Francis
because Eleanor
seemed to get
attacked more
Eleanor was shot
3 times versus
the one time
and her throat
was ripped out
so it kind of seems like
somebody was
upset with her
more than Edward
poor Eleanor
thank you so much
for hanging out
with me today
I hope you have a
wonderful day
today you make
good choices
and I’ll be
seeing you guys later bye