Jazz Journalism: 1922 Hall-Mills Case

Don’t be fooled, jazz journalism does not cover jazz music or the jazz musicians of the 1920s. It was a short-lived yet popular form of journalism that lasted from 1919-1924. Similar to and following the idea of yellow journalism, jazz journalism focused more on sex and violent or money-driven crimes. During the 190s, tabloids were read just as much as regular newspapers, but the one of the major differences was that jazz journalism could be published through just photography or other forms of media such as the radio.

One of the biggest stories to circulate throughout the different tabloids and newspapers of America was the 1922 Hall-Mills case. On September 16, 1922 in New Jersey, a couple discovered two bodies lying in a field. Both were clearly shot dead, but their bodies were carefully posed with the man and woman touching each other on the thigh and neck, and scattered around them were torn up love letters. Already, the details of the crime scene would set the case apart from other murders, this murder was planned and very sophisticated. A later autopsy would reveal that certain body parts of the victims were missing. Once the news got out of the very intricate murder, many people began to make their way over to the crime scene.

The man was Reverend Edward Hall, a priest, and the woman was Eleanor Mills, a choir singer who sang for the same church that Hall preached at. Both were already married, but it was clear they were having an affair. Alongside the execution of the murder itself and the background and connection of the two victims, the case would make for a great story. It was immediately reported on by practically all of the newspapers and tabloids alike, especially because the wife of the priest came from one of the wealthiest and most elite families in New Brunswick.

Further into the case, the Hall’s wife and two brothers were put on trial for the murder of Hall and Mills, and they would later sue the New York Daily Mirror for its “poor” coverage of the progression of the case. The Hall-Mills case was a “media circus.” Many Americans were hooked. They followed every step of the case, and this only fueled and motivated journalists, especially jazz journalism working for tabloids, to cover the story, often over exaggerating the truth every step of the way. Though very morbid, murders and other crimes covered through jazz journalism provided the American people a different and unexpected form of entertainment.

Works Cited

"History of American Journalism." History of American Journalism. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.

"Jazz Journalism." Jazz Journalism - Everything2.com. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.