The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-03-02
A Clerical Crime.
AN OHIO CLERGYMAN ELoPEs WITH YOUNG
LADY-HE SHIPS HER CORPSE TO HER
HER?
From the Richmond indy Telegram. /

| rHii 'he hiCutnonu iHu.j ieIpSraH|
Another canting villsin, who has used
the livery of heaven to serve the devil in.
has Come to grief, ord now looks through
the bars at Baiengrr's Jail. at Centrevile.
awaiting trial for the murder of the victim
Of his lusts. Without friends 10 find ex-
cuses for his villainy. and evidently not
familiar with the modern means of dodg
ing justice, he does not deny that he led
an innocent girl to her rain. He does
not even ask the church to cover up his
nfamy, for far that its exposure will sin
Jure the cause of Christ" In the month
OF October last a man calling himself Sal
mon came to Henry Gates. two miles west
of Centreville, near Pin Hook, and with
him Was a woman apparently fifteen or
twenty years his junior in age. They rep
resented themselves as husband and wifi
and he rep aedIy stated that he was a
United Brethren preacher, and did preach
sev.lsl sermons in the neighborhood He
further stated that they were going West,
into Illinois. to take charge of a new cir
health of his vile he tarried at Gates, and
about three weeks ago the woman was
! delivered Of a child She and her child did
we'll for the eight days following, when the
woman was taken violently i'll, with strong
symptoms of poison. and fingered on until
Friday night, the Goth inst. On the next
day Mr. Salmon expressed the corpse to
Piqua, going with it. From Piqua he sent
it to Bodkin, in Shelby County. directed
to Joseph and Elizabeth Lambert, and
Salmon came back on Monday evening to
Censrevile, and on that night was arrested
at Henry Gates for the murder Of his wife.
On nvestiga ion MIR. Salmon proves to be
tn. Rev. S. s. Walls, of Van Vert Coun-
ty. Ohio, and Mrs. Martha Salmon, his
wife, proves to be Miss Martha Lambert,
daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Lam.
bert, OF Shelby County, Ohio, Walls Is a
man of about thirty-fve years, little
above the medium height, black hair and
eyes. full beard. and dressed in a suit ot
respectable black. He would pass any
where as a preacher of more than ordinary
intelligence and culture. Although evil
IDENTIFY anxious and depressed. he talks
| freely about himself and his career. He
doing, only denying that he is guilty Of
the crime for which he is arrested pois
onins his victim. He says that he made
| the acquaintance of Martha Lambert near
| ly three years ago, while travelling his cir
cult, and that he scduced her.. Finding
! that their guilt must soon become known,
he planned an elopement with her to the
| West, where they intended living together
as man and wife. During their stay at MIR.
Gates revival broke out IN the neigh
borhood, and MIR Salmon, as n minister,
was urged to take part, and finally did con-
duct the meetings, as he says. to prevent
any suspicion from falling on him, feeling
satisfied that he could give the Lord an
opportunity to b;es, the truth for the
truths sake" No suspicion of the real
relation of the parties seemed to have oc-
cnrred to any one in the neighborhood.
The quietness of the place and the sacred
robe of the priesthood seemed likely to
protect them. The reverend villain has
been minister Of the gospel, U. Is.
Church, for many years, in good standing
left an excellent wife and three or four
children in Van Vert County, to run off
with girl he had rained, and for whose
death, VIII, Their she disd by disease or by
his hand, he is morally responsible. These
are the outlines of the horrible picture, but
the remorse OF the ruined girl, the agony Of
her broken hearted parents, the deserted
wife. fight of the guilty souls, their plans
defeated ny the shadow of death, the poor
girl dying among strangers, perhaps by The
hand of her betrayer-these things will
never be revealed until the great day when
the secrets of all hearts are made known,