The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-05-05
HIS STRANGE POWER
Preacher Hamilton Could
Sway His Flock at Will.
PEOPLE HURT UNDER HIS SPELL.
They Would Rush from Church and Butt
Their Heads Against Trees.
PEOPLE HURT UNDER HIS SPELL.

Hamilton Continues to Deny That He
Knows Aught of His wife's Death-Im-
portant Clues Found by the PoIioe-His
Missing Razor Discovered Near the Spot
where the Woman was Murdered
Demonstration Mt the Funeral.
FLUSHING, L. l., May B. The cloud Of
mystery that has hung over the finding
of the mutilated body of the young col
ored woman, Annie Hamilton, at Win
field, L. /, has been dispelled. in the
opinion of Coroner Brandon. That Off
Ger says he has secured against the
woman's husband sufficient evidence TO
convince any jury that he is guilty Of
the murder Of his wife.
Coroner Brandon yesterday visited the
house in Flushing where Hamilton for
merly lived. lie was accompanied by
Captain Hotchkiss of Pinkerton's s
Agency. In the room occupied by Ham.
ilton they found shaving cup, but the
razor was missing. A razor was found
near the body of the murdered woman.
The officers ransacked the room and
came upon n pair Of socks which were
water stained The officers think Ham
ilton stood in the water while he cut
the throat of his victim. They sea rched
for the new patent leather shoes chat
Hamilton was seen TO have on when he
left the house Sunday night bnt did not
find them. Hamilton says the old shoes
he had on when arrested are the only
ones he has, and are the same he wore
Sunday
A reporter called at the home Of Mrs.
Mary Ella Louise Jenkins, in Locust
Grove, a settlement near Winfield. She
is a colored woman of about 45 years,
and is bright and intelligent. Having
known Hamilton's family for many
years, she was able to give a sketch of
his life. She said that he came to Win
field six years ago with his first wife,
and took charge of the Fisk Avenue
| Church.
AS preacher he was very powerful,
| and so worked upon the emotions of the
| colored people at times that, in their ex-
| citement, they would rush outside and
! butt their heads against the trees. One
| of his congregation never recovered from
| a skull wound thus received, and his
mind is unbalanced. He seeked to ex-
ert sort of spell over the people. Once
he told them to fall down before the al
tar, and the entire congregation
hastened to obey, The space before the
altar is very small, and they all piled uE
there in heap. Several of them were
badly hurt. Women were powerless un.
der his spell
'Do you think that he is a voodoo?"
81 have heard him thus spoken of, ,
was the answer. 81 know he was very
superstitious and had a sign for every
thing. 1 remember how he used tc
shudder whenever the execution of 6
murderer was mentioned. The taking
of human life, he once said, is crime
against heaven whether or not it be dont
in the name of the law"
The funeral of the murdered woman
was held yesterday in Flushing An i'm
mense throng attended, and there were
as many white people as colored. Mrs
| King, Mrs. Hamilbon's employer, wa
one of the many who drove to the seen
in handsome equipages. 1t was dem
onstration such as Flushing seldom ha
had at funeral.