The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-29
TEARS CAME TO EYES
The Eloquent Sermon in Butte Of the
Lost Pastor HermanS.
THEY SAY HE'S A MURDERER
Salt Lake Papers Denounce Him
and His schemes in Red Hot
Terms-1 he Two Miss
ing Girls.

day, Feb. "a, by Rev. Francis Hermans
of Salt Lake" said a well known
scandinavian, a business man, to a
Standard reporter yesterday after
reading the story of the pastors bru-
tai murders, land to think that at the
time he preached the sermon the crime
OF two, and perhaps five, murders rest
ed upon him! 1t is the most terrible
and overwhelming thought that has
ever weighed upon my mind"
Inc gentleman quoted above, who
desires his name withheld, recalls the
text and a great deal of the substance
OF Hermans' sermon. He preached
about the story of Samson, who slew
the lion and afterwards returned that
way and found that a swarm of bees
had filled the carcass of the dead beast
with honey. The idea pervading the
sermon was that good could come from
hard experience, and also that out
ward appearances were no indication
of the heart wtthin-a thought so
strongly codncident with his own case
that IL now appears as though his own
Jekyll and Hyde nature had forced an
expression in his sermon. 1t is said
he preached so feelingly and eloquent
ly that tears came to the eyes of near
ly every person in the congregation
The morning sermon by Hermans was
on the subject of the love of Christ
and the forbearance of God, which, in
the light OF developments, also seems
to have been peculiarly appropriate TO
his own case.
The Salt Lake police have not yet
obtained any trace of the murderous
preacher. The suspicion that the mys-
FERROUS suicide in Helena about seven
weeks ago was Hermans can be dis
PEELED by facts discovered by a Stand
ard reporter yesterday. The Helena
suicide occurred on Friday, May /.
Rev. Mr.. Melby, a member of the COM
mittee that Investigated Hermans
embezzlement of church funds at Salt
Lake, stated to the Standard a few
days ago that Hermans was in Salt
Lake on May 8. without a question of
doubt. He left the city on that date
and that was the last that was seen or
heard of him. Those best acquainted
with the man say they would not be
surprised to learn that he had COM
mitted suicide, but there Is too much
OF discrepancy in the dates to sus-
tain the suspicion that the man who
killed himself in Helena was Hermans.
A strange fact in connection with
the matter, however. may be related.
The police department of Butte is in
receipt of a letter from a prominent
citizen of Deer Lodge, in which the
gentleman says that he met at Garri-
ed himself in Helena in the evening OF
that same day. The Deer Lodge gem
tleman said the mans had just arrived
from Butte. He gave a minute descrip-
ton OF him and in every particular al |
most IL correspondent with the descrip- |
ton OF Hermans even to the fact that |
he appeared to have recently shaved |
of his mustache. which Hermans is
said TO have done before leaving Salt
hsa ma n xxrhn he Il
party met at Garrison was Scandina-
Wan by birth, a man of education and
The coincidence is a
strange one. but 1t is only a coinci-
ience.
The developments in Butte regarding
fiermans' sale of a trunk and a wo-
mans wearing apparel on the occasion
of his visit here in February as ex-
,lusively detailed in the Standard, has
furnished conclusive proof TO the po-
Ice OF Salt Lake that Hermans muir
Tered Annie Samuelsen as he did Hen
rietta Clausen. The Tribune has the
following bearing on the affair of the
trunk:
Pretty. maynard Annie Samuelsen,
With whom Hermans was so much in
tatuated, met death as did Henrietta |
who found in the church fur
mace her grave, the flames her wind
ng sheet. But her last resting place
still remains a sealed mystery
Poor girl, she's gone too exclaim.
I'd Elder Mork last night as he was
shown the Tribune's Butte special.
which tells the story OF Hermans' sale
II Annie Samuelsen's effects. With
the Identification of several articles.
Mr.. Mork. who had been hoping that
The bright young girl might still be
awe, admitted unwillingly to himself
that she had been done TO death. Her
mans had sold or given away all her
Elects, except those found in his room
Clever rascal that ne was he was
shortsighted in this instance as when
iisposing OF Henrietta Clausen's cloth
ng. The Clausen girl had no relatives
n salt Lake and but few friends. Her
fleets were carelessly sold here But
Annie Samuelsen had an aunt who
vas jealousy anxious for her In
consequence Butte was regarded as a
iafer place TO sell his second victims
clothing She had s45 when they met
o spend the evening before her de-
parture. He undoubtedly stole this
md contemplate scoundrel that he
vas, he sold her few clothes for a pal
~ s12
From the developments yesterday
made Annie Samuelsen died at the
lands of Francis Hermans. her be-
rayer This has been strongly sus-
ptCNcu ever since saturday morning J
Vhen the girls aunt identified her Jew
Try at Fuller's pawn shop, where II
ad been pledged by Hermans. Daily
ince the evidence has piled up against
he erstwhile pastor until now Il seems
But there remains 10
e found the body of the girl Where
[ Is, IL is impossible TO say. Hermans
4 the time kept a pair of horses He
night have driven into the hills and |
ato some lonely defile cast the body
Z his murdered mistress or possibly IL /
hight have been shipped out OF the !
lty. 10 be found only after the lapse /
T years as in the Chazal case.
Francis Hermans left Salt Lake on
eb. 18th last. He went in the morn ,
*. after sending two trunks 10 the ,
epot. to the local Office Of the Union q
acific. where he purchased a ticket. I
18th stop-over privileges. for Butte.
ont This is clear. as the agents ,
ub. with the autograph Of Hermans I
D II. Is held by the ticket agent.
The testimony OF the expressman ! a