The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-11-24
That of a. Winnie Richmond for
Sending Improper Letters
To His Seems an In
stance Of MeddIesOmeness
That Would be Funny if it We're Not
SO Impudent and Important-The
Big United States Picking and
Shifting About a Mans
Marital Correspond
ence.

Sometimes. and frequently, too lae
United States court officials ln Kansas
and all over the west ina lheilis91s =
in mighty small business More pells
trifing cases started purposely ps some
one to crafty spite and revenge coli-7
before the federal courts than come y
fore police courts The vast Juuicleal
machinery is put in operation because
somebody stole postage stamp OF
somebody else wrote q swear Wora On
a postal card. One would THINK tHal
Uncle Sam would not be dragged into
such mean and trihing business even
by over-zeal0us court understrappels
who must be smelling out such good
for-nothing cases because there IS nolh-
ing else to smell out. This IS what
might be called "perniclOus ACTIVITY
sure enough Judge Foster nor any
other judge cares to have his time taken
up by such cases almost Away brought
for personal spite.
The latest case Of this kind is the ar
rest of G. WNnne Richmond for writing
a letter to his wife which is said to
have contained improper language Ia
addition to this charge q story appear
ed in q Kansas City paper that Rich
mond is Rev. Francis Hermans who
committed a murder at Salt Lake City
some time ago and burned the body Of
his victim
That the Reverend G. Wynne Rich
m0nd who is now confined in the Shaw
nee county jail awaiting trial for send
ing obscene letters through the U. s
mail is the Rev. Francis Hermans.
the Salt Lake City pastor who brutality
murdered and burned Miss Henrietta
Clausen in September, 1895 at Salt Lake
City, is but a theory Of St. Louis de-
tective which is poorly founded.
The two men differ widely in appear
ance, weight and age
The Rev. Mr.. Richmond was arrested
in Arkansas by the federal authorities
for having sent improper letters to his
wife who was then in Kansas City The
-en-
ago Richmond has since been in the
county Jail and has not been given
trial
The theory that he is the Salt Lake
City murderer was advanced by a man
named Charles @. Smith of St. Louis,
who claims to be a detective
The captive preacher was seen at the
county Jail today by a State Journal re-
porter and he said; Il am here because
I wrote some letters to my wife which
the federal authorities say are obscene
We were married last Thanksgiving
She has been in Kansas city ana j was
i'm Arkansas. We We're both OF q pas
si0uatn temperalnent. and H. dld not
write anything more than man might
be expected to write to his wife i'm an
ticipatiOn of seeing her aItef pelHs
away for some time. But she had &C
rasf00 to show one of the letters to
relative of hers Mr.. GOldsby, q lawyer
of Kansas City. and he thought these
other remarks of mine We're worthy OF
INSPECTION Dy the federal inspectors
My wife was at that time somewhat
indignant about lit, but I understand
from Mr.. Goldsby that she has since
changed and is anxious to have me re
leased.
OF course I know that / am not the
Rev. Mr.. Hermans I can easily prove
that i have never been at Salt Lake,
and what is more I was east instead Of
west at the time of the murder. Besides,
Hermans description was; Weight $50
pounds. age 40 years, and ne wore q
black mustache. Now you can see that
I don't weigh over 40 pounds, and / am
but 80 years old. Ny mustache, you
see. is sandy"
Chief of Police Gardiner was present
at the interview, and he said: "You re
not the man. ] have a picture of Her
mans over at my office and you don't
look anymore like him than I do
Well, I'm glad to hear you say that
said Rev. Mr. Richmond. 'Of course i
knew they couldn't make me out as
Hermans, but then I would have had to
have proved that I am a Congrega-
tional preacher and had intended join
ins the conference this fail The head
quarters are here in Topeka Broad
has been here to see me and has been
very kind to me. This disgrace is going
very hard against me but L win say
that the federal and Jail authorities
have been very kind to me