The herald., 1896-05-26
Believed to be the Rev. Francis
HermanS
EVIDENCE is ACCUMLATIN0
Proving that the Dead Girls Body Was
Burned
The Police Have Uncovered a Doz.n ciews
Connecting the Missing Pastor With
the Fiendish Crime
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated RreSS Special wire.
SALT LAKE, Utah, May 25.--This has
been an eventlul day in the attempted
solution of the scandinavian Methodist
church mystery, and one that furnished
very strong clue with reference to tha
suspected fate of Miss Henrietta Claus
en-. When the charred remains OF ths
human skeleton were taken from the
furnace i'll the basement at midnight or
Wednesday last, the officers We're baf-
fled at not finding some article of abso-
lutte identification. They were inform-
ed by the doctors that it was strange
that none of the woman's teeth were
among the other relics of cremation. 1t
WAS known that Miss Clausen wore false
teeth and the doctors said they would
be the last to yield to the heat. In Or
der to ascertain, if possible, if the miss
ing teeth could be brought to light, q
most thorough examination of the fur
mace was made today.
Police officials carefully searched the
furnace and found two teeth containing
metallic rivets. This is regarded by tho
police department as being the most
positive evidence of murder that has
yet been brought to light. a vast amount
OF earth was also removed in the base
ment of the church, revealing q number
of bones
A certain spot of apparently made
earth"-soil that bore evidences of hay-
ing been disturbed at recent date
cellar stairway. Into this the party
dug and not more than twelve or four
teen inches below the surface a woman's
shoe was found. The removal of an
other shovelful of dirt brought forth
very damaging evidence in the shane Of
pair of overalls, which, 1t is claimed
by the tenants of the church, were worn
by their pastor while he was engaged at
laboratory and other work. The over
alls We're blood-stained on almost every
part. The young man whose room was
heated to such a high degree Of tenn
perature the day the minister built ths
big fire in the furnace declares that
HermanS had them on when the latter
was met by him on the basement stair
way with a gunnysack under his arm.
he SAID he also wore a jumper of like
material at the same time. The furnace
ashes, on being sifted, were found 20
contain the requisite number of steel
buttons for such an article of apparel.
and the strong point is that they CORE
spond exactly with those on the blood
stained overalls.
| This afternoon the detectives found in
| second hand store Miss Clausen's trunk
| which the pastor claims to have sent her
! by an unknown expressman some weeks
after her disappearance. The trunk con-
tanned the wearing apparel of the MISS
ing girl Among the articles of clothing
was the dress in which Miss Clausen
mad the photograph taken, now in the
possessionof the police. In addition to
this 1t now happens that Hermans sold
the trunk and clothing himself and that
he disposed of the girls guitar at the
same time. The date of this transaction
was December 11th last, just two months
and eleven days after the girl disap-
peared.
One by one the points of evidence ac-
cumulate. This afternoon Captain Don
ovan and Detective Janney found and
interviewed the secondhand dealer who
bought Miss Clausen's clothes from the
preacher. This person was L. Engle-
man. She says that she went to the
pastors study two or three times at his
solicitation to look at the trunk and its
contents, which comprised four or five
dresses and underwear and nightrobeS.
This discovery completely disproves
Herinans' story of having sent the trunk
to Miss Clausen at her request.
Miss Annie Samuelson disappeared
January 2Sth or 18th last. 1t seems to
have been demonstrated beyond any
question of doubt that Hermans had
been criminally intimate with her and
that he had committed an abortion on
her early in the month stated. On the
morning of January 29th John Hansen,
the ex-Methodist minister, declares that
he met HermarS in the church at q very
early hour The pastor seemed mentally
disturbed and he was perspiring freely.
Hansen thought it strange tht he should
be SO troubled. and questioned him con-
cerning it. He explained by saying that
he had been to the depot with Miss Sam
uelson, who left for Ogden on the Union
Pacific train.
A strong effort will be made to have
Gov. Wells offer large reward for tho
bringing of Hermans back to Salt Lake.
Late tonight DR.. Hector GriswOld,
dentist examined the teeth found in TIE
furnace today and fitted them together.
Miss Clausen was formerly in his en-
ploy as domestic, and he is strongly OF
the opinion that the teeth are those Of the
ClauSen girl