The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-28
HERMANS THE QUEER
His Very Important Trunk Deal in
Butte in February.
MISS SAMUELSON'S DRESSES
There Is No Doubt That the APP
parei Belonged to the Missing
Cirl-A Sketch of the aston
and Recent Happenings.

There is no longer any REASONABLE,
doubt that the trunk and woman,
wearing apparel sold to A. s. Binnard
the Park street second hand clothing
dealer. by Rev. Francis Hermans OF
Salt Lake, on Feb. "a, belonged tc
Miss Annie Samuelson. one of the two
girls believed to have been murdered
by Hermans in Salt Lake. That fact
was settled almost beyond question
yesterday when Mr.. Binnard found
one of the garments that had been
sold from the lot. The garment is a
short. black. cloth jacket trimmed IN
blue. II is of a peculiar make and
fabric and undoubtedly of foreign
manufacture. Rev. Mr.. Melby and De-
tective Meiklejohn visited Mr.. Bin
nards place and examined the jacket
and Mr. Melby, without hesitation
pronounced the garment identical
with one he had frequently seen on
Miss Samuelson when he knew her at
Salt Lake. OF course he could not say
that IL was the same, but he felt con-
WINGED that 1t was. The jacket. he
thought. had been made in Sweden,
and he surmised that the girl brought
II with her when she came to this
country.
AS stated in the Standard yesterday,
Hermans had represented both to Mr.
Melby and Mr.. Binnard that the trunk
and clothing belonged to his second
wife. who died in Wisconsin some
years ago. This wife. IT is known, was
a little. heavy set woman. Miss Sam
uelson, says Mr.. Melby, was tall and
very slender The clothing sold to the
Park street dealer belonged to a wo-
man OF Miss Samuelson's build.
Detective Meiklejohn at once noti-
fed the Salt Lake chief of police of the
black jacket. In the pocket of the
garment was found an envelope con-
tanning sheet of paper but neither
had upon II a scratch OF writing The
paper. however, was from a lady's
writing outfit.
The zinc trunk in which the girls
clothing had been contained was dis
posed of by Binnord to his brother
several months ago, and he is confident
he can get II back, as we'll as a lot of
the wearing apparel which was sold to
different persons.
Another thing that may help in the
Identification of the stuff is the girls
hat which is still in Binnard's posses
sion. Around the edge of the hat are
a lot of black beads, and attached to
the hat is also dotted veil The fur
Jacket in itself would also be consid-
cred sufficient to establish the identity
of the owner and IL is expected that
the Salt Lake officers will send for all
the articles still in the possession of
the second hand dealer.
The second trunk. a yellow leather
affair, which Hermans had with him
when he stopped in Butte in Febru-
airy, was transferred from the Union
Pacific to the Great Northern depot at
the time the zinc trunk was hauled TO
Binnard's store Mr.. Melby accompa-
MED Hermans to the depot when he
left for Helena and saw him open the
trunk to put something I'm or take
something out. Mr.. Melby noticed
that the trunk contained nothing but
a mans wearing apparel. some pic
lures and few other articles of that
character which were lying on top.
The Salt Lake people have been in
clined to the belief that one of the two
trunks contained Miss Samuelsor1's
body, but Mr.. Melby's statement shows
that theory to have been a mistaken
one.
Hermans' visit TO Butte was made
about three weeks after the disap-
pearance of Miss Samuelson, his sec
ond victim. She was last seen in Salt
Lake on Jan. 2S, and he arrived in
Butte on Feb. 81.
Henrietta Clausen. the first girl whom
he is supposed to have murdered. dis
appeared i'm September last. As stat
ed In yesterdays Standard. Hermans
was last seen i'm her company and he
explained her disappearance with the
improbable story that she had made
an indecent proposal 20 him and that
when he repulsed her she left the
country and he had not seen her since.
Strange as the story was her friends
accepted II without suspicion owing 10
the high esteem in which Hermuns had
always been held. Even Mr.. Melby. who
had known Miss Clausen intimately and
never knew her to be aaything
but a modest. pure, Christian gBrl. did
not think of doubling Hermans when
he told that story. II was thunder
struck when he told me-" said MIR.
Melby to Standard reporter yester-
day, but IL did not occur to me that
Mr.. Hermans was not telling the
truth, though ! know now that he was
not. l said to him that II the girl had
fallen she ought to be traced up and
something should be done TO save her"
To this suggestion of Mr.. Melby's
Hermans replied with a statement
similar TO one made to Rev. Mr.. Ham
sen In Salt Lake, that the girl was no |
good anyway
A surprising thing. to the mind OF
Mr.. Melby, is that Hermans request
ed him 10 accompany him to the sec
ond hand dealer where he sold the
girls effects. He could have gone |
there alone, given a fictitious name |
and address and the chances are the |
facts Of the transaction would never
have been discovered. But instead of |
that he seemed TO endeavor to attract |
as much attention to IL as possible.
When he arrived in Helena from /
Butte he wrote a letter TO a Mr.. Hofte. |
a member OF the Salt Lake church tell 4
Ing him that as he walked along a side 1
street his attention was attracted by /
a fashily dressed young lady. Il fol- /
lowed her up" the letter continues.
and to my pain and surprise found /
that IL was Henrietta clausen. l was /
so aroused that / kept on following /
her. and 10 my horror saw her enter /
a house OF ill-fame. In the evening I /
went to a variety theater. knowing 4
that no one here would know me and 1
again TO my horror saw Henrietta on /