The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-25

( Ing on the street IN IT0nI, While the
sidewalk was blocked with humanity
and a steady stream coming and go
ing.
Had it not been for the fact that
the tenants in the church were at
home, the yard surrounding it would
have been a camping ground for young
boys and girls who viewed the place
with greater curiosity than elder per-
sens.
WITHOUT A PRECEDENT.
Now that the first effects of the shock
that in the midst of pea ;eful Zion, in
one of the temples dedicated to the
worship of God has been committed a
crime so fiendish in its plans and so
horrifying in it's details of execution as
to GLASS the murderer among the
greatest criminals OF modern times
and alongside Of which DUrrant, the
San Francisco murderer, is but a nov
ice are wearing away, a more calm and
dispassionate view Of the atrocious
deed can be taken. Every new develop
mert, however, only tends 10 bring
more infinitely the details and add to
the enormity of the CHASTITY crime.
BUT ONE CONCLUSION.
In view of all the developments that
have come to light it is hard to con-
entertained by the authorties-that
Ray Francis Hermans, former pastor
of the church, is the perpetrator
of the crime. Every new fact
brought to light only tend TO forge
tighter the chain OF circumstantial evil
dence connecting the pastor with the
murder of one of the girls, if not both.
At no time in the history of the cele-
brated Durrant case was the chain of
circumstantial evidence more complete
than the one which now connects Rev.
Hermans with the fiendish murder of
Miss Henrietta Clausen.
DURRANT AND HERMANS.
There is a striking similarity between
the Emanuel church tragedy and that
enacted in the Scandinavian Methodist
church of Salt Lake City. In both in
stances the house of God had been, the
scene, and in both cases also the chief
actors in the crime are persons of
prominent standing in the church. The
delay in discovering the crime is an
other striking resemblance, and last
but not least. that in both cases there
is nothing but circumstantial evidence
by which to lead 90 the apprehension of
the guilty party. Assuming that the
theory of Herman's guilt is correct, it
also places him on the level with Dur
rant in this, that the victims We're put
TO death for the purpose of forever 81
lencing their tongues from revealing
criminal intimacy on the one hand and
criminal assault on the other. Both
crimes are the result of the perpetra-
tors passions.
A BLACK RECORD.
Concerning Rev. Hermans, enough is
known outside of his alleged connection
with the murder of one or both of the
girls to place him on the list Of one
of the blacklist fiends that ever invaded
the city He was a defaulter beyond
doubt and to which members OF his
own congregation testify as well as his
own letters; he carried on criminal re-
lations with at least one of his vic
tins, and while admittedly engaged to
be married to another, sought to black
en- her character by circulating stories
of improper proposals at time when
there is all reason to believe that she
had been usllered into the presence of
her Maker as a result of submitting to
his fiendish delights. Take these es-
tabfished facts and connect therewith
all the details of the sad case and one
is led to the conclusion that Rev. Her
mans, if apprehended, will have diff
ficult work in establishing his inno-
cence.
THE FACTS REVIEWED.
1t might he well to make a brief
review of the case and cite the facts
established. Rev. Hermans came TO
the city and took charge of the little
church on Second East street. He came
well recommended, and they whose
t,-i& ha HaH
here TO administer to, had implicit con-
fidence in him. He grew to be well
liked and there does not seem to have
been any faint of suspicion surround
ing him during his pastorate in the
city. But while the congregation
thought all this, it is now apparent
that they were basely deceived, and
had he not been called upon to make
an accounting to the church for mon
eys that had been entrusted to him.
the crimes might have still been a
mystery.
Pastor Hermans is a man of good
appearance and it was but natural
that with his fiattery and manners he
was able to charm the lady members
of his flock. Henrietta Clausen fell
victim to his designs and, being her
spiritual adviser, he had abundant OPP
portunities to accomplish any purpose.
She was last seen in the pastors COM
pany at $3.50 o'clock Sunday evening.
They entered his study IL the church
together, since when no one has been
found that could throw any light on
her whereabouts. Was the girl muir
dered that night in the pastors study?
There is every reason to believe that
she was. Probably Hermans alone
can tell. It was he who on the follow
ing day paid the janitor of the church
so cents to clean out the furnace and
prepare it for use. 1t was Hermans
himself who built the fire at noon on
Monday and kept it going until that
night To get from the pastors study
TO the basement, where the blazing fur
mace was going, it is necessary Go pass
around the outside of the church. Her
mans was seen that day carrying gun
nysacks filled with something, probably
charcoal. Hermans, as far as now
known, was the only one who spent
the day in the basement attending TO
the fire in the furnace. The tenants in
the rooms surrounding the church de-
tected an awful odor, and questioning
the pastor were informed that he was
burning some old clothes. That was
enough to satisfy the curiosity aroused
in the neighbors. Almost six months
after the basement is again entered
and human bones and other evidences
that a human body had been cremated
are found. The furnace has never been
heated since and if body was ere
mated therein it must have taken place
on Monday, September 80. This is es-
tablished beyond a doubt The lower
door of the furnace did not become
sufficiently heated to absorb the traces
of blood, and alongside the heater
barrel was found, one end OF which
G snnxro,.ad with blood tna+ rn,ol,o lalrr