The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-28
Butte Department.

Helena have been investigating tn
story and do not hesitate to say tina
the Clausen girl was never in a Hell
ena variety theater or house of i'll
fame. Her description does not answe
| that OF any girl that has been in an,
OF those places for more than a year
| Besides the police of Salt Lake in tn,
| past two days have unearthed evidences
| That seems to prove beyond a doub
| that the Clausen girl was murdered
| and her body burned in the church fur
! mace. Yesterday several false and
goid-mounted teeth were found In the
/ ash pan of the furnace and have beer
| positively identified as those worn by
| Miss Clausen. A lot of her clothing
which Hermans had sold to a Salt
| Lake dealer were also recovered, and
numerous blood stains on the furnace
| door and in other places in the church
! basement were found, also burned ra-
zors and knives and bloody overalls
were discovered in the ashes.
Strange as 1t may appear, the first
suspicion of murder directed to Her
mans was after IL had been discover
ed that he was an embezzler. When
he was brought back from Chicago
and admitted his shortage, John Han
sen, one of the committee on investiga-
tion, began to connect Hermans with
the disappearance of the two girls and
set quietly to work on his suspicious.
Hansen is also an ex-preacher and
about two years ago edited a Scan
dinavian paper in Butte and subse-
quently worked on the Basin Times.
He is a shrewd man and to him is
credited the discovery of the murders.
He made an examination of Her
mans apartments and the church
basement, with the result that abund-
- 49, a
Clausen girl has been found. The peo-
pie are just as well satisfied that the
Samuelson girl was also murdered but
no trace of her body has yet been
found His relations with the second
victim are explained by the following
from the Salt Lake Herald:
ut was scarcely a week subsequent
to the mysterious disappearance of
Miss Clausen that Rev. Hermans and
the second victim, Miss Annie Samuel
son, grew intimate. They had, of
course, been on friendly relations be-
fore, but after Henrietta was out of
the way they were In each others
company more than ever. Miss Sam
uelsen would frequently come and Wis
II him In his study. These visits be-
came so frequent that they created
some gossip.
ut was when Miss Samuelsen's aunt,
indiscreetly with the minister that An
ME made the confession that they had
been criminally intimate for some time
and that she even had an abortion
performed.
Miss Samuelsen was in the employ
OF the first families of the city until
about the middle of last January when
she left and. from what now can be
learned, went down to the church and
stayed with Hermans.
1T was on Jan. 2S that Miss Samuel
sen was last seen by any one except
the preacher. When Mr.. Hansen en-
tered the church that day he found
Annie playing on the organ. She told
him that she was going away on the
following day. Next day Mr.. Hansen
again had occasion to go to the church.
He met Hermans there and he ap-
peared worn out. Mr.. Hansen asked
him If he was unwell. and he replied
negatively, but said he got out of bed
about o'clock that morning to accom-
pany Miss Samuelsen TO the train. Ac-
cording TO Annie's aunt, the repeated
statements of both the girl and the
parson, they were to be married as
soon as year from the death of his
last wife had expired. These in brief
are the material facts as now known
to the police concerning the disap-
pearance of Miss Samuelsen.
1T was on Feb. that Miss Larson
received the telegram and letter pur-
porting to come from Ogden and writ
ten at ogden. wherein IL was stated
that she was going to Chicago and pos
sibly to Sweden; that she and Her.
mans had agreed to separate. and that
no one here could expect to see her any
more.
But now there is a strange suspicion
that these letters were not written by
Annie, but by none other than Her
ans himself Should this prove to be
rue. there is every reason to believe
hat Miss Samuelsen never went to Og-
len.
IF so, what was her fate? Probably
he pastor could answer this query bet /,
.er than any one else.
"Hermans had n stock of poisonous 7
irugs always on hand and, situated as
he was. II is now plain that he could
nave killed Miss Samuelsen. disposed of
he body and covered up the evidences
# the murder even more completely
han IL was done in the case of Miss
or several days prior to her disappear
Ince. He had abundant opportunities
o plan the murder he had so desired f
MI these are reasons why the police .
hink that possibly the body of Annie /
nay be found buried somewhere among
he rubbish and earth under the church.
fhe work to-day will prove whether
hey are correct in the theory that An +
lie met a fate similar TO the unfortu- /
late Miss Clausen.
The additional facts gathered yester-
lay were that Annie Samuelsen was
a short time before her death
md consulted a physician in this city
bout having an abortion performed.
The told the doctor she was a woman
whose husband had left her and that
he could not afford to have a Child
'orn to her in a poverty-stricken state.
'he doctor furnished medicine which
vas administered by Hermans. This
tatement was made by the girl to a
riend a short time before she disap,-
feared.
This corroborates the story told by
Hiss Charlotte Anderson, TO whose
louse Rev. Hermans brought Annie
Turing the middle part of January.
while suffering from the effects of the