The record-union., 1896-05-26
THB SALT LAKE
CHURCH TRAGEDIES.
Chain Of Evidence Tightening Around the
Rev. Francis Hermann.
Human Bones Found in the Basement
of the Edifce.
Pair of Blood STAINED Overalls
Which Were Identified as Belong
ing to the Pastor Also Dug Up
The General Appearance OF the
Place Such as to Suggest the Idea
of Cemetery.

SALT LAKE, May 25.-This has
been an exciting and eventful day in
the investigation Of the Scandinavian
Methodist Church tragedies, the net re-
suits being a chain of circumstances
which, taken with those previously dis
covered, fastens the guilt of numbering
Miss Clausen on the Rev. Francis Her
mann beyond a reasonable doubt, anc
also goes to show that Miss Samuelson
fell victim to the pastors satanic ac-
tions, and that he may also have had
other victims.
The work of excavating the floor of
the basement of the church began at
an early hour this morning. A vast
amount Of earth was removed, and
quantities of bones found in various
stages of decomposition. Some were
plainly identified as human bones;
others were in such a condition that it
was impossible to tell whether they
were human or the bones of animals,
and others were plainly recognized as
being those of cattle and fowls. The
general appearance of the place was
such as to suggest the idea of ceme
terry. and there is no telling how many
human beings have been inferred in the
basement of the sacred edifice.
AT certain spot beneath the stair
way, where the soil showed evidence
Of having been recently disturbed, the
sole and heel of a womans shoe were
found near the surface, and a little
deeper down in the same spot a pair Of
blood-stained overalls, which, it is
claimed by the tenants of the church,
were worn by their pastor while he was
engaged in laboratory work and other
work separate and apart from his
books. The overalls We're blood
stained on almost every part.
Ed. Johnson, the young man whose
room was heated to such a high de-
gree of temperature the day the min
ister built the big fire, declares that
Hermann had them on when the latter
was met by him on the basement stair
sxsy with a gunny-sack under his arm.
He said he also wore a jumper of like
material at the same time. But all eff
forts to find this article of clothing
were futile.
Then came a piece of confirmatory
evidence as to what became of it. The
furnace ashes, on being sifted, were
found to contain the requisite number
of steel buttons for such an article of
apparel, and the strong point is that
they correspond exactly with those on
the blood-saturated overalls.
Miss Clauson wore five or six artifi-
cial teeth, and a further examination
of the ashes taken from the furnace
resulted in the finding of two artiff-
cial teeth with metallic rivets similar
to those worn by the dead girl
This afternoon the detectives found
i'll a secondhand store Miss Clauson's
trunk, which the pastor claims to have
sent to her by an unknown expressman
some weeks after her disappearance The
trunk, it transpires, contains the wear
ing apparel of the missing girl Among
the articles of clothing was the dress
in which Miss Clauson had the photo
graph taken now in the possession of
the police.
In addition to this, it now happens
that Hermann sold the trunk and
clothing himself, and that he disposed
Of the girls guitar at the same time
The date of this transaction was De-
cember 11th last, just two months and
eleven days after the girl disappeared.
Whether the bones found in excavat-
ing the basement of the church include
those of Miss Samuelson, the other girl
who it would appear fell victim to the
pastors lust and bloodthirstiness. can
not be yet determined The search in
the church and surroundings is not by
any means yet concluded, and further
discoveries can be expected 1t has been
established that Hermann was Grim
inally intimate with the Samuelson girl.
and that he performed an abortion on
her few weeks before her disappear-
ance in January last. A few DAYS prior
to her disappearance the pastor had a
large box made at one of the lumber
yards, and some of the officers hold to
the theory that the bones found in the
church are too old to be those of a per-
son only dead since January, and that
the preacher packed the remains in the
box, and either shipped it away or else
took it along with him when he left
for Kansas City on May 9th.
1t has further developed that both
girls had entrusted to Hermann consid-
erable money for safekeeping or invest
ment. Miss ClauSon, ii is known, gave
him $500 very shortly before her dis
appearance, and Miss Samuelson had
also given him several sums of money
while she was living with him. Her
mann drank heavily at times. and kept
a stock of wines and liquors at his
study.
The officers are keeping up the search
in and around the church. and the place
has been visited by thousands of Curl
osity-seekers to-day.
DIR. Meacham, who made an ana1vsis
OF the stains upon the various articles
found in the cellar said that while he
was not prepared to state that the stains
were those caused by human blood. ow-
ing to the fact that during the long
period that had elapsed since the per-
petration of the murder the blood can
sules had become detracted. making it a
hard matter to distinguish it from the
blood of animals, such as horses. dogs.
ETC., nevertheless he emphatically pro-
nounced the stains that he had exam
ined upon the lower door of the furnace
and upon the barrel found in the cellar
to be undoubtedly blood stains. Beyond
that he was prepared to give no further
opinion, but will make a final test this
evening on the articles. including smears
on the paper.
The officers have no tidings of the