The San Francisco call., 1897-02-12
IN PURSUIT OF A
W|FE-POSONER
Police of Mazatlan, Mex,
Want William Felt
Hermans.
Formerly Lived at Portland, o.,
but Now Believed to Be
in This City.
Story of a Fast Young Man Who
Welded Variety Actress and
Tired of Her.

PORILAND, Or, Feb. 1l.-Wllllam
Felt Hermans. formerly day clerk in q
small north end lodging house, known as
the Laclede, in this city, is wanted by the
Mazatlan (Mexico) police for wife-poison-
ing. He is believed to be in San Fran
cisco. having had ample time to encirc;e
the globe betweed the date of the commits
sion of the crime and its discovery.
Hermans and his wife left here about
two years ago. When he came to this city
in 1891 he went by the name of Felt Bur
ton. He claimed to belong to Boston
family, that he was a Harvard graduate
and that his visit West was merely to
familiarize himielf with the country and
the customs of the people.
Strangely enough for a man of his
claimed birth and refinement John Corts
of the Standard Vaudeville Thester. on
First and Madison streets, had q mes
merlc hold upon Burton Hermans, for
toward the close of the first year of his
visit here, and for two months or more
afterward, Burton scarcely missed night
there.
Before the close OF the year it became
apparent to all the attaches of the Stand
ard, as well as TO the Bostonian's more
intimate companions, that he was paying
particular attention to a very pretty and
quite demure young woman in the house
who went by the assumed name of Trixie
Marvin. A bout Christmas time, 1891,
Trixie vanished from the theater, the
surroundings OF which were really often
sive to her nature, and resumed a quiet
life with her parents on the East Side.
That ended Burton-Hermans' contri bu-
tiona to the Standard Theater treasury.
1t was somewhat of puzzing mystery
to many of those whom Burton was feast
ing, winning and otherwise squandering
much money upon as to what could be his
motive in remaining in this city so long
if his purpose in coming West was to
study the country and the people. In fact,
the provincial, gossipy nature of two OF
three OF the young men who were con-
stantly partaking OF Burton's hospitality
prompted them 10 write to Boston to as
certain their hosts antecedents. But
their curiosity never was satisfied, and
even up to this day no one hare knows
who Burton, alias Hermans. was, beyond
that he proved himself a prince Of good
fellows in the matter OF lavishing money
upon those whom he fancied-when he
had it.
Early in 1892 Burton sprang another
surprise upon his swell companions by
marrying Trixie Marvin, without inviting
a solitary one of them TO his wedding.
Mr.. and Mrs. Burton soon thereafter left
for the East, and, oddly enough. returned
here in 1893 and kept up stylish estab-
ishment. Suddenly, however, that was
broken up, and Burton, assuming the
name of William Felt Hermans, accepted
the above referred to comparatively
menial position.
Burton did not overestimate the honor
able qualities of Trixie, for in his period
OF adversely she stuck to him as If he were
a millionaire. The transmitter of the
news of Burton's criminal act knew him
here when he played the part of the
prince. He says that the Burtons lived
near MaZatlan about seven months under
the name of Hermans. They seemed to
be pretty well supplied with money, and
had very pretty cottage lew miles out
side of the city limits. About two months
ago the couple disappeared, and three
weeks since, when the cottage was forced
open, the dead body of Mrs. Burton
Hermans was found therein. a subse-
quent analysis Of the almost decom posed
stomach showed that death resulted from
strvchnine poisoning.
The writer says that the most conclu-
sive evidence pointing TO the husbands s
guilt is his mysterious disappearance
under these circumstances. Mrs. Bur-
toms maiden name was Helen Mauldin,
and when girl she lived near the South
ern Pacific shops.