Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-01-29
PUT PATMONT IN
BLACKMAIL PLOT
Brother of Divorced Woman
Tells of Collecting Sum
From Madison Man.
MORE LIGHT ON HIS LIFE
Claimed TO Have Faxed Sensational
Kisnapinss During Illinois lo-
cal Option Campaign.

Iogued 20 the debit OF Rev. Louis r.
Patmont in afidavits made public yes
terday by the Shippy. Hunt & DorInan
detective agency. These in addition
70 the charge OF arson. The afiidavits
are b. Elsie Muse. PatmOuts divorced
wife. and her brother.
The affidavits cover testimony be
fore the grand jury at Newark. y J.,
that resulted in the indictment OF Pat
mont on the charge OF setting IRE 10
the Church OF Christ chapel in that
city on April 10. 1913. The dispositions
gave an Interesting angle 20 the life
OF the man who aroused temperance
workers to a high pitch when he dis
appeared at Westville, Ill, last May Ia
the midst OF an anti-wet crusade.
Meanwhile Patmont. who dropped
out OF sight just before the Indictment
was returned. is being sought in var
ious cities.
In giving out the afidavits the detec-
tive agency explained what led up TO
procuring them IT. is also limited that
the person supposed 10 have been in
dicted with Patmont is the Russian
I the former wife names in her story OF
PatmOnts inne- life.
After Patmont. who until recently
lived with his father. Rev. GOttfried
Patmont OF 4s1 Howell avenue, Mil
waukee. procured a divorce last No
vember he placed his former wife in
Biblical institute at Boise City, Idaho
He told her II she remained there for
q year and became purified" he would
remzrry her. 4 woman operative
from the detective agency got talk
with her on Jan. and told her that
"Patmont had simply put her away
until the statute OF limitations would
expire this coming April" Then the
former wife turned on him.
Tells Of Church Fire.
Her statement regarding the church
fire. upon which the Indictment is .
based. follows:
About Jan. I. 1913 a Russian came
to our house az 80 Richmond street. /
Newark. from the Church OF Christ
mission in New York City. He came
20 aid my husband in the translation
OF the book known as The Church OF
Christ from English into Russian
About the middle OF Mach Patmont
and his married sister. Martha Pitt.
discussed the value OF the third mort
gage for $500 their father Gortfried
Patmolt. held on the building. My
hush nd said ne would make things
ali right by applying kerosene to the
building and burning il. We implored
him not 20 do so.
ION the night of April l. just as I
was leaving the church. Patmont and
the Russian drove up with a wagon
containing a dry goods box filed with
cans OF oil. The next night Patmont
and the Russian removed our furni-
ture TO my mothers house and got
some old household goods from a sec
0ud hand dealer Ny husband was
carrying q $1,000 policy on the furni-
ture
"On April s PatmOnt babe me good
by and said he was going 20 q Europ-
can mission 1 did not see him again
until June 10
ION April II my sis.er-inlaw. Mrs.
August Patmont, called at my moth
er's house and told me the Richmond
street church had burned down the
night before. Ny father-in-law collect
ed his insurance
Essays Role Of Physician.
Then she relates that on three oc-
physician and performed operations
on her
After my husbands first kidnap-
ing" she continues. "he told me a num-
Der OF times that he knew the men who
did it, but that he had promised never
TO reveal their identity under pain of
death.
Regarding The second kidnapine
Z
was fake. lie told me where he was
going. but asked me to cry and tear
at my hair and tell the inquisitors that
he had again been kidnapped. He loved
and believed these stories
would make him known all over the
world and bring him great wealth as a
lecturer.
"On May % arrived in Chicago. &C
by my sister. Carrie Hees,
and met my husband at the Dearborn /;
street station" the divorced wife con- ,
tinued. Il then believed my husband ]
had been kidnapped at Westville. but /
l don't believe it now. His cheeks !
were rudy. he was tanned and fatter {
than had ever seen him. He said the .
fat was unnatural. that the appearance
was caused from being tied up with
ropes"
Brother Accuses Pastor. i
George W. Muse. the divorced wife's
brother, personally wrote and signed, l
in the presence OF witnesses. state I
ment which reads. in part. as follows: .
In October. 1914, my sister wrote
me that she wasn't going to live with
Patmont any more: that she was going
10 school and study for missionary
work I then called on Patmont at his
iather's home in Milwaukee to ascer
ain the trouble. Patmont told me a
story about a man in Madison. Wis.
involving my sister. and that he CPat-
noat) had threatened to tell the mans
wife IL the man didn't give him $1,000
Patmont told me he didn't want the