Valentine Hermes
Arizona Republican Newspaper
September 6, 1895

A sickening and ghastly discovery was brought to the notice of 
the authorities last Sunday morning. It was the decomposed and 
vermin covered, body of a old man in a hovel near the round 
house in Tucson.  The stench was so terrible that it was 
almost impossible to approach the door of the hut.  The 
discovery was made the night before by a Mexican and his 
wife who were passing.  They were attracted by the stench and 
traced it to the hut but at the door the investigation was 
discontinued.  The Mexican reported it to a neighbor the next 
morning and by him to Officer Roach.  Justice Meyers was 
notified and a coroner's jury impaneled.

The door of the hut was broken, disclosing the rotting corpse 
half concealed by a dry goods box in front of the door.  The 
body lay on a cot in a posture of repose and there had been 
no disturbance of the arrangement of the furniture to create 
a suspicion of foul play.  The body was taken out with great 
difficulty and buried.

A trunk, a couple of boxes and valises, comprising everything 
of any value were taken out and everything else, including 
such scanty provisions as were found, was burned with the 
hut.  After the fire had died away that awful smell lingered 
in the vicinity.

The dad man was Valentine Hermes, fifty years old and a native 
of Germany. He had lived in Tucson a little more than eleven 
years and had gained the reputation of a miser.    Very little 
is known of Hermes, except that he was a genuine recluse. 
He was a most devout Catholic, faithful in his attendance 
upon all services from the early mass.


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