The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-04-15
A 4RIPPER" IN FRISCO.
Ghastly Murder of Two Young
s swaa. Ladies in q Church.
THE ALLEGED MURDERER CAUGHT.


He 10 q Medical Student, and Is Believed
TO Have Mania for Murder-He Was
Also q Sunday School onicial, and
Highly Respected.
SAN FRANCISCO, April i5.-The Eman-
uel Baptist church, at Bartlett street be.
tween Twenty second and Twenty third,
in this oity, has been the scene of two of
the most atrocious murders ever commit
/. BED In the state. On Saturday the mutil-
ated and murdered body of Minnie Will
iams was found in the library Of the edi-
flcc. Yesterday tho nude body of Blanche
Lamont was found in the tower of the
same church. The same hand, the author
titles believe, slew both girls, and w. III.
Il. Durant, the young man suspected of
both crimes, Is now in custody.
Blanche Lamont and Minnie Williams
were members Of the Emanuel Church and
members of the Sunday school class. The
former was student at the normal school,
on Powell street, in this oity; the latter
was companion In family in Alabama,
across the bay from the city. They both
were 81 years old, brunettes, and pretty
and modest girls. Both had been the re-
sipients of attentions from n young medi-
nal student named w. II. Il. Durant, who
Is also the librarian OF the church and the
secretary Of tho young peoples society of
the church.
On April Miss Lamont disappeared.
Dilligent search failed to reveal any trace
of her whereabouts, and her aunt. Mrs.
Noble, with whom she had been living,
was totally unable to throw any light on
khe affair. Miss Lamont came from Dill
aon, Mon, several months ago, having
been In San francisco for her health and
At the same time to attend the normal
school. to perfect herself as u teacher. The
last person seen In her company was
Soung Durant.
On Saturday the mutilatod body of
Minnie Williams was found in the library
OF tho church. The girl had been assaulted,
and her remains were cut and hacked, tho
girl having evidently died from loss of
blood. On further examination 1t was
found that she had been gagged the as
ssilant tearing part of her underclothing
and thrusting 1t down her throat with
sharp stick, badly lacerating the tongue.
Two witnesses state they saw a young
man and young woman, the former
answering the description of Durant, and
the latter Minnie Williams, enter the
church Following this clew, the police at
pnoe put the residence of Durant under
surveillance.
Miss Williams lived with friends in Ala
moda named Morgan, who gave her home
pntil she could secure q position. She had
heen regular attendant OF the Emanuel
shuroh having formerly lived in that
neighborhood, but the separation of her
father and mother had caused her to move
TO Alameda Friday morning the Nor
fat,, ilu aclIa al hai In hn
Intending to leave for Tacoma, and Miss
Williams had removed her possessions to
khe house of Mrs Noy, near the church
Friday evening she was to have attended
. meeting of the young peoples society
bf the Emanuel church at DIR. Vogel's
house. At 7:15 O'Clock she left Mrs
Vcy's house to attend the meeting taking
D latch key with her. She never appeared
ehore. About this time Durant left his
home on Fair Oaks street in the same vi
sinity bound for the same meeting. At s
o'clock Durant met Philip Perkins and
asked him some questions about trip to
Mount DIablo, which the signal corps, of
which '->ssERs member, was to mako
hext day. Ab 9;3o he appeared at DR.. Vo-
gels residence, where the meeting was in
progress, and none were merrier during
the remainder Of the evening than he. At
"A u itbth itIh WIN party vi young
people and went home. The next morning
Durant arose early and wont with his
comrades of the signal corps for Mount
Dieblo, fifty miles away.
On Sunday Mrs. Noble, the aunt of Miss
lamont, received through tho mails
paper containing the four rings worn by
her niece the day she disappeared On the
paper were written the name and address
III Theodore Durant This together with
the fact that Miss Williams, an intimate
friend of Mlss Lamont had been heard to
say that she knew Blanche had been mur.
dered, but had refused to tell whnt she
knew, led the police to suspect that the
bame one who had killed Miss Williams
bad slain Miss Lamont, and that, learning
thai Miss Williams knew of his crime. at
tempted further cencealment by commit.
hng second murder.
Lutte Saturday night the detectives had
about decided Dnrant had murdered Miss
Williams and this theory was further
strengthened yesterday after making "a
thorough search of the Emanuel church.
The dead and outraged body of Miss La
mont was found concealed in the steeple.
Death had been caused by strungnlation.
The body was lying just inside the door of
the lower room, nude and on the floor
Around the neck were blue streaks, the
parks of fingers that had been pressed
deep into the tender flesh. Tho mouth
wins open, showing the regular teeth The
features were badly distorted. being drawn,
and the lips were swelled and blOodstained
Durant was arrested last evening at
Walnut Creek on the road to Mount Di-
ablo. He was caught by Detective An.
thony, who left in pursuit of him early in
she morning The police are certain they
have the right MAN
Durant ID about 90 years of age, and was
born and raised in the neighhorhood In
which tho murder occurred He il a gradu-
ate of the Cogswel High school, and has
been studying medicine for IL year He
WAS ii menber of the Second brigade sig.
nal corps, and was assistant superinten.
heut of Emanuel Church Sunday school,
ahe police think Durant is another Jack
The Ripper with IA mania for murder
They stnte that it Is highly probable that
Durant Is responsible for tho killing Of
Eugene Wnrd young drug clerk, who
was found stabbed to death several months
ago in the store where ho worked. No trace
was ever found of tho assassin and the
theory is that Durant killed him.
Jumped from Brooklyn Bridge to Death.
NEW YORK, April 15.-A man who said
that he WAS James Duffy, from county Ca
van, Ireland, jumped from the Brooklyn
bridge and was killed. Duffy was about
E years old, and o heavy drinker He
spent much OF his time In Stove Brodie's
saloon on the Bowery. He said that he
had made some high jumps In England,
and could easily make the Brooklyn bridge
Jump. He struck the water on his back,
howeyer, and was probably instantly
killed
Death of wIil,nm t:.,,e.