The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-04-15
CHASTITY Murder Of Two Young
Ladies in a Church,
THE ALLEGED MURDERER CAUGHT.

Highly Respected.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 15-The Eman-
uel Baptist church, at Bartlett street be
tween Twenty and Twenty third,
in this city has been the scene of two of
the most atrocious murders ever commit
ted in the state On Saturday the mutil-
ated and murdered body of Minnie Will
Jams was found in the library of the edi-
flee Yesterday the nude body of Blanche
Lamont was found in the tower of the
same church. The same hand, the author
tiles believe, slew both girls, and w. H.
I. 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 a student at the normal school,
on Powell street, in this city; the latter
was a companion in family in Alabama,
across the bay from the city. They both
were 2l years old, brunettes, and pretty
and modest girls Both had been the re-
cipients of attentions from a young medi-
cal student named w. H. T. Durant, who
is also the librarian of the church and the
secretary of the young peoples society of
the church.
On April 3 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
the affair. Miss Lamont came from Dill
| lon, 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 teacher The
last person seen in her company was
young Durant.
On Saturday the mutilated body of
| Minnie Williams was found in the library
| Df the church. The girl had been assaulted,
/ and her remains were cut and hacked, the
| girl having evidently died from loss of
blood On further examination it was
found that she had been gagged, the as
sailant tearing part of her underclothing
and thrusting it down her throat with a
sharp stick, badly lacerating the tongue.
Two witnesses state they saw a young
man and a young woman, the former
answering the description of Durant, and
the latter Minnie Williams, enter the
church. Following this clew, the police at
once put the residence of Durant under
/ surveillance.
Miss Williams lived with friends in Ala
media named Morgan, who gave her home
|
been regular attendant of the Emanuel
church, 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
gan family packed their household goods,
Intending to leave for Tacoma, and Miss
| Williams had removed her possessions to
the house of Mrs Voy, near the church.
Friday evening she was to have attended
q meeting of the young peoples society
| Of the Emanuel church at DR.. Vogel's
house. At 7:l5 o'clock she left Mrs
| Voys house to attend the meeting taking
| a latch key with her. She never appeared
there About this time Durant left his
home on Fair Oaks street in the same vi
cinity, bound for the same meeting. AT S
| o'clock Durant met Philip Perkins and
asked him some questions about a trip to
Mount Diablo, which the signal corps, of
which he was a member, was to make
next day. At $3.50 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
II o'clock he left with a party of young
people and went home The next morning
Durant arose early and went with his
comrades of the signal corps for Mount
Diablo, fifty miles away.
Oh ounu"y MIS- Nople' Cle aulU Vi :, MISS
Lamont, receiNou vnrough uhe mans
paper CONTAINING V,le iour rings "Orn ny
: her niece Vhe uay she ulsappeareu' Cn One
paper were wrlUVell UlG 5,ii nalile anu auuress
OF IheouOre DuralG, IL ms Cogeoner WIN
the Iact IhaI MISS Wlllalns' an ihUlIna1e
friend OF MISS Lamont mad been heard to
say that she knew Blanche had been mur'
dered, but had refused to tell what she
Knew led the ponce TO suspect that the
same one VINO had Killed MISS Williams
had slam MISS Lamont, ana that' learning
that Miss Williams knew OF his crime, at
tempted further concealment by commit
ting second murder
Late Saturday night the detectives had
} about decided Duranb had murdered Miss
Williams, ana TINS theory was Iurthei
strengthened yesterday alter making a
thorough search OF the hmanuel church
J The dead ana outraged BODY OF MISS La
mont was Iouhd concealed IN the steeple
DeaJh had Deen caused Dy stran gula5lon
| Iue loWeE IOullli uIue anu Oh uuo uOof