Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-04-15
FOUND IN A STEEPLE.
Nude Body Of Murdered Minnie Will
Jams Discovered by Sea.chers.
Blanche Lamont Was Killed
the Day Previous.
Boih Crimes Laid al the Door OF a Member
oi the Church.

SAN FRANCISCO April Is. On Saturday
tho mutilated and murdered body of Min
mis- Williams was found In tho library OF
the Emanuel Baptist church. Yesterday
the nude body OF Blanche Lamont wos
found In tho tower OF the same church.
The same band, the authorities believe,
slew both girls and w. II. 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 tho Sunday school class.
The former was student at the normal
school; the latter was u companion in a
family in Alameda. They were both 81
years old, brunettes and pretty, modest
girls Both had been the recipients OF at
tentions from young medical student
named w. Ii. H. Durant, who Is also
member OF the church and secretary OF
the Young Peoples society Of the church
On April Miss Lamont disappeared.
The last person seen I'm her company was
Durant, who, it seems, had been on
friendly terms with the missing girl On
Saturday, about IL 10 O. m, the mutilated
body of Minnie Williams was found In the
library OF the church. The girl had been
assaulted and her remains were cut and
hacked. the girl having evidently died
From Loss of Blood.
Two witnesses state they saw a young
man and young woman, thot former
answering the description OF Durant, and
the latter that Of Minnie Williams, enter
the church.
Miss Williams had boen regular AZ
tendant 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 evening she was to have attended
q meeting Of the Young Peoples society
of the Emanuel church at DIR. Vogels
house. Al z. 10 o'clock she left Mrs. Voy's
house to attend the meeting, taking
latch-key with her. She never appeared
there.
On Saturday Mrs Noble, the aunt OF
Miss lamont, received through the mails
paper containing the four rings worn by
her niece the day she disappeared On
the paper were written the name and ad-
dress of Theodore Durant This. together
with the fact that Miss Williams had been
heard to say that che knew Miss Lamont
had been murdered, but had refused to
tell what she knew, lead the police to
suspect that some one who had killed
Miss Williams had slain Miss Lamont,
and that learning that Miss Williams
knew of his crime attempted further ooh-
cealment by g
CSnmitflng DoubIe Murder.
The detectives had about decided Durant
had murdered Miss Williams, and this
theory was further strengthened yester.
day after making thorough search OF the
Emanuel church. The dead and outraged
body of Miss Lamont was found concealed
In the steeple. Death had been caused by
strangulation. The body was lying just
inside the door Of the tower room, nude,
and on the floor.
At o'clock last evening came the news
that Durant had been arrested ut Walnut
Creek. Detective Anthony and his pris-
oner left on the next train for San Fran
CISCO where they arrived last evening
Durant Is about 26 years old, and was
born and raised in the neighborhood in
which tho murder occurred.
The police think Durant Is another
"Jack, the Ripper" with IA mania for mur-
der. They state that it is highly probable
that Durant is responsible for the killing
of Eugene Ward, n young drug clerk. who
was found stabbed to death several months
ago in the store where he was at work.