The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-10-17
FINGER OF SUSPICION.

Mrs. Noble Was the First to
Point It to Durrant.
HE APPEARED TOO INQUISITIvE
| The Aunt of Murdered Blanche Lamont
Tells How She Game to Suspect
the Medical Student.
San Francisco, Oct. 15.-Ever since
Durrant was arrested there has been a
still hunt for the first person who men,
/ toned his name in connection with the
murder of Minnie Williams. Immedi-
ately after the horror of the library
closet became known his name echoed
in every mention of it. In a few hours
! the papers had extra editions, naming
Durrant. By Saturday evening most
people believed that the murderer was
known. DR.. Vogel was asked to give
an account of himself; the pastor told
of his comings and goings on Friday
evening. Elmer Wolfe had to put on
his thinking-cap, and Sademan, the
janitor, refreshed his memory. The
detectives sought to know why Durrant
was accused, but they were never
able to find the exact information.
Now it comes out that Mrs. Noble,
the aunt of Blanche Lamont, was the
first to mention his name in connection
with the tragedies.
Mrs. Noble talked freely of the case
today. When asked whether Durrant
told her, that memorable Wednesday
evening, that he had seen Blanche that
morning, she said:
Eyes; when I went to prayer meet
ing that evening it was agreed between
Maud and myself that nothing should
be said of Blanche's absence. We did
not wish to make any unnecessary fuss
about thing that might be cleared up
in an hour. I was SO troubled that
would not have gone to the church had
not been obligated to hand in
notice for an entertainment. do not
remember whether went in ahead Of
Durrant Or not, but do know that he
always sat in the back Of the room dur
ing prayer meeting, and his coming to
where I was was unusual. He asked
me, as have testified, whether Blanche
would be there. He said she wanted
''The Newcomes,' but he had forgot
ten it and would bring it Sunday.
Then he stated that he had met her on
the way to school that morning.
tsWo si1onf1u oil dow Tb urS-
day and Friday. 1t was not until Sat
urday that the anguish became SO un-
bearable that we began to tell our
church friends. Friday morning, a
little after o'clock, Durrant called
here, bringing with him "The New
comes" Maud answered the bell. He
asked if Blanche were at home and ex-
pressed no surprise at seeing Maud who
would ordinarily have been at school.
When Maud told him that Blanche
was not at home, he said: I thought
I might see her. Maud closed the door
and said:
60 'Auntie, believe he knows that
Blanche is missing. Why should he
come to see her at this hour? 1t is past
school time and he acted rather
strangely
"We did not think he knew any
thing of her whereabouts; we were
concerned only that the fact of her dis
appearance might become known. Even
when the detectives commenced to work
on the case and came to me for the
names of her friends I mentioned
Vogel's name first. Durrant was an
after-thought.
"As has appeared during the trial,
he offered his services to assist in the
search. The following week dragged
wearily on. Saturday morning Mrs.
Keeler, the wife of the undertaken,
called here to tell me that body had
been found and that it was not
Blanche's.
knowing my frightful anxiety, my
friends at the church feared that
would hear that body had been found
and might think it was Blanche, SO
they had dispatched Mrs. Keeler to
tell me that it was the body OF some
one else. In referring to Blanche's
disappearance and to the fact, that
Theodore was the last one to see her,
Mrs. Keeler remarked that he had gone
out of town. Like flash his conduct
from that Wednesday night prayer
meeting passed before me. I remem-
bered it all, his seeking me at the
prayer meeting, his strange call Fri
day morning, what Maud had said,
and his dreadful Interpretation of her
absence. A sickening realization came
to me, and said to Mrs. Keller:
"'Durrant has killed that girl. -
''That was after noon Saturday,
April 49,
When the detectives were seeking
this information, Mrs. Noble said that
she did not know who first mentioned
Durrant's name. She did not know
that she herself had set the machinery
of the law in operation against him.
Mr.. Nolte, who found the body of
Minnie Williams, said today:
"Durrant's name was not mentioned
while I was at the church. In fact, l
asked Mr.. Gibson if he found out who
i