Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1895-04-20

| Ne'oSt1t pS bGltCliN6 anlNOuS, VINO LEI
IN pursuit Of him this morning. TIL
detective and his prisoner left on TIL
next train for San Francisco, Hher
they arrived this evening. A larg
crowd had gathered at the ferries to se
the suspected murderer come i'll, but !
detachment of police was in waiting
and they kept back the crowd. Duran
was hustled into a patrol wagon ant
| WhrIed away to the city prison, Where
| he was locked up.
The police are certain that they hays
the right man. They claim to have twt
| witnesses who saw Durant with Miss
Williams last Friday night, and also
state that when a search was made OF
Dufants house today, in the pocket OF
his coat was found a purse which Miss
| Williams is known to have carried Fri
| day night.
Durant Is about % years old and was
born and raised in the neighborhood in
/ which the murder occurred. He is d
/ graduate OF the Coggswell high school
and has been studying medicine for a
year. He is a member of the Second
! brigade signal corps, and was assist
| ant superintendent of the Emanuel
| cnurch sunday school. He was ALWAYS
OF a quiet disposition and his friends
refuse to believe, in spite of the evil
| dence, that he committed the crime at
tributed to him.
/ The police, however. think that Du-
rant is another Jack-the-Ripper, with a
| mania for murder. They say that 1t is
| highly probable that Durant is respon-
sible Tor the killing of Eugene Ware. q
a r.Ia
! bed to death several months ago in
the store where he worked No trace
was ever found Of the assassin. and the
theory is that Durant killed him. No
motive for this murder was Ciscoy cred
and the fiendish cruelty of it Oyare was
stabbed in eight places leads to the be-
lief that 1t was the work of an insane
person.
Durants parents are highly esteemed
people. His father is chief engineer IN
buckingham & Hecht's large shoe fac
tory, and, while not rich, has been able
to give his children a good educat tion,
and start them in life.
Anthony met Dura1lr and his com
panlons coming back from Mount Diab-
10. They wore uniforms and had been
on shooting expedition. When Du-
rant was placed under arrest his COM
lades at first wanted to resist the Off
Ger, but finally allowed him to be taken
to Walnut creek, where the officer and
his prisoner boarded a train for San
Francisco When they arrived at the
prison, as already described, Durant.
in his resimentals. was taken to the
chiefs office and subjected to a search
ing examination. He appeared very
cool and even when arrested by Antho-
ny and told that Miss Lamont's body
had been found, did not lose his nerve,
although he appeared greatly shocked
and surprised. After the examination
by the chief, Durant was taken to a cell.
There he was joined by his parents and
a lawyer.
He made a statement to the Asso-
ciated Press: 1.-The last time met Miss
Lamont was on the day she disappear
ed, April 3. We talked about books, and
| promised to bring book for her to
prayer meeting that night. Miss La
mont did not appear at prayer meeting
and the following Friday I took it up to
her house and gave 1t to her sister
The latter told me that Blanche had
gone to school, evidently trying to keep
the fact Of her disappearance secret
That is all know Of the Lamont case
The last time I saw Minnie Williams
was three weeks ago"
When confronted by the evidence that
Miss Williams purse had been found in
his pocket. Durant gave the following
explanation: IT was going home from
the meeting Friday night when my
foot struck a small object on the side
walk. l picked it up and found that IL
was a small pocket mirror. Near by
was a purse, which I also picked up and
put in my pocket. I took both purse
and mirror home with me, intending to
tell my parents of my find. 1t was late,
however, and I went right to bed. In
the morning l was in a hurry to get
away with the signal corps and forgot
all about it,
The police take exceptions to Du-
rants statement that he had not seen
Miss Williams for three weeks. They
say they can prove that he saw her on
Monday or Tuesday. and possibly later.
From all appearances, Miss Lamont
was murdered in the room where her
body was found. The body had been
dragged up the belfry stairs and into
the tower room. Her clothing was
found stuffed into various corners Of the
room.