The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-20

the guilt of W. H. T. Durrant, the young
medical student who is accused of kill
ing Miss Williams, and suspected Of
having slain Miss Lamont, is now freely
expressed. There has been an under
current of opinion, which was expressed
in statement to the newspapers by the
mother of the accused man and which
has also been boldly stated in anony-
nous letters to the coroner, which nave
been published, that the actions of the
pastor of the church. Rev. John George
Gibson, have been so peculiar that the
police might do well to turn their search
light on him.
May Be the Preacher.
And there are those who openly pro-
TESS to believe that the preacher might
be the guilty man. These rumors reaching
the ears of the pastor have naturally
agitated and irritated him, and as re-
suit he sent word to the reporters last
night that he was suffering from merry
Gus exhaustion.
Earlier in the afternoon he stated that
the reason he had not visited Durrant.
who was one of the active workers or
his church, in his cell at the city prison.
was because of the inflamed condition OF
public opinion, and that if he did call
the people would be quick to say that he,
as an accomplice, had gone there to
steady the nerves of the young man.
Still, Durrant has expressed his surprise
at the seeming neglect and desertion by
the man to whom he naturally looked
for the first words of sympathy and
hope.
An AIibi Probable.
In spite of all these expressed suspicious
against the preacher, it is almost Deyond
doubt that he is not in any manner I'M
plicated, as his whereabouts on the
night of the murder. and during the
hours when Miss Williams was mur-
dered, are known. for he was during that
time at a gathering of the young people
at a church members home. Ii IL snouiu
be proven that Miss Williams was not
killed until midnight, instead of between
and 8 o'clock, then there might have
been grounds for the suspicion voiced by
many people.
The intimation by friends Of the &C
cused man that the police have ignored
all clews except those that pointed TO
Durrant's guilt led the chief of police to
call his detectives before him last night
go as to get summary of the evidence
and a concensus of opinion Five detec-
tlVeS nave ndQ charge VI liiC S-@S'
chief read the reports. questioned the
men and then asked the detectives If, in
their investigations, anything were sue-
gested that the murders were done by
several men in company.
Detectives Unanimous.
The detail was unanimous in declaring
the belief that both women were kileo
by one and the same man. and that the
man was ". H. T. Durrant-
The conference ended with renewal
of the orders by the chief to continue
the investigation. not only along the
main line. which seemed to lead to Dur
rant but on all collateral lines, no mat
ter toward whom they tended.
In speaking of the matter. CHIEF Crow
ley said:
ct am neither prosecutor nor persecu-
tor. NV duty is to collect all the evidence
for the prosecution officers mat II Is pos
sible to obtain, ard this has been done.
Yet all the cIews followed have run to
one man-Durrant. I must give credence
10 the reports of my officers Neither
they nor myself are prejudiced IN the
case "
rhe police have quit looking for bloody
garments belonging to Durrant and nave
adopted a new theory, winch sInakes
blood on his clothes unnecessary. Inc
theory Is 1fldC Jne SlIl was AAAo~ 80
IN the reading room, from one corner OF
which the dark little library opens, and
was dragged in there dead. Then the
cutting was done. In this event the
blood would be veinous blood and 1t
would all have welled forth gently.
Chief Crowley is having the blood ex-
amined with a view TO determining the
matter.
There are many theories and rumors
in circulation, and even the question OF
hvpnotism has been brought into the
effair. as accounting for the manner in
which the victims were lured into the
church.
A Bloody History.
That section of the city where EmanuA
church is located was originally the Mis-
sion Dolores, founded b. the friars
hundred years ago, and is to this day
generally designated as "The Mission"
Popular sentiment on the Mission favors
the razing of the edifice. This feeling ex-
tends even to those who are not finan-
cially interested in the property. but have
an interest in the moral atmosphere of
the neighborhood. The church has al
WAYS been under a cloud. A stain OF
human blood marks its history, from one
pastor who killed a newspaper propri-
etor, to another who blew out his own
brains, and thence to the awful tragedy
that is now before the people. Every
where is heard the expression: Burn
the place down. The feeling is that the
church should never again be opened as
q place of worship.