Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-04-15
CRIME In ACHURCH
Discovery Of the Oiabolical
Murder of Two Girls.
THE rERoCITY OF JACK THE RIPPER

Displayed In the Slaughter Of Miss WILL
Jams Horrible Method OF Gaxxins
Adopted II The Second Corpse Found
That of . Girl Who Had been Missing
for Some Time-BlooIy War In tho
Choctaw Nat:ou-Lsttle Girl Slain.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 15.-The Eman.
1el Baptist church at Bartlett street, be.
tween Twenty-second and Twenty-third
In this city, has been the scene Of two of
the most atrocious murders ever com.
mitted in the state. Saturday the mutt
lated and murdered body of Minnie Will
Jams was found in the library of the edi-
fee. Yesterday the nude body of Blanche
Lamont was found in the tower of the
same church. The same hand, the au-
thorities believe, slew both girls and w.
H. L. 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 a family in Al
We
They were each Fl years old, bruncttcs,
and pretty and modest girls.
The Wolf In Sleeps Clothing.
Both had been the recipients of at.en-
tons from a young medical student
named w. H. 7. 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 disap-
peared. Diligent 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 Dillon, Mont, 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 a
teacher. The last person seen in her
company was w. II. L. Durant, who, it
seems, had been on friendly terms with
the missing girl. On Saturday about
II p. IN. 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.
Ferecisy of Her Assaiiant.
Her ussailant had evidently possessed
all the ferocity of Jack-the- Ripper. On
examination it was found that she had
been gagged, the assaiiant tearing part of
her underclothing and thrusting it down
her throat with a sharp stick, badly lace
rating the tongue. Two witnesses state
that they saw "a young man and a young
woman, the former answering the de-
scription of DurGnt and the latter that of
linn, in ont hs,< y, 81
lowing this clue the police at once put the
residence of Durant under surveillance.
Miss Williams lived with friends in Ala
media, who gave her home until she
could secure position. She had been
regular attendant of the Emanuel church,
having formerly lived in that neighbor.
hood, but after the separation of her
father and mother had moved to Ala
media.
Last Time She Was Seen Alive.
Friday morning the Morgan family,
with whom she had lived, 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 meeting OF the Young
Peoples society of the Emanuel church
at DR. Voge's house. AT Is o'clock she
.
ing, taking latchkcy with her. She
never appeared there. About this time
Durant left his home on Faroaks street,
i'll the same vicinity, bound for the same
meeting. At O'Clock Dura mt met Philip
Perkins and asked him some questions
about n trip to Mount Diablo which the
signal corps, of which he was member,
was to make the next day. Al $3.50 he
appeared at DIR. Vogel's residence where
the meeting was in progress. and none
was more merry during the remainder of
the evening. At II o'clock he left with a
party of young people and went home.
First Clue to the Murderer.
The next morning Du-ant arose early
and went with his comrades OF the Signal
corps for Mount Diablo, fifty mills away.
The two murders are SO closely connected
that 1t is now necessary to go back to the
Lamont case. Yesterday Mrs. Noble, the
aunt of Miss Lamont, received through
the mails paper containing the four
rings worn by her niece the day she dis
appeared. On the paper were written the
name and address of Theodore Durant.
This, together with the fact that Miss
Williams. an intimate friend of Miss La
mont, had been heard to say she knew
Blanche had been murdered but refused
to tell what she knew. had led the DO