The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-04-20
Body of Blanche Lamont Found
in Emanuel Baptist Church.
THE SECOND IN "a HOURS
san Francisco startled by a Mystery
of Jack the Ripper"
Order.

uel Baptist church has been the scene |
Of two of the most atrocious murders |
ever committed in the state. Yesterday |
the mutilated body of Minnie Williams !
was found in the library of the editice. |
Today the nude body of Blanche La
mont was found in the tower of the
same church. The same hand. the au-
thorities believe, slew both girls, and
w. II. T. Durant, the young man sus-
pected of both crimes, is now in Gus
tody.
Blanche Lamont and Minnie Williams
were members of the Emanuel Baptist
church and members of the same sun
dav school class. The former was
pupil at the normal school in this city;
the latter was a companion in family
in Alameda, across the bay from the
city. Both were q years old, brunettes,
and pretty and modest girls. Both had
been the recipients of attentions from
young medical student named w. II.
T. Durant, who Is also the librarian OF
the church and the secretary of the
Young peoples society of the church.
| on April Miss Lamont disappeared.
Duigent search failed to reveal any
trace of her, and her aunt Mrs. Noble
with whom she had been living, was
unable to throw any light on the affair
! Miss Lamont came from Dillon. Mont,
several months ago, having been sent
to san Francisco for her health and at
the same time to attend the normal
school - perfect herself as a teacher.
! The last person seen in her company
was w. H. T. Durant, who, it appears,
had been on friendly terms with the
missing girl.
On Saturday morning the mutllated
body of Minnie Williams was found in
me library Of the Emanuel Baptist
church on Bartlett street. The girl had
been assaulted and her remains We're
cut and hacked, the girl having evident
IN died from loss of blood. On further
examination it was found that she had
been gagged by the assailant tearing
off part of her Undertaking and
thrusting it down her throat with a
sharp stick, badly decorating the
tongue. Two witnesses state that they
saw a young man and a young woman,
the former answering the description OF
Durant and the latter that of Minnie
Williams. enter the church. Follow
ing this clue, the police put the resi-
, denCe Of Durant under surveillance
Miss Williams lived with friends in Ala
media. who gave her a home until she
could secure a position. She had beer
- a regular attendant at the Emanue
church, having formerly lived in tina
! neighborhood, but on the separation OF
4 her father and mother had removed tC
: Alameda.
! Friday morning the Morgan family
q with whom she lived, had packed thei
. household goods preparatory to moVlni
+ to Tacoma, and Miss Williams had re
moved her possessions to the house o
I oh "a
d evening she was to have attended
l meeting of the young peoples society 0
the church at Dr.. NOgeis house. A
+ 715 o'clock she left Mrs. Noy's to at
l. tend the meeting. taking latch Ike,
d with her. She never appeared there
It About the same time Durant left hi
d house on Fair Oaks street, in the sam
vicinity. bound for the same meeting
= Ats o'clock Durant met Philip Perkln
= and asked him some questions abou
n the trip to Mount DiablO, which the sig
nal corps of which he was a membe
IS was to make the next day. At $3.50 h
m appeared at VoGers residence. wher
le the young peoples meeting was in pros
g ress, and none were merrier than b
l. during the remainder of the evening
y At II o'clock he left with a party {
A. young people and went home. tt
r next morning Durant arose early an
" vent with his comrades of the signi
Ut corps for Mount Diablo. so miles ava,
is THE LAMONT CASE.
p The two murders are so closely col
as nected that it is now necessary to {
ia back to the Lamont case. Yesterda
~ Mrs Noble, the aunt of Miss Lamon
re received through the mail a paper col
ed tanning the three rings worn by n
IL niece the night she disappeared. c
lie the paper were written the name al
address of Theodore Durant. This, I
gether with the fact that Miss William
W an intimate friend of Miss Lamont, hS
70 been heard to say that she kne
Blanche had been murdered, but had I
os fused to tell what she knew and ho'
"a led the police to suspect that the san
IS. man had killed Miss Williams had sla
by Miss Lamont, and that, learning tn
10 Miss Williams knew of his first GRIN
he attempted further concealment by COZ
81 hitting a second murder.
60 Late last night the detectives HI
~ about decided that Durant had mt
dered Miss Williams, and this thee
was further strengthened this mOrni
RD when, on making a thorough search
Emanuel church, the dead and oil
cd ragged body of Miss Lamont was fou
concealed in the steeple. Death h
The been caused by strangulatiOn. I
me body was lying just inside the door
OF the tower room, nude and on the flo
~ Around the neck there were a f
ms streaks, the marks Of fingers that h
las been pressed deep INTO the tenoer ne
ion The features were badly distorted, bel
Z nd "a