The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1895-04-16
DURANT NERVOUS
Formally Charged With
Murder Today.
THE CHAIN IS LENGTHENING
His Name Stricken from the College
Rols--GeneraIly Believed to Be
Guilty.

sAN Francisco, April 15.-W. Fl. T.
Durant, suspected of the murder of
Blanch Lamont and Marian Williams,
has lost his former calmness of demeanor.
He is excited and nervous, and whether
innocent or guilty realizes his serious
predicament. He was today formally
charged with the murder of Marian
Williams. He was served with war;
1ant from the police court sworn to by
Detective Anthony, who arrested him at
Mount Diablo yesterday. His name to-
day was stricken from the roll of stu
dents at the Cooper medical college.
TIE police have discovered no new de-
velopments since last night.
The report was current this morning
that Durant had confessed, and that a
third body had been found in the church.
The police say there is not the least
truth in either rumor.
Chief Crowley is satisfied that Durant
is the man who outraged and murdered
Blanch Lamont and Marian Williams.
That Blanch was murdered and after
wards carried to the belfry is evident be-
cause the thick dust in the belfry shows
only mans footprints, and no evidence
of struggle. 1t is urged in Durant's
behalf that man so small and slight as
he could not alone have carried the
body up the winding stairs of the belfry.
He is only five feet seven inches tall,
and not robust looking. The shavings
and wood which had evidently lain on
the floor since the church was built had
not been disturbed .in the belfry. The
murderer had placed a block of wood
under the victims head and also under
each heel.
Stories of Durant's Jekyl and Hyde
character are coming out. In Emanuel
church he was noted for his religious
ferrvor Other residents of the mission
district say he was a frequenter OF
saloons, and played cards and billiards
in the wine rooms, nightly visiting with
other youths, saloons with side entrances
Tor women. His classmates at the
medical college say Durant was blasphe-
nous and fippant in conversation, and
especially about women. A few days
after Blanch Lamont disappeared,
Durant spoke lightly of her reputation.
It was rumored that members were
organizing to burn down the descrated
church, and police were sent to guard
the edifice. No attempt was made tc
carry out the threats.
Durant when seen in his cell thii
morning, said that he had been advised
to make no further public statement un
til the preliminary examination. 81 an
innocent of the death of the girls" he said
Sand hope to be able to prove that fact. ,
When he was told of the marked simil
arity between his writing anC
the address on the package containing
Blanch Lamont's rings, Durant said
"The writing may be similar, but I state
most solemnly that 1 know nothing O
the person who sent the rings to Mrs
Noble" On being questioned he ad
mitted he had charge of the Sunday
school library, and the catalogue hac
been written by him.
When Durant's admission as to tn
, writing was followed by the information
that the police had used portions of tn
catalogue for the purpose of connecting
him with the warning of the addTes
mentioned. Durant qualified his ad
mission with the nervous statement: ''
only wrote part of the catalogue. Fou
other persons were engaged in tha
work"
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