Arizona silver belt., 1895-04-20
TIRE SAN FRAnu.sco mURDERs.

brought 10 nRht Tn san frenclsco Dy finding the bodies of Afiases Marian Williams and Blanche Lamont in the Emmanuel Baptist Church. The dis covery of Miss Williams mutilated corpse induced thorough search of the promises for the Lamont girls body, and it was found in the top Of the beliry, seyenty-five feet from the ground floor of the church. Miss Will Hams was murdered in the library of the church on the night of April 12, and Miss Lamont nine days previous, as she had been missing that length of time.
 Theodore Durrant, medical stu dent assistant superintendent of the Emmanuel Sunday School, and who had been on terms of friendship with both girls, was arrested, charged with the murders. Chief of Police Crowley is quoted as saying II have evidence enough against Durrant to hang O doz- en men" Durrant lstoutly maintains his innocence and his ability to prove an ahbi However, his statement that be had not seen Miss Williams for three weeks prior to her murder is contrsdicted by several persons who declare that he called on her at her home in Alameda few days before and on the day of the murder met her at the ferry, at 4 o'clock, and at S;30 on the night of the murder, was seen with the deceased to entsr Emman- uel church Miss Williams pocket book was found by the police in the pocket of Durrant's ulster, which he claims to have found on the sidewalk, near the church, at l1;3O p. m. the night of the murder, as he was return, ing from a social entertainment in the neighbOrhood.
 The evidence connecting him with the murder of Miss Lamont is alEo strong, Three of the latter's school. mates positively identify Durrant as the man last seen with her on the af- ternoon of her disappearance, and young King the orgRnist of the church gives damaging testimony against the accused. King ayers that he was in the church on the afternoon that Blanche Lamont disappeared, and had been sitting at the piano play:ug about ten minutes when Durrant entered through the door leading to the stair way in the belfry. The accused was pale and agitated and his clothing dis. arranged. He appeared startled upon seeing King, to whom he stated that he had been above, fixing the gas pipe which leaked, and had been almost | overcome by escaping gas. He asked King how he looked, and went to g mirror to see for himself, and after wards King observed blood on the bracket below the mirror. appearing as 1 though someone had wiped bloody finger uponit
 There are otber suspicious eircum stances reaecting more or less strongly upon young Durrant, and which wher considered jointly, form a strong chair of circumstsnGal evidence, which it will be difficult for him to explain away Evidently, the crimes were committed by some one moving within the marrow circle of the Emmanuel Church, anC having the respect and confidence O bis victims, He must have been a hab itu of the church and had access to it. all of which accords with Durrants DO sition in Emmanuel Church.
 The crimes are so strocious as to cause feeling of revulsion to the most in different reader of the sickening de tails, and no punishment that could b' msted out, if it riyaled the tortures O the Inquisition, would be too severe { penalty for the guilty fend.