Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1895-04-20
THE WORK OF A FIEND
Body of Blanche Lamont Found
in Emanuel Baptist Church,
THE SECOND IN "a HOURS
San Francisco Startled by u Mystery
OF a Jack the Ripper"
order

| San Francisco, ApIil 1.-THE Enan
uel Baptist church has been the scene
| Of two OF the NEST alrOciouS murders
ever committed in the state YESTERDAY
the mutilates body Of Minnie Williams
was found in the library of the edifice
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, anC
W. H. 7. Durant. the young man sus'
pected of both crimes, Is now in Gus.
tody.
Blanche Lamont and Minnie Williams
We're members OF the Emanuel Baptist
church and members OF the same Sun
day school class. The former was a
pupil al the normal school III this city
the latter was a companion in a family
IN Alameda. across the bay from the
city. Both were Il years old, brunettes,
and pretty and modest girls. Both had
been the recipients Of attentions from
a young medica, 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.
Diligent 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.
F! 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 80 perfect herself as teacher.
| The last person seen in her company
| was W. H. 7. Durant, who, it appears,
| had been on friendly terms with the
| missing girl.
| On Saturday morning the mutilated
nody of Minnie Williams was found in
| thc 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
/ ly died from loss Of blood. On further
! examination it was found that she had
| been gagged by the assailanI tearing
| off part Of her underclothlng and
| 1hrust!ng it down her throat with a
| sharp stick. badly lacerating the
| tongue. Two witnesses state that they
saw young man and young woman,
the former answering the description OF
| Durant and the latter that Of Minnie
| Williams, enter the church. Follow
Z, ing this clue, the police put the resi-
dence 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 at the Emanuel
| church, having formerly lived in that
| neighborhood but on the separation of
| her father and mother had removed to
| Alameda.
| Friday morning the Morgan family,
| with whom she lived, had packed their
household goods preparatory to moving
to Tacoma, and Miss Williams had re-
moved her possessions 70 the house OF
Mrs. Noy, near the church. Friday
evening she was to have attended
| meeting Of the young peoples society of
the church at Dr.. NogelS house. AT
7:15 O'Clock she left Mrs. Noy's to at
tend the meeting, taking a latch key
with her. She never appeared there.
About the same time Dlrant left his
house on Fair Oaks street. in the same
vicinity, bound for the same meeting.
At 8 o'clock Durant met Philip Perkins
and asked him some questions about
the trip to Mount Diablo, which the sig
nal corps Of which he was member
was to make the next day. At $50 he
appeared at NogePs residence, where
the young peoples meeting was in prog
ress, and none were merrier than he
during the remainder Of the evening.
At II O'clock he left with q party Of
young people and went home. The
next morning Durant arose early and
vent with his comrades of the signal
corps for Mount Diablo. so miles away.
THE LAMONT CASE.
The two murders are SO closely con-
nected that it is now necessary to go
oack to the Lamont case. Yesterday
Mrs. Noble, the aunt of Miss Lamont,
received through the mail a paper con-
tanning the three rings worn by her
niece the night she disappeared. On
the paper We're written the name and
address of Theodore Durant. This, to-
gether with the fact that Miss Williams,
an intimate friend Of Miss Lamont, had
been heard to say that she knew
Blanche had been murdered, but had re-
fused to tell what she knew and how,
led the police to suspect that the same
man had killed Miss Williams had slain
Miss Lamont, and that, learning that
Miss Williams knew Of his first crime,
attempted further concealment by COM
mitting a second murder.
Late last night the detectives had
about decided that Durant had muir
dered Miss Williams, and this theory
was further strengthened this morning
when, on making a thorough search OF
Emanuel church, the dead and out
ragged body Of Miss Lamont was found
concealed in the steeple. Death had
been caused by strangulation. The
body was lying just inside the door OF
the tower room, nude and on the floor
Around the neck there were few
streaks, the marks of fingers that had
been pressed deep into the tender flesh.
The features were badly distorted, being
drawn down at one corner. and the lips
were swollen and blood-stained. The
nose was the only feature that re-
tained it's original shape, for the cheeks
were bloated. The girls light brown
hair was matted with dirt and hung
loosely about her shoulders. The body
was in the first stages Of decomposition.
When the officers reached the head OF
the stairs they found the door leading
to the tower room locked. They broke
in the door. It was so dark they could
not see, and one Of the officers struck
a match AS the light flared up they
saw before them the dead body of the
girl for whom they were searching.
The body was taken to the morgue,
where it was placed on slab by the
side of Minnie Williams.
A GREAT CITY EXCITED.
AS soon as the news became known
Immense crowds surrounded the church
and had to be kept back by the police,
The chief of police sent for Rev. DR..
Gibson. pastor of the church. and the
report became current that he had been
accused Of the crimes and had been ar
rested. Great crowds surged to DR.. Glib
sons house, and the excitement grew
intense. It spread all over the city.
Extra papers were gotten out, and thou
sands Of people flocked to the scene
from all over the city. The rumor OF
| rests was later denied, and it became
known that DR.. Gibson and the sexton
| Of the church had merely been called
before the police to tell what they knew.
ARREST OF DURANT.
At o'clock came the news that Du-
rant had been arrested at Walnut creek,