The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-17
FINDS IN THE CHURCH
Dark Lanterns and Axes Bring
Forth Books and
Clothing.

Emmanuel Church yielded yesterday
from its darkest and most uncanny hooks
more evidences of the bloody crimes that
have detiled it beyond atonement
In the belfry tower the hat of Blanche
Lamont was dragged into view when the
flooring of the lowest landing was chopped
away, and when officers of the law crawled
with dark lanterns into the darkest and
busiest recesses of the loft next to the
roof they found the missing schoolbooks
of the murdered girl and her shoes and the
lost glove, whose mate was found by the
bodv when it was discovered.
The most I'm portant discovery was that
of the school books. 1t was conclusive
proof that Blanche Lamont took with her
when she went into the church the books
with which she left the Normal School at
3 P. NJ on April 3, when she boarded a
Powell-street car with young man whom
three OF her schoOlmates have identified as
Durant. She must have gone to the church
dieectly or nearly so that Wednesday after
noon when she went downtown with Dur
rant, and the natural inference would be
that she was dead and stretched in the
high belfry tower before night, for such
an innocent and reputable girl could not
have been induced to stay alone in a lonely
church after the time when she would be
expected at home. Indeed, the natural
assumption is that she was enticed into
the church for but few minutes over some
plausible pretext, for she had an appoint
ment with her music-teacher for Miss La
mont that afternoon is supposed to have
gone into the church with Durrant to get
that copy of the "Newcomes" he had
promised her.
All day yesterday and through last night
Sergeant Reynolds and squad Of police
men guarded and held possession of the
church. 1t would have been crowded be-
yond any time in its history if two officers
had not been constantly on guard outside
and kept from the front door everybody
who had no important business inside
During the forenoon Sergeant Reynolds
took off his uniform and white shirt and
with other officers similarly prepared for
dusty work, began thorough exploration
OF the church. There are many deep holes
and dark corners all through the big build
ing between the plasteled rooms and the
foundations, shingles and sheathing. The
cellar was first searched though not fully.
but nothing was found. Sergeant Rey-
nolds declared that he would find those
books, and he did.
About noon several men climbed the
stairs at the front end leading to the
tower. The first discoveries were made at
the first landing in the tower in room
about 10x10 feet in size, into which door
opens from the gallery. Here the narrow
belfry stairs begin to zigzag upward, and
through it Blanche Lamont's body was
carried to the highest resting place. The
door from the gallery into this unused cor
ner tower shows that it was pried open
with something used like jimmy The
door had been found locked by Detective
Gibson, and both door knobs and the bar
that connected them were gone.
In looking carefully about Officer Cole
man peered into an opening in one corner
and espied one of the knobs which was
fished out. Then ]. ]. McGreevy, son of
Policeman Mc(ireevy, and the young man
who believes he saw Durrant on Bartlett
street that night took an ak and split away
the flooring for a foot on one side. The
other doorknob was found under the floor
between the joists and two feet from the
side of the room where spaces opened
between the unboarded studding.
Pretty soon young McGreeyy chopped
away foot of the flooring on the other
side and reach of his hand backward
under the floor was rewarded with Blanche
Lamont's hat, which was dragged forth.
Climbing up the belfry stairs two short
flights, the searchers crawled across dusty
timbers on TO what was once the plastered
ceiling of the Auditorium. 1t is like a
letter A cut off one-third way from the