The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-22

| San Francisco. April 21.-Public in
terest in the Emanuel Baptist church
murders is again at high pitch. due to
the fact that w. T. Durrant, the
young medical student, formally &C.
cused of one murder and suspected of
the other. will have his preliminary
examination tomorrow. 1t was week
ago Friday that the outraged and mu-
tilated body of Marian Williams was
found in the book room of the library
Of the church, and while yet the peo-
pie were thrilling with the horror OF
| 1t, the body of Blanche Lamont. a
young woman who had been missing
since April 5. was found in the belfry
of the same church, stark naked and
with the marks of the murderer's fin
gers on her throat
Weaving the Net.
The police have been busy in picking
up the threads and weaving their net
of circumstantial evidence. so as to
leave no weak mesh through which
the accused can escape. for they be-
lieve they have the murderer in the
person of the prisoner. That they have
more evidence than they have so far
admitted seems to be almost certain.
But it is said now that they will make
ali endeavor to try Durrant first on the
charge of numbering Miss Lamont, as
the evidence in that case is said to be
much stronger against the prisoner
than in the case of the killing of Miss
Williams. Chief of Police Crowley
says that he believes Durrant is
guilty and that he had no accomplice.
It Is also said that the prosecution has
some sensational evidence in store in
this case.
No Criminal Operation.
Referring to rumor that Blanche
Lamont was lured to the church by
Durrant's promise to perform GRIM
final operation on her to save her from
disgrace and that when she shrieked
In agony he grasped her by the throat
to stifie her cries and choked her TO
death. DR.. Barrett. the city's autopsy
physician. stated that the rumor was
without foundation. He says he took
especial care in the matter of the au-
topsy. and he is satisfied that no GRIM
inal operation was performed. He also
states that both young women died OF
strangulation. and that the knife
wounds in Miss Williams body were
not the cause of her death.
Among the gruesome exhibits in the
case was one which was quietly taken
to police headquarters and locked UP,
and not until late hour last night did
the police acknowledge they had it.
This exhibit is a shoe. and on its sole
are dark spots that were made when
the wearer stepped into a pool of
blood that came from the body Of
Marian Williams. The shoe is the
property of Rev. ]. George Gibson.
pastor of the church. and it was found
in his study in the edifice last Sunday.
just after the finding of the body of
Miss Lamont.
Created n Sensation.
This statement has created a sensa-
ton and gives those who have been
limiting that the preacher may be the
guilty man an opportunity to empha-
size their suspicious. However, the
police do not see in it anything that
duplicates the pastor. for they argue
that the person who killed the two
girls was familiar with the church and
must have known the shoes were there
and may have worn them in his bloody
undertaking.
The police this evening are still
searching the church in an effort to
find the clothing worn by the murder
er when he killed Miss Williams.