Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-11-03
l,.rne. Score. Durrant.

est capacity and close attention vas
paid to the speaker. Mr.. Barnes
spoke in part as follows:
The individual who perpetrated
the hideous murder with which the
defendant stands charged, and which
has narrowed the soul and frozen the
blood Of this community, is no ordi.
nary criminal, and his crime IN every
aspect in which it may be considered
it without a parallel. 1t was not
committed under Il blind and furious
impulse, to revenge some real or
fancied wrong to his person, his prop.
erty or his character; nor from mo.
tives Of gain, o in the commission
OF robbery, nor yet under the hot spur
Of jealousy-that hell of the injured
lover. 1t was in every sense "a cold.
blooded, vicious munder. 1t was
without the slightest provocation or
excuse or pallliation. The assassin
chose for his victim an innocent and
helpless maiden, in years almost a
child, almost a stranger IN our city, u
simple school girl, temporarily resid-
ing with n relative, and engaged in the
struggle to obtain an education rs u
teacher in the Normal School. She
was undeveloped in mind, pure i'll life
and thought. of simple and unsus.
pect nature and presenting in body
none OF the qualities which are sup
posed to arouse the evil passions OF
the seducer and libertine. For the
scene of his dreadful assault, the muir.
derer selected mn evangelical church,
dedicated to the worship OF God, Il
temple where the doctrines and the
life OF Jesus were taught and illus
trated in Sabbath assembly, in mid.
week rrayer-meeting and in social
gathering. He took the life of his
victim, not with the savage mercy of
the quick pistol or the silent knife, but
he tortured her with the lingering
process OF strangulation, driving his
cruel fingers deep into the tender flesh
Va III Shu tIAohtS hLib, GU litiCtlS
did he do his devils work, that the
stigmata of his crime renamed until
the discovery Of her corpes, clearly
discernuhle as the cause of death, not
only by the expert surgical examiner,
but by the most unlearned observer.
What other, if any, wrong vas done
her before her soul cxhaled and went
to heaven We do not know. Tho nd
vancement of natural decomposition
bailled investigation and made such
knowledge impossible, but we know
that either living, or dying, or dead,
she was taken 10y him up the steep
stairs Of the steeple OF the belfry of the
church, where he supported the pour
body with blocks of wood and left it
there to rot i'll n%akedness and wither
i'll the cool, western wind that swept
through the lofty spirc. He Ind the
remains where he believed they would
undiscovered and have no
promise Of Christian burial. There he
left her. She was dead, but he fGnci.
ell himself safe from detection and en-
The heaven pointing spirc
the Redeemer's church was his only
,ontidant and accomplish.
NO human eye had witnessed his
upon Blanche Lamont. No
EAR had heard her first shrek of ter
-or and "amazement, as this monster
upon her, or the last stified moan
of dying agony that preceded the
awful silence OF her final rest. None.
the God whom he feared not. had
seen him rs he extended the naked
md slender form on the belfry floor,
aid the thin arms across the undevcl-
)ped bosom, propped the head and
Strengthened the mcager body in the
lust. Not a human beng had beheld
his retreat from the awful presence
II the death which was his work. and
he secret was safely locked in his
'wn breast. There lay the speech
ess and untestifying corpse. and what
vas it to give him fear? 1t had
been nothing but q girl after all, aud
concerning her there would be the
'ame old story, 10 which he could
help give currency-thc same old sto.
Of q vanished girl, a distracted
amily, an ineffective and periunctory
eaTch among the houses OF %ill.rcpute,
reluctant conclusion that this little
me, like others OF Ewes daughters,
Iad gone to her moral destruction; a
turned to the wall. n name
spoken, and oblivion. personal
nd social, for poor. lost Blanche La.
mont. And he was right for the mo
nent. The wrath Of the God, whose
lw he had violated and whose ten.
le he had defiled, seemed To slum.
The murderer went his guilty
'ay with ms undivulged crirrr ~.
ard unwhipped Of justice. a..
lille his victim 10y in tho spirc that ,
ointcd its slender finger to the sky M ,
reproaching It's Ruler for His un. .
;riirnation.- ,
,..., Tho circum. -,
.anccs in connection with the discov. &
y Of Miss Lamont'a body, and from I
facts drew the conclusion that che :,
az murdered by gone member Of the &,
lurch who had keys 10 the building +,
nd in whom she had confidence. Tho .
urdcrcr must alec have been u man +,
hose cunning was sufficient Ia en-. /,
dc him to stilc the natural feeling /;
timidity which always nccompn. {
.ns innncnnrn. nnl inlnrn hrr IN nn L