The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-15

SAN FRANCISCO, April 14.-The Eman-
uel Baptist church in this city has been
the scene of two of the most atrocious
murders ever committed in the state.
Yesterday the mutilated body of Miss
Minnie Williams was found in the library
of the office. To-day the nude body of
Blanche Lamont was found in the tower
of the same church. The same hand. the
authorities believe, slew both girls, and
w. II. L. Durant. the young man sus-
pected of both crimes, is now in custody.
Blanche Lamont and Minnie Williams
were members of the Emanuel Baptist
church and members of the Sunday
school class. The former was a pupil at
the normal school in this city; the latter
was a companion in a family in Alameda,
across the bay from the city. Both were
2l years old, brunettes and pretty and
modest girls. Both had been the recip-
tents of attention from a young medical
student named w. II. T. Durant, who is
also the librarian of the church and sec
retary of the Young Peoples society of
the church.
On April 3, Miss Lamont disappeared.
Dligent 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.
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 to
perfect herself as teacher. The last
person seen in her company was w. III. L.
Durant, who it appears, had been on
friendly terms with the missing girl.
On Saturday morning the mutilated
body of Minnie Williams was found in
the library of Ema nel Baptist church on
Bartlett street. The girl had been as
saulted and her remains were cut and
hacked, the girl having evidently died
from loss of blood. On further examina-
ton it was found shat she had been
gagged by the assailant, tearing part OF
her underclothing and thrusting it down
her throat with sharp stick, badly lacer-
ating the tongue.
Two witnesses state that they saw n
young man and a young woman, the
former answering the description of
Durant and the latter of Minnie Williams,
enter the church. Following this clue the
police put the residence of Durant under
surveillance.
Miss Williams lived with friends in
Alameda, who gave her home until she
"A
regular attendant at Emanuel church,
having formerly lived IN that neighbor-
hood, but on the separation of her father
and mother she removed to Alameda.
Friday morning the Morgans. with whom
she had lived, packed their household
goods preparatory TO moving to Tacoma,
and Miss Williams had removed her pos
sessions to the house of Mrs. Voy, near
the church. Friday evening she was to
have attended meeting of the Young
Peoples society of the church at DIR.
Vogel's house.
At 7:15 o'clock she left Mrs. voy's to at
tend the meeting, taking n latch key with
her. She never appeared there. About
the same time Durant left his home on
Fair Oaks street in the same vicinity,
bound for the samc meeting. At o'clock
Durant met Philip Perkins and asked him
some questions about trip to Mount
Diabio. which the signal corps of which he
was n member was TO make next day. At
80 hc appeared at vogel's residence.
where the young peoples meeting was in
and none were merrier than he
during the remainder of the evening. AT
il O'Clock he left with a party of young
people and went home. The next morn
ing Durant arose early and went with his
OF the signal corps to Mount
Diablo. so miles away. The two murders
are so closely connected that il is now
to go back to the Lamont case.
Yesterday Mrs. Noble. the aunt Of Miss
received through the mails a
parcel containing the three rings worn by
her niece the night she disappeared. On
The paper were written the name and ad-
iress of Theodore Durant. This, together
With the fact that Miss Williams, an in
innate friend of Miss Lamont, had been
heard TO say that she knew Blanche had
1een murdered, but had refused to tell
What she knew and how, led the police TO
,uspect that the same person who had