The herald., 1895-04-14
A Young Girl Stabbed to Death
in San Franeise0
THE BODY BAD tY MUTILATED
Considerable Mystery Surrounds the
Awful c rhine
AYoung nedicaI Students Inspected of Being
the Asssssin-Easts Oranges
Stained With Blood


Sible crime was unearthe today at the
Emanuel Baptist churh in this city. One
of the Sunday school teac hers with her
scholars, upon entering the church TO
arrange the Easter decorate cns. found the
body of young girl frit ;htfully mutt
lated in the pastors study adjoining the
main auditorium. Her clot hing was torn
and disheveled, and she ,ad evidently
been cruelty assaulted bet ore she was
killed, or else her murder W Eas the result
Of chagrin and rage upon til part OF her
baff1ed assailant. Her frail b ody was COW
cred with blood and wounds. The walls
of the study were bespatte red with her
blood, and there was lar &c pool under
the table near her feet, as she lay dead.
There was big cash across her forehead
from which had flowed bloc d, filling her
ewes. A cut on her wrist ha d severed the
arteries and tendons. She was stabbed
in each breast and over the heart was
flesh wound in which was sti ckipg part OF
a broken knife blade.
The assailaut had evidently possessed
all the feorcity of Jack the Ripper. The
knife, which was afterwards found. was
silver-handled table knife. ased the pre-
vious evening at a church fe stiyal and was
SO dull that the victims DIR ess had been
opened at the breast to enable the blade to
pierce the flesh.
The body was identified that of Min
ME Williams, a domestic servant resid-
ing in Alameda, but mem Der and regular
attendant at Emanuel church in this
city She was about Is years old and re-
markably pretty. She left her employers
residence in Alameda yesterday afternoon
at o'clock to attend church meeting
at DR.. Vogel's house last evening to re-
main all night with friends and assist in
the decorations today. She wore her best
frock and carried an older dress to wear
while working in the church. When the
entertaihmentc closed last evening, she is
presumed to have entered a closet adjoin-
ing the study to change her attire. The
.ianitor believing every one had gone,
turned out the ligh is and left the church.
The girl had an excellent reputation,
going TO no enter tainments other than
those at the church. She had two male
friends-a dental student whom she had
not seen lately, and a dental student who
she once said had insulted her and whom
her friends suspect of the murder.
This student whose name is Du rant
wrote her yesterday. asking her to meet
him in San Francisco last night. Miss
Williams was suspicious and refused a
rendezvous, but said she would be at the
festival in the church where Durant could
see and converse with her. Both Miss
Williams and Durant were at the festi-
val. No one saw either OF them leave the
church at its conclusion.
4 curious coincidence in connection
with the murder is the fact tina Miss
Williams was the close friend of Miss
Blanche Lamont, young girl from Mon
tana, who has been missing for the past
ten days Mrs. Noble, Miss Lam ont S
aunt, was the first to discover the dead
body of Miss Williams IN the church.
Mrs. Noble today received through the
mails paper in which were wa ppreu
three rings worn by her missing niece the
night she disappeared. On the paper was
the7name of Theodore Durant, the young
medical student. who made the appoint
n1ent with Miss Williams, the murde red
girl, last night.
The police have as yet made no ar rests,
and the double mystery is pulling the
whole city. Miss Williams, the murdered
girl, was not servant as at first stated.
Her parents had separated, and, as her
mother could not support her, the 81 ri
was living with friends who kindly gave
her home until she could secure a po-
sition. sShe was a remarkably handsome
and modest girl and was a graduate of
the high school.
studying medicine for about a year. He
is not particularly good-looking, but has
always had a fondness for the society of
young women. His Parents were we'll
to do people and he always had plenty of
money. He sought Miss Williams So
ciety frequently, but she did not look
upon his advances with favor. Finally he
wrote her a note asking her to meet him.
She replied that she would make no APP
pointment with him, but that she would
be at the house of DR.. Voegel last night
at Il meeting of the Young Peoples So
ciety of the church, and that he could see
her there.
Durant went to DR.. Voegel's house last
night with the other young people and
saw the girl No one remembers now
whether or not she left the house with
him.
Rev. Gibson and the church janitor
both assert that the church doors were
locked last night.
Mrs Durant. the mother of the young
man VINO is said to have met the Williams
girl at the young peoples meeting last
night, said that her son left for Mt Diablo
with detail of the Second brigade gnal
corps, of which he is member He
made his preparations for the trip yes
terday, and there was no concealment
about it. Last night he attended the
meeting at DR.. Nogels house and at II
O'Clock escorted another young lady
home. Rev. Gibson says he saw young
Durant continuously from 1870 to II
O'Clock when the party broke up. The
police who at first were inclined to sus
pect Durant when they found that he
had left town yesterday, were completely
at sea and the murder is more of mys-
terry than ever.
Miss Williams came over from Alameda
yesterday and stopped with friend Mrs
Voy. She left early in the evening to at
tend the young people S meeting and sale
she expected to be back early. That was
the last she saw of her. Miss Williams
took a latch key with her. and Mrs. Voy
supposed that she would let herself in anc
90 to bed. The girl never came back, bu
was decoyed to her death in the church
Her purse, which she took with her, il
missing, and the police have an idea tha
robbery was the motive for the murder
The key to the front door of the Voy resi-
dence is also missing.
Another 1urder in San Francisco
III.