The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1895-04-22
WHo IS THE MURDERER?


picked upon by the detectives as the
man who committed the murders, and
all the machinery of the detective and
police departments has been brought
into play to prove the correctness of the
theory. 1t may be possible that Dur
rant is the man, but it must be remem-
bered that all the testimony is not in
yet. It must further be remembered
that the police up to yesterday had not
disclosed the fact that one of the par
sons shoes had been found in the church
and that the sole thereof was covered
with blood. OF course this does not
necessarily implicate the preacher as
someone else might have worn the shoe
or even put it intentionally in the blood
for the purpose of throwing suspicion on
him. He had two pairs of shoes and
pair of slippers in his library in the
church.
The circumstances, taken altogether,
point strongly to Durrant as the muir
derer, and yet an analysis of the circum-
stantial evidence, even as presented by
the police, who are making as strong
case against him as possible, shows some
breaks that cannot be easily explained.
Both the murdered girls were modest,
quiet. good girls. Yet the testimony
shows that Marian Williams told Mr..
Morgan, with whom she lived, that Dur
rant had made improper proposals to
her, and that she was afraid of him.
The testimony of Maud Lamont, sister
of the murdered girl, shows that about
the same condition existed between
Blanche Lamont and Durrant. This
being the case, is it probable that Min
ME Williams, who professed fear of him
on account of his actions at Fruitvale,
would have trusted herself alone at
night in the church with him? Despite
the fact that he was the assistant super
intendent of the Sunday school, she
knew his real character, and if she was,
as she told Mr.. Morgan, afraid of him,
she would not have entered the church.
Miss Lamont was also informed as to
his true character, and being rather
strong minded, we take it. as the testi-
mony shows, she would have refused to
go into the church with him at night.
even though permitting him to accom-
pany her on the street car. Again,
when Blanche Lamont's body was found
in the belfry the tracks found in the
dust by it were measured, aud the police
say these tracks were made either by a
number or a number shoe. Durrant
wore a number 6; but up to date we
have not seen the statement as to the
size of Rev. Gibson's shoes. If the
girls would have hesitated about going
into the church with Durrant, whom
would they have entered with? I'm
doubtedly more freely with the pastor
of the church than any one else. Then
when Rev. Gibson, the pastor, is told of
the breaking of the door, he requests
the janitor's son to say nothing about it,
that he would attend to it.
Durrant when arrested, and ever
since, is said to have wonderful nerve,
but it is meyer suggested that that nerve
might be, after all, the consciousness
of innocence. Gibson, on the other
nand, refuses to see Dnrrant, refused
to speak to him. WhyP If Durrant
was guilty, his duty as a minister
would compel him to offer such spiritual
consolation as lay in his power. He
does not do this, but shuns him. If
Gibson himself was the criminal, that is
probably the exact course he would
pursue.
The police in perfecting their case say
that the night Minnie Williams was
killed, Durrant went home, changed his
clothing, burying the bloody garments
that he wore at the time and then went
to DIR. Vogels to an entertainment; that
when be arrived there his hair was dis
heveled and he asked DR.. Vogel to allow
him to wash his hands and comb his
hair. Yet, according to their story,
Durrant entered the church at $3.50,
killed his victim, went home changed
his clothing and destroyed that he had
worn. and arrived at Vogel's at 80, or
in one hour. If Durrant went home and
changed his clothing, why did he want
to wash at vogel's3
Then there is another and. widely diff
ferent aspect of the case. When the
police showed that Durant was leading a
dual life and that his visits were not
always to the church, they did him q
favor. If DurrantsWas something of a