The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1895-04-18
THE WORK OF A FIEND
BODY Of Blanche Lamont Found
in Emanuel Baptist Church.
THE SECOND IN "a HOURS
San Francisco Startled by a Mystery
of a Jack the Ripper
Order.


uel Baptist church has been the scene
of two OF the most atrocious murders
ever committed In the state. Yesterday
the mutilated body OF Minnie Williams
was found in the library of the edifice.
Today the nude body of Blanche La
mont was found in the tower of the
same church. The same hand, the au-
thorities believe, slew both girls, and
w. H. T. Durant. the young man sus-
pected of both crimes, is now in. GUS
tody.
Blanche Lamont and Minnie Williams
4 were members of the Emanuel Baptist
church and members of the same sun
day school class. The former was
pupil at the normal school in this city;
the latter was companion In FAMILY
in Alameda, across the bay from the
Il city. Both were q years old, brunettes,
Il and pretty and modest girls. Both had
n been the recipients of attentions from
II young medical student named w. II.
7. Durant, who is also the librarian of
u the church and the secretary of the
ri young peoples society of the church.
IA On April Miss Lamont disappeared.
81 Diligent search failed to reveal any
III trace of her, and her aunt, Mrs Noble,
n unable to throw any light on the affair
q Miss Lamont came from Dillon. Mont
y several months ago, having been sent
X to San Francisco for her health and at
the same time to attend the normal
a school to perfect herself as a teacher.
Il The last person seen in her company
q was W. II. T. Durant, who, 1t appears,
y had been on friendly terms with the
missing girl.
On Saturday morning the mutilated
1 body OF Minnie Williams was found in
1 the library of the Emanuel Baptist
church on Bartlett street. The girl had
been assaulted and her remains were
4 cut and hacked. the girl having evident
ly died from loss of blood. On further
q examination 1t was found that she had
I been gagged by the assailant tearing
eff part of her underclothing anc
thrusting it down her throat with a
sharp stick, badly lacerating the
tongae. Two witnesses state that they
A saw a young man and young woman
the EoYzp9r answering the description o.
fourant aud the latter that of Minnie
Williams, eater the church. Follow
ing this clue, the police put the resi-
dence of Durant under surveillance
Il Miss Williams lived with friends in Ala
q media. who gave her a home until she
could secure a position. She had beer
q a. regular attendant at the Emanuel
church, having formerly lived in thai
neighborhood, but on the separation OF
n her father and mother had removed to
Alameda.
q Friday morning the Morgan family
n with whom she lived, had packed theii
II household goods preparatory to moving
to TACOMA. and Miss Williams had re
4 moved her possessions to the house OF
q Mrs. Voy, near the church. Friday
$ evening she was to have attended 6
meeting of the yeuag peoples society o.
the church at DR.. V0gers house. A
4 7:l5 o'clock she left Mrs. Voy's to at
tend the meeting. taking latch key
G with her. She never appeared there
i About the same time Durant left hi
house on Fair Oaks street, in the sam'
vicinity, bound for the same meeting
4 At 8 O'Clock Durant met Philip Perkins
X and asked him some questions abou
81 the trip to Mount Diablo which the sig
II mai corps of which he was membe
was to make the next day. At $3.50 h
appeared at Vogers residence. wher
the young peoples meeting was in prog
ress and none were merrier than n
during the remainder OF the evening
4 At II o'clock he left with party o
q young people and went home. TIL
"a next morning Durant arose early an
N went with his comrades of the sigma
corps for Mount Diablo, so miles away
THE LAMONT CASE.
% the two murders are so closely con
q nected that it is now necessary to &
hack to the Lamont case. Yesterda
y Mrs. Noble, the aunt of Miss Lamon
a received through the mail a paper cor
tanning the three rings worn by he
Il niece the night she disappeared. 0
3 the paper were written the name an
II address of Theodore Durant. This, tC
x gether with the fact thar Miss Williams
81 an intimate friend of Miss Lamont, ha
Iseen heard to say that she kne'
blanche had been murdered, but had r.
& fused to tell what she knew and hov
II led the police to suspect that the sam
b man had killed Miss WILLIAMS had slai
Il Miss Iaseont, and that. learning thf
N Miss williams knew of his first Grim
attempted further concealment by con
n uniting a second murder.
q Late last nisht the detectives ha
Y about decided that Dnrant had mu
81 ,dered Miss Williams, and this theor
A was further strengthened this mornir
q when. on making thorough search
* Emanuel churcn, tHe uehn anu ou
~ ragged body of Miss Lamont was four
81 concealed in the steeple. Death ha
"a been caused by strangulation. II
q body was lying Just inside the door
81 the tower room, n3de and on the foe
81 Around the neck there were a fe
H streaks, the marks OF apgers that hs
Fl been pressed deep into the tender mes
8 The features were badly distorted, bell
'M drawn down at one corner and the li
M were swollen and blood-stained. IT
*f nose was the only feature that 7
# tained It's original shape. for the chez
M were bloated. The girls light brow
q hair was matted with dirt and hun
M loosely about her shoulders. The bo,
Il was In the first stages of decompositio
When the officers reached the head
The stairs they found the door leadil
Il 10 the tower room locked. They bro
In the door. 1t was 80 dark they cou
not see. and one of the oficers stru
a match. AS the light fiared up tn
saw before them the dead body OF t
girl for x1lom they were searctir
The body was taken to the morgi
where 1t was placed on a slab by
side Of Minnie williams.
A GREAT cfPY EXCITED.
As soon as the news became kno'
immense crowds surrounded the chur
and had to be kept back by the poll