The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-11-25
THIS MAY FREE DDRRANT.
LETTER LEFT by BLANTHER, WHO
sUICIDED IN THE MERIDIAN
JAIL LAST MARCH.
MURDERED THREE WOMEN IN FRISCO
Blanther's Letter, which Has Just
Come to Light, Confesses Killing
Blanche Lamont, Minnie Will
liams and Mrs. LangfeIdt.

Meridian, Tex, Nov. 23.-(Special)-
Today the law firm of Word, billiard &
Word of this place received from one of
their clients the following startling let
ter:
"Iradell, Tex. Nov. 21.-I have been
looking through some papers that had
while in Jail at Meridian and find the
enclosed sheet, which speaks for itself
The papers alluded to had worked
through hole in my coat pocket hence
the delay in not sooner finding the en-
closed.
III call to mind the fact that Blanther,
alias Forbes, on the evening of the night
he took the poison March 20 last), asked
me which of the coats that were hanging
in the cell he occupied was mine told
him. send it (his letter. to you for
the reason that II may he worth some
thing to you in the way of saving Dur
rant in California, who is sentenced to
death for killing Miss Lamont. Yours
truly, ETC.,
(SigneO JOHN NJ. PITTS"
The enclosed Blanther letter is as fol-
lows:
Meridian. Tex, March 20, 1S07.-Mr.
Pitts: AS this is my last day on earth
] wish to say that ! can not die willingly
without telling the truth. l murdered
Mrs. Langfeldt, also Blanche Lamont and
Minnie Williams. put this in your
coat pocket and hope you will find It In
time to save the life of Durrant. 1t may
also be of service to Mr.. Womack in get
ting his reward money. l want you to
have my watch for your kindness to me.
You have my best wishes and hone that
your trouble will soon end, but not as
mine. BLANTHER- FORRESn
The original Of the above letter Is in
the possession of Messrs. Word, billiard
and Word, who, with County Treasurer
Homer Randall and others, have COM
pared II with letters of Banther in Mr..
Randars possession and they all pro-
nounce il to be the same handwriting.
The Statesman correspondent Is in
formed that Mrs. Pitts was day or 80
ago repairing her husbands coat when
she found the Blanther letter in the
lining, the discovery of which adds an
other startling chapter to the history of
the famous case Of Joseph II. Blanther,
alias Arthur Forbes, who committed sui
eide by morphine in the Meridian jail in
March last. John NJ. Pitts was in Jail
with Blanther for some minor charge
and Bhnther seemed to form "liking"
for Pitts. The latter did not see him
| put anything in his coat pocket as It hung
| upon the wall of the cell, and the fact of
Blanther having asked him which was
| his Pitts) coat had been forgotten until
day or two ago, when Mrs. Pitts
found the above letter in the manner
| stated.
IL Blanthcr's statements are true about
having killed Misses Lamont and VIII
liams in San Francisco, his confession
will be tidings Of great joy to Theodore
| Durant. Blanther was known to have
killed at least one woman, the following
| account Of which will be of interest in
| this connection:
On Saturday morning, May 16, 1895,
| Mrs. Philippine Langfeldt, widow, was
murdered in her home at 1926 Geary
street, San Francisco. The body had
| been mutilated and blood was scattered |
| over two rooms. Mrs. Langfeldt was an |
| aged lady, but there were evidences that |
she had made struggle for her life. |
Suspicion was directed against JOS Il. |
| Blanther, who visited Mrs. Langfedt, |
| and who had been assisted pecuniarily |
| by her. II was known that Blanther |
| called there the evening the murder was |
| committed Mrs. Langfeldt's handsome !
diamond rings, which had been stripped
| from her fingers, were recovered in y
pawn shop where tney nau Deen pieuScu
by a man who answered Blanther's dc.
| scrIption. Blanther was traced to I'll
| Paso and then to Chicago, where he Sc !
cured work as draughtsman. Then
he was seen in Little Rock and Texar-
kama, and there all trace Of him was
lost until his arrest at Kopperl on Mon
day, March IS. Nothing is known OF
Blanther's life in San Francisco. or nov
he came to be there. He tried his hand
Mt several things and failed. His friend,
Dodge, Kept him alive through small
loans. On Saturday night, March ~,
Blanther took an overdose Of morphine,
from the effects Of which he died the foi-
lowing Monday.
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