The San Francisco call., 1898-01-06
THE STORY OF THE CRIME
Rev. Frank Cressey, ex-Pastor of Emmanuel Church, Tells
 of the Great Case.

of the Great Case.
 BOSTON, Jan. 1.-The following art- cle was written to-day by the Rev Frank Cressey, now pastor of the Bap- tist Church in Weymouth, Mass, He was pastor of the Emmanuel Baptist | Church in San Francisco. where the Blanche Lamont murder was com lnitted, up to within a few months of | the terrible double crime. He knows 1 all the parties concerned from having been their pastor, and his narration of the crime, as told from personal knowl- edge, is such as has never before been given. Here are the words in which he | describes it:
 Four times Theodore Durrant has stood before a San Francisco Judge and heard pronounced on himself the sentence or death by hanging; The last stoS date set Tor TOT present probabilities are that he will then
 surely die. From a legal point Of view
 the case has become one Of the most in-
 teresting, not to say notorious, In the
 history of American criminal Jurispru- 1 dence. 1 of each of these three persons was en-
 tirely above reproach. and each was
 among the foremost of religious workers
 in the Young Peoples Society of Chris tian Endeavor connected with the Elm
 Durrant's father has long been fore
 quiet and exemplary life. Durrants mother, scarcely sixteen years older than
 her son. is a woman of refinement. and. like the mother of Gracchi, delights in I her children as her jewels.
 The elder Durrant, together with his parents, was a member of the Metropoli-
 tan Temple Baptist Church. San Fran
 cisco at the time of its collapse, a
 6ersh 6eTship he aga vas fng baptized s fem
 years previously by. Rev. Isaac S.
 kalloch, once pastor of Fremont Temple,
 Boston, whom Editor de Young of the
 San Francisco Chronicle once tried to as-
 sassinate. Editor de Young was after
 ward shot dead in his business office by
 son of Dr. Kalloch, which son was
 once pastor of the present Emmanuel
 Theodore Durrant became a member of
 the Emmanuel Church five years ago. He
 was received by myself, as pastor. l
 had at that time the utmost confidence
 in Durrant's Christian character. I had
 always found him an unusual helper in
 church work and even now can hardly
 guilt.
 At the time of the murders Durrant was studying medicine as student at one of the medical colleges of the city. Miss Lamont's home was in Montana, but on account of poor health she was
 uncie, Mr. and Mrs. Noble of san '-i Fran anu cisco, members of the Emmanuel . Church. She was at, the time of, her , about four miles from her aunt's home
 and the church. Theodore Durrant was
 a more or less frequent caller on Miss l Lamont at her temporary home, where
 he was always welcome for his worths sake The calls and companionship. were so frequent that some people began to
 whisper of a possible engagement. Miss Williams was young woman of large and recognized worth. though ex- ceedingly unfortunate in her life. By } her own observation she became con- l vinced six or seven years ago of her fathers alleged infldelity to her mother
 a
 result. After some months of painful ; struggle by Mrs. Williams, the Elm young children to her parents home in Canada. Minnie remained in San Fran cisco to earn her own passage money Miss Williams was of short and deli
 cate physical frame and was very quiet l at nearly the same time that I received ) Theodore Durrant into the church and
 soon after I had received @ MT. and Mrs. 7 day afternoon, April 8. nearly three ? years ago, Blanche Lamont did not re- r turn from school at the accustomed hour r Nor did she come that evening; she never came.
 [ pearance, on a Friday evening Theodore Durrant and Miss Williams were both ex- l pected at the private residence of one of meeting of the Christian Endeavor So- ciety. Miss Williams did not come Dur | } 9:30 o'clock. When Durrant came it was with disheyeled hair and general disar- engagement of apparel. To the host of the
 evening, a chum-like friend, he explained , his condition by saying that as a mem- ! Der of the State militia he had to go to Mount Diablo, thirty miles away, early the next morning on a photographic ex- petition. When asked: Where's Min nie?" he unconcernedly answered that he didn't know.
 At midnight Durrant was met by one of the young men of the evenings com
 pany near the Emmanuel Church. The next morning, Saturday before Easter day, Durrant went away, intended The same morning young women went to Emmanuel Church to adorn 1t for Easter
 festivities. One of them wished to see the new library, one which Durrant had
 been arranging.
 The library closet door was opened. :. Horror of horrorsl There lay Minnie Williams murdered!
 The already deeply stirred city because of Miss Lamont's disappearance was now . murderer? For some reason Suspicion
 pointed immediately in one direction- Durrant was arrested.
 What is the theory as to Miss williams' murder? This:
 She left her home on the Friday even ing in question ostensibly to attend the Christian Endeavor meeting. but really to
 meet Durrant at the side entrance to the
 church, and where, it is said, they were
 seen to meet under the street gas light Thence they went into the great da rk
 church together There he killed her by