Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-01-12
HISTORY OF HIS CRIMES.
circumstances Attending the Murder of
the Two Girls.

circumstances Attending the Murder of
the Two Girls.
San Francisco, CAL, Jan. 7.-EVen
stripped of verbiage the story of the muir
ders for which William Henry Theodore
Durrant was executed today forms tale
which rivals in horror the crimes of
Jack-the Ripper in London. In the Grim
inal history of the United States the
Staying of Blanche Lamont and Minnie
Williams will be recalled as ''the crime
of the century,
1t was on April 3, 1895, that Blanche
Lamont, then a girl of 20, was first
missed from the home of her aunt, Mrs.
with whom she had been living. The
home of her parents was at Dillon,
Mont, but Blanche was delicate and the
mountain altitude did not agree with
her SO she was sent to San Francisco,
where she entered a normal school with
a view to fitting herself to be a school
teacher. With her was a younger sister,
and as the aunt was strict and rather old
fashioned in her ways the two girls did
not go in society and were much to-
gether. In fact about the only social
liberties the girls enjoyed were the func-
tons in connection with Emanuel Bap-
fist church, of which the aunt was
ton the girls joined shortly after coming
to San Francisco. 1t was at church that
Blanche Lamont first met Theodore Dur
rant, a young man of perhaps % years.
He was student at a medical college
and found time to make himself con-
spcuous in church work. fact which
commended him at first to Mrs Noble
But when she found him paying marked
attention to her eldest niece she became
suspicious. However, she thought she
could not we'll forbid his calls at the
house without causing trouble in the
church.
The Fatal Day.
On the morning of the day she unwit-
tingly went to her death Blanche Lamont
left home with her lunch and school books
as usual. She was due at home about
D. NJ, but she failed to arrive, and after
the supper got cold the aunt, fearing to
give an alarm because the girl might in
nocently have gone home with some girl
friend, decided to run over to the prayer
meeting at Emanuel church, thinking she
might get some trace of the missing girl.
There was no sign of Blanche, but near
the aunt sat young Durrant, and he
leaned over and asked if Blanche was
coming. The aunt replied in the mega
tive, WhereupOn he remarked that he was
sorry, for ne had a book has wished to
give her. He added that he would bring
it to the house some time during the
week.
Two days passed and it was then de-
cided to notify the police The papers
printed the news and published pictures
of the missing girl. But not the slightest
clue was obtained until April 49, when
the postman left at Mrs. Mobiles house a
package which, upon investigation, was
found to contain three rings which were
easily identified as having been worn by
Blanche Lamont just prior to her diSap-
pearance. The rings were wrapped in a
newspaper, on the margin of which had
hppD n ba nd I'll ri
the names of two prominent members of
the church.
This incident occurred on the day be-
fore Easter Sunday, and just as the po-
lice were about to take up this-the first
promising clue-they were startled by the
announcement that the young people
engaged in the decoration of the church
for the following days services had
found, IN the library of the church, the
body of Miss Minnie Williams, an init
mate friend of Blanche Lamont and an
acquaintance of Durrant.
Though the pastor, Rev. George Glib
son. pleaded that the grewsome discovery
be kept secret because of the scandal to
the church. the authorities were notified,
and even the coroner and police, hardened
to scenes of crime, were unnerved at the
sight. The form found was that Of a
slightly-built young woman. neatly
dressed. Death had resulted from stran-
gulation,, and on the throat the finger
marks of the assassin were plainly to be
seen. Strips of the girls clothing had
been forced into her throat with a sharp
stick. The body also had three knife
wounds in the region of the heart, all of
them evidently inflicted while the girl
was nearly dead from strangulation.
There was other evidence to show that
the girl had struggled courageously to de-
fend her honor.