Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-08-12
PRIEST s BODY
IS DISCOVERED
INFERRED IN 4
SHALLOW CRAVE
Mystery Of the Disappear
anCe Of the Rev. Patrick
{, HeSlin Of CoIma, CaIifp
S Has Been Solved.
POLICE HOLD A BAKER
ON CHARGE OF MURDER
Search of Suspects Room
Reveals discriminating Ev-
idenCe; Motive for staying
Is Unknown,
tBr The AssocInted rress.,

San Francisco, Calf, Aug. H.
A fog that drenched and chilled,
shrouded little party of six in
the midnight bleakness of the
beach twenty miles south of here
last night, as a sputtering lantern
light revealed a bullet riddled body
of priest in a shallow sand grave
to which the police and newspa-
lpermen had been led by William A.
| Hightower, a baker. Hightower
guided them there as one, whp,
from deductions of clews furnished
| by a woman of the night life. had
solved the mystery of the disap-
pearance of the Rev. Patrick e.
Heslin, Catholic priest Of Colma,
near here.
Hightowcr Accused.
Within twelve hours Of this
tragic denoument, Hightower faced
accusations from the officers that
he led to this scene, that he him
self had slain the priest. Search
of his hotel room here revealed a
rifle Of caliber similar to shells
found near the sandy grave, as well
as newspaper clippings referring to
rewards aggregating $4,000 for in
formation concerning the priest.
A piece OF bloody burlap and con-
trivance of cartridges and shrapnel
were also found in -Hightowers s
)room. Meanwhile Hightower, in
custody of police, was taken from
the hall of justice, after several
hours Of gruelling cross examina-
tion, for a destination not dis
closed, and a statement was issued
that he had made no admissions
that in any way directly connected
him with the Staying.
Believes He Is Guilty.
''I firmly believe that Hightower
killed Father Heslin," declared
Chief of Police Daniel O'Brien,
"but I do not believe that he did
lit alone"
Chief O'Brien was one of the
party taken by Hightower to the
grave of the priest.
Mystery still wells the motive for
the Staying of the priest, according
to police authorities. On August
2 he was called from his parish
house by a. stranger, and asked to
Iattend a dying man. The red mo-
rocco case Sontaining the bread
and wine of the sacrament was
found undisturbed in pocket of
the priests clothes. Money was
not the object, for neat roll of
currency was found In one of the
pockets, pierced by one of the fata.
bullets.
Can't Find "DoIly Mason"
The woman, dolly Mason" to
whom foreigner told of killing
the priest according to Hightower,
and who told of this to him, could
not be found today. Upon this
woman rests the story Of High
tower.
other angles which prompted
Chief of Police O'Brien here, and
Constable Landini of Colma to di-
rectly accuse Hightower of the
Staying included the following:
Hightower admitted that he was
at Colma about the time the priest
disappeared.
He evidenced a strange familiar
ity with the site of the sand grave.
He said he was out of work and
in need of money.
Hightower's story was that he
CHANGED upon Dolly Mason on the
streets here Saturday. He had
known her before, he said.
She told him them he said. that
foreigner. bootlegger. had re-
vealed a large amount of money to
her and pistol, with which he
said he killed a man. He said the
body of a slain man was in one of
the caves off the sandcliffs near
Salada beach, twenty miles south
of here. It was guarded by man
Continued on Page Two.)