The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-08-12
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PRIEST WAS KILLED
Dead Body Of Father Hes
5. lin Is Discovered
HOLDING OF HIGHTOWER
Murdered Man Found Buried |
Sand Cliff Near San
Francisco

ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.1
San Francisco, August ia
search today Of the room occupied
by w. A. Hightower, a baker, who
last night led the police to the
grave of the Rev. Patrick HesIin,
missing priest, revealed a rifle,
pieces of bloody burIaps and
clippings from local NEWSPAPERS
showing the amount of the reward
offered for the priests return. The
police said they would confront
Hightower at once with their
findings. .......7.
San Francisco, August 1.-THE
body of Father Patrick e. Heslin.
| missing Colma Catholic priest, who
disappeared from his parish, Holy
| Angels Catholic church, the night of
| or August 2. was found buried at the
bottom of sand cliff near Salada
Beach on the Pacific ocean, about
twenty miles south of San Francisco
! last night
Father Heslin had been murdered
there being q bullet hole through his
neart and through the head, the lat
ter shot having torn away part of the
skull. The body was exhumed at
eleven O'Clock last night by party
consisting of Chief of Police Daniel
O'Brien of San Francisco. a CON
stable Of Colma, four newspaper men
and William A. Hightower discoverer
of the grave.
The party left San Francisco late
last night acting on a tip given by
hlgntower that he had discovered the
graye and the body was exhumed by
the light of lantern.
Hightower BEING Held.
Hightower, after his clue had pro-
ven successful, was held by the po-
lice pending further investigation.
The body was buried In cramped
position in trench beneath an over
hanging wall. 1t law parallel to the
wall and against it and was covered
with two feet of loose sand.
H1ghtower, according TO the fpolice.
SAID ne acted upon clue given him
by one Dolly Mason" whom he had
previously known in Salt Lake City.
Ihis woman, he said, told him last
Sunday that she had met a man Who
appeared to be foreigner on Fri:
day night and who, on becoming ii
toxlcated had broken revelations to
her. Police are searching for Dolly
Mason. The foreigner, Do21x<1 f8a<,z3.
told Hight0wer. had shown 1hSr 8 -
yolver and when she pretend6 TO
shrink from It IN ~feaF, he II 4 q q
You do right to be AFRAID o. that
gun 1t has taken human life" Dolly
mason then asked where the man
was buried, Hightower said.
He isn't alone" the foreigner is
said to have replied "Ive a man
watching him all the time-a man
who sits and cooks fapjacks." At
times, the foreigner, Dolly Mason
told Hightower, expressed hatred for
the Catholic church.
Hightower, acting on the inforrha-
ton given him by the woman, said
he conducted a personal investiga- 1
ton and being somewhat familiar
with Salada Beach vicinity, had little
difficulty in locating the sign board
plcturing man frying fiapjacks. He
SAID he then started to search, find
ing a bit of black rag and later a AZ /
calibre revolver cartridge. He said he
then burrowed into the newly dug
sand by the face of cliff and found a
bloodstained piece of gunny sack. /
That was enough for one day"
Hightower told the police. 81 wanted /
to get away from there. l didn't want /
to look any further"
hishtower Led Way To Grave,
'Hightower said he pondered over
the matter for three days and last .
night after further visit to his |
md resolved to go to the residence /
OF Archbishop Edward J. Hanna of 1
San francisco. and tell his story. The |
archbishop was In conference at the .
time and Hightower told his story
to newspaper reporter, who took
him Immediately to his newspaper
office and police were called. The i
mans story was then investigated. 4
Hightower leading the way to the
grave Of Father Heslin.
Chief of Police O'Brien and con
stable Landini found q watch In the
pocket of the dead priest. The hands
had stopped at eight minutes before |
ten o'clock. Other articles found on
the body included red morocco
case containing the bread and wine
or blessed sacrament.
", A week ago last night. Archbishop
Hanna received an anonymous letter
demanding $1,000 In small bills for
the safe return of Father Heslin and
yesterday the archbishop received
another letter demanding $4,000.
Father Heslin was last seen alive
about nine o'clock Tuesday eyenin.s.
August 2, when a stranger drove up 7
to the parochial residence at Colin:
In an automobile. Under the pretense
that he wanted the priest to deliv9
last sacrament to dying relative he
succeeded IN getting Father Hess
to accompany him. I
William Hightower is q baker, un
employed, and has been in San Fran
cisco only few weeks He told DO q
ice he came to California recently +
from Lemay, Utah.
Hightower said he aid previously
lived in California and in Texas. He
said he was married in 1910 to Ethe.
Bowers of Saltwater, Oklahoma, who
now is in Texas with q sister on ac-
count of falling health.