Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-13
Arrested for
Murder of Priest
Sticks to Story
William Hightower Maintains
He Had No knowledge of
Crime Case Coming
To Head"

San Francisco, Aug. l2-William
Hiehtowcr, itinerant baker, stoutly
resisted all efforts of the police to
connect him with the murder OF Rev.
Patrick Heslin, Colma priest, and
after two days questioning still
maintained he had no knowledge of
the crime. He was taken into cus-
tody after he had led group of po-
lice and newspaper men to the
priests grave on the seashore
Wednesday night.
Captain Of Detectives Duncan Ma
theson, Assistant District Attorney
Isidor Golden of San Francisco, and
District Attorney Franklin Swart of
San Mateo county said tonight that
they were nearer solution of the
crime than ever before"
Things are coming to a head"
Swart said.
Informed of Wife's Death.
Hightower was confronted by the
police with information from widely
different sources, tending, they said,
to show he had knowledge of the
priests death, but he remained calm
and undisturbed.
lie showed emotion only once, the
police said. This was when handed
long delayed telegram which told
of his wife's death in Saltwater, Okl.
When he read the telegram High
twer broke down and sobbed
The inquiry developed conflict of
Hightower's story of the use he made
of small automobile, rented from
local garage the night the priest
disappeared, in company with
stranger who said a dying man
sought spiritual consolation.
Stories Disagree.
Hightower said he took the ma
chine from. the garage about a
o'clock, went to San Jose, souh of
here, with Doris Shirley, a waitress,
with whom he said he was living,
and returned to San Francisco at
10 o'clock. Finding no one in the
garage, he said, he left the machine
outside Against this story is the
testimony of garage employe that
Hightower did not leave the garage
until f and the police were bending
every effort to trace the movements
of the car between that time and 9
o'clock, the hour that the priest dis
appeared.
The police have been unable to
locate Doris Shirley and several
clues to the present location of Dolly
Mason, the woman from whom
Hightower said he received first
knowledge of the graves location,
have proved worthless.
The, San Francisco angles of the
case have been about exhausted, Dis
trict Attorney Swart of San Mateo
county declared, and it is proposed
to take Hightower to San Mateo
county tomorrow. The inquiry will
be continued there, he said.
.~ Seen Near Grave.
Similarity of string found in High
tower S room and that used to bind
together some boards near the grave
was noted at the inquiry today,
Swart said, and evidence was
brought to show that HightoWer
often had visited the cliffs near the
site of the grave. The two small
sons of Policeman Michael Do1an
had seen Hightower there, Swart de-
clared.
A letter mailed Wednesday by
Hightower to Dolly Mason was re-
covered today from the San Fran
cisco postohice and read with High
towers consent.
81 believe there is something in
what that drunk told YOU" the let
ter said II am beginning to think
it might have something to do with
the priest. See me at once; there is
a reward offered"
The police said, however, this let
ter might be part of a plan laid by
Hightower to substantiate a story
devised when he determined to COL
lect the reward>of $4,000 offered from
various sources for recovery of Rev.
Mr.. Heslin.
Unable to Explain.
Hlghtower has not explained to
the satisfaction of the police, con-
trivance they described as an en-
fernal machine" found in a search
of his room, where rifle and strip
of blood-soaked burlap also were
brought to light. The machine was
arranged to fire simultaneously, 10
shells loaded with buckshot, and
Hightower admitted he had taken
this with him on a preliminary visit
to the place where the body was
found, but did not indicate what use
of it he had intended.
A Sacrameneo angle of the case
developed when it was reported some
of Hightower's possessions were
found there. They had been stored
since last September
Examination of the contents of
trunk left in San Francisco by Dor
ris Shirley gave no clue to High
covers recent-actions, the police said,
nor did it reveal any clue to the
woman's present location. Articles of
women's apparel bearing Denver
store marks were found and the
name "Mrs. E. H. Davis" was linked
on a shoe.