Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-08-13
Attorneys and Detectives
Declare They Are Nearer
Solution Of Crime Than
Ever Before.
CONFLICT IN STORY
OF SUSPECT is FOUND
Police Still Unable to Locate
Dolly Mason and Doris
Shirley; Letter Is Inter-
Cepted,
(By The Associated press.l

san Francisco, CALI, Aug. IL
William Hightower, itinerant baker,
stoutly resisted today all efforts of
the police to connect him with the
murder of Rev. Patrick Heslin, Col
ma priest, and after two days
questioning still maintained he had
no knowledge of the crime. He
was taken into custody after he
had led group OF policemen and
newspaper men to the priests grave
on the seashore "Wednesday night.
Captain Of Detectives Duncan
. .Matheson, Assistant District Attor-
ney Isidore Golden, of San Fran
cisco, and District Attorney Frank
lin Swart, of San Mateo county.
said tonight that they were nearer
a solution of the crime than ever
before"
Things are coming to head"
Swart said.
Hightower was confronted by the
police with information from wide
ly different sources, tending, they
said, to show he had knowledge. of
the priests death, but he remained
calm and undisturbed.
He showed emotion only once,
the police said. This was when
handed a long delayed telegram
which told Of his wife's death in
saltwater, Okla.
The inquiry today developed con-
flict Of Hightower's story of the
use he made of a small automo-
bile rented from a local garage the
night the priest disappeared IN
company with stranger who said
"a dying man sought spiritual con-
ISOLATION.
Hightower said he took the ma
chine from the garage about 4
o'clock, went to San Jose, south of
here, with Doris Shirley, a wait
ress, with whom he said he was
living, and returned to San Fran
cisco 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
employee that Hightower did not
leave the garage until 6 and the
police were bending every effort to
trace the movements of the car be-
tween that time and 8 o'clock, the
hour that the priest disappeared In
an automobile known to have been
of the same make.
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 To-
cation, have proved worthless.
A letter written Wednesday by
Hightower,N addressed to Dolly Ma
son and uncalled for at the San
Francisco postoffice, was opened |
today by the San Francisco police. |
After Hightower wrote and mailed |
this letter he guided police at mid
night Wednesday to the sand cliff
grave Of the slain priest.
The letter asked for further |
facts concerning the story of a
casual visitor. who Hightower said
had given Dolly Mason the infor-
nation which led to the finding of !
the priests grave. The police have
not been able to locate Dolly
Mason.
The letter follows:
Dear Dolly Mason:
Il believe there is something to
what that drunk told you. ! know
Wnat ne meant by the chap Trying n
hot cakes and I found two caved- \
In places. but not caves and some-
thing Is. or has been. buried there
'or the sand is loose as ashes.
IF 1t is a booze cache we will
get It as soon as the hunt for the
priest dies down. so It will be safe.
| am beginning to think It might
have something to do with the II
priest anyway. Try to remember
Ill the things he said and watch
or him. This talk about killing
nan and the big black pistol may
lot be booze talk at all for found
In empty AZ caliber shell at the
)lace.
''see me at once as there is
.eward offered. II
"w. A. HIGHTOWER,
General Delivery"