Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-12
California
PriestSlain;
Man Held
Body of Curate Found in
Shallow Crave-One Who
Led Police to Scene
Arrested.
Mystery Wells Motive
BY tho Associated Press.

San Francisco, Aug. ll.-A fog
that drenched and chilled shrouded
a little party of six in the midnight
bleakness of the beach 20 miles south
of here last night, and 5puttering
lantern-light revealed a bullet-rid-
died body of priest in shallow
sand grave, to which the police and
newspaper men had been led by Will
liam A. Hightover, baker.
Hiehtover guided them there as
one who, from deductions of clues
furnished by woman of the night
life, had solved the eight-day lnys-
terry of the disappearance o. Rev.
Patrick E. Heslin, Catholic priest
of Colma, near here.
Taken from City.
Within IL hours of this tragic
denouement, Hightover faced ac-
cusations from the officers that he
led to this scene, thlt he had slain
the priest. Search of his hotel room
here revealed rife of caliber similar
to shells found near the sandy
grave. as well as newspaper clippings
referring to rewards aggregating
$4,000 for information concerning
the priest. A piece of bloody bur-
lap and a contrivancce of cartridges
and shrapnel were also found in
Hightover's room.
Meanwhile Hightover was taken
from the hall of justice after sew
eral hours of gruelling cross-exami-
nation, for a destination not dis
closed and a statement which police
issued that he had made no admis-
sions that in any way directly con-
nected him with the Staying.
II firmly believe that Hightover
killed Father Hes1in." declared Chief
of Police Daniel O'Brien, "but | do
not believe that he did it alone"
Chief O'Brien was one of the party
taken by Hightover to the grave of
the priest.
Motive Yelled in Mystery.
Mystery still wells the motive for
the Staying, according to police. On
August he was called from his
parish house by stranger and asked
to attend a dying man. The red
Morocco case containing the bread
and wine of the sacrament was found
undisturbed in a 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 fatal bullets. '
The woman, Dolly Mason, to
whom foreigner told of killing the
priest, according to Hightower, and
who told him, could not be found
today. Upon this woman rests the
story of Hightower.
Other angles which prompted
Chief of Police O'Brien and Con-
stable Landini of Colma to directly
accuse Hightower of the Staying in
clude the following:
Hightower admitted that he was
in Colma about the time the priest
disappeared.
He evinced strange familiarity
with the site of the sand grave.
He was out of work and in need
of money.
Visits Spot Alone.
Hightower's story was that he
chanced upon Dolly Mason on the
streets here Saturday. He had
known her before, he said. She
told him then, he said, that a for
eigner, bootlegger, had revealed
large amount of money to her,
and a pistol with which he said he
killed a man. He said the body OF
a slain man was in one of the caves
of the sand cliffs near Salada beach,
20 miles south of here. 1t was
guarded by man kneellng and try
ing Hapjacks, he told her, High
tower said.
This recalled, said Hightower, an
advertising sign at this lonely beach
spot, and on Sunday he drove down.
according to his story, and found
the body. He brought piece OF
bloody burlap and some cartridge
shells back to his room, he said.
Three nights later, last night, he
went to the residence of Archbishop
A. c. Hama, head of the Catholic
diocese here, to tell of his find. The
archbishop was busy and he told OF
it to waiting newspaper reporter.
who arranged with the chief OF
police for the party which found the
body.