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NO MATTER WHAT THE WANT IS—TRY A WANT AD VOL. XLIV. NO. 15 TOLD ON THE WITNESS STAND Story of the Murder of Two Innocent Girls Weaving a Web of Criminality About Durrant WORK OF THE DETECTIVES Four Witnesses Who Positively Identify the Accused Strong Statements Made In the San Francisco Police Court Under Oath—Developments Constantly Coming to the Surface and the End Is Not Yet SAN FRANCISCO, April 23.— There is littlo if any abatement of interest in the Durrant case, and Judge Conlon's police court was crowded today. It was the second day of the preliminary examina tion of Theodore Durrant for the murder of Minnie Williams. Durrant appeared a little more cheerful when he woke this miri.ing. He had had a good night's rest and a good break fast brightened him perceptibly. So far nothing new has been brought out by the examination of the witnesses, though several things have been brought out which seem to make the case against the prisoner stronger. Another female crank appeared this morning. She presented herself at the prison and wa3 admitted to Durrant's presence, and after some conversation with him,most of which was spoken with her mouth almost touching his ear, left him and went to Chief Crowley's oftice and said: "He is not the man." She said that she had looked at his head and neck, and was positive he was not the murderer. She said she was tbe gypsy queen, the most famous mind reader in the world She was ejected by the officers without trouble. Mrs. Williamson, the crank who created so much amusement yesterday, was hov ering around the prison again today, but was denied admission. The first witness this morning was Harry Partridge, a classmate of Durrant's at tbe Cooper medical college. Partridge said that he had known Durrant for four years and had answered to Durrant's name at roll-call on April Bth. Durrant was at the surgical clinic, but left right after it was over and wanted Partridge to answer for him at the other lectures. April Bth is the day that Miss Willis, who testified yesterday, said she bad rid den on the Alameda train with Durrant on the afternoon he is supposed to have visited Miss Williams at the Morgan resi dence in that city. Charles A. Dukes and C. A. Dodge, also fellow students of Durrant's, testitied that they bad met the defendant at the ferry on the afternoon of the murder, and that he had told them he was waiting to see some comrades of the signal corps with whom he was going to Mount Diablo on the next day, Saturday, and he requested that ono of them answer to his name at roll call in his absence. Emma Struven, a young girl, was the next witness. She said that she and some other girls of her own age, about lti years, were walking near the Emanuel church shortly after 9 o'clock on the night of the murder, and were accosted by a voting man who called to one of them by the name of Flora and told her to stop. The girls stopped, but the stranger saw his mistake and excusing himself walked away. The witness did not get a very good view of the man, but says he looks like Durrant from the back. She told re porters that the man appeared nervous and agitated, but this did not come out in the testimony. Miss Eva Lucile Turner, a tall, hand some young lady, was then sworn. She had known Durrant for a year; they were both members of tho Christian Endcavot Society. Durrant had walked home from church with her several times. Miss Turner said that on one occasion Durrant had spoken to her in words not those of a gentleman. Durrant wanted to make a medical examination of her, and said be Knew of a place in the church where such an examination could be made without anybody being the wiser. Witness told him that her family could attned to such matters. Several objections were raised to this tes timony by counsel for the defense, hut Judge Conlon overruled them all and the evidence was admitted. Witness said that her actions toward the defendant were not changed on account of the affair, as she knew that any coolness on her part would attract attention, but she never felt as free with Durrant after the occurrence. She told her aunt and several friends of the conversation with Durrant. She said that Durrant had given her a set of questions to answer, and counsel for the defense submitted a paper which Miss Turner said contained some of her writing. The contents were not made public, but it is surmised that they are answers to Durrant's queries. Miss Turner had not discussed her condition with Durrant, but they had alluded to it. During Miss Turner's examination Durrant looked very palo and anxious, and has not shown such pronounced symptoms since his arrest. ile listened to every word and watched every move ment of the witness. After luncheon J. P. Hodgson was called. He testitied that on Clood Friday night about 8 o'clock he left his house, which is near the church, to take a stroll. As he passed down the street he saw a man and girl standing together, and tho man seemed to bo taking liberties with the girl. The witness' lirst impulse was to go up to the couple and separate them. The man seemed to be trying to persuade the gill to go somewhere with him. He could not identify the man, but was al most certain that the hat and overcoat that were exhibited as Durrant s were THE HERALD LOS ANGELES, WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 24, 1895.—TWELVE PAGES those worn by the man he had seen on that eventful night. George W. Burgess, a medical student, said that Durrant was not present at the lecture at which he was credited as being present on the 12th inst. Frank Stead man, the janitor of Eman uel church, testified that he had seen Durrant at the ferry on Friday, the 12th, and that the defendant had told him that he had a slight clue to Miss Lamont's whereabouts and was tracing it. He did not know whether or not Durrant had a key to the church. He saw Durrant and ticorge King changing the lock on the library door. Durrant usually entered the church through a side door. dames Steadman, tho son of the janitor, was the next witness, but nothing be yond what he had already told was elicited. Annie Mocsant, a young lady resident of Alameda, testified that she had seen Miss Williams talking to a youti2 man on the porch of the Morgan residence on the afternoon of April Bth. Witness thought that Durrant was the man, but could not positively identify him. NEW WITNESSES Four Young Ladies Who Claim to Have Seen the Accused SAN FRANCISCO, April 23.—Four witnesses were found who saw Dur rant standing at the corner of Twenty second and ll.irtlett streets on the night that Minnie Williams was mur dered. It was between 9 and 0:15 o'clock. The witnesses are Misses Cecilia and Maggie Fitzpatricck and tho Misses Emma and Louisa Struven, who live near the corner of Twenty-sixth and Howard streets. According to their statements, they were walking along Twenty-second street, when they saw a man standing at the corner of Bartlelt street. He wore a long overcoat and a soft hat, which was pulled down over his eyes. As the young ladies passed him he raised his hut and called "Flora." He then walked over to the group and, aiter looking into the faces of the group of young ladies, excused him self and passed on. When the body of Miss Williams was discovered tho following day the young ladies recalled the incident of the pre ceding night and immediately suspected that the stranger who had accosted them was the murderer. They confided their suspicions to their parents, but for some reason the latter at lirst failed to notify the police. After the arrest of Durrant the young ladies becamo convinced that he was the individual who spoKe to them on the night that Miss Williams was murdered, and so told sevral friends. The young ladies are positive that Dur rant is the individual who spoke to thorn on the night that Miss Williams was mur dered. When they first saw him he was standing under the glare of the gaslight and apparently engaged in de»p medita tion. As they approached to within a few feet of him be turned around and faced tho group. Miss Fitzputriok care fully scrutinized him and is convinced that he was no other than Durrant. The positive statements of these young ladies discredits, to say the least, Dur rant's story to the police. Shortly after his arrest he made a statement in wliich he said he was not in tbe vicinity of Dr. Gibson's church when the milder was supposed to have been committed. Ac cording to his story he left his home about 8 o'clock and walked to Twenty fourth and Guerrero streets. He was joined by Dr. Perkins, who accompanied him as far as Twenty-third and Valencia streets. After a short conversation they separated. Durrant claims that he boarded an electric car on Mission slrcet, intending to go to tho armory on Page and Gotigh streets. After he had pro ceeded a short distance be reniemberd that ho bad promised to attend a meet ing of the Christian Endeavor society at Dr.Vogol's house, and alighted from the car. He then walked up Mission street and at Fifteenth crossed over to Howard and subsequently wont to Dr. Vogel's res idence, arriving there about 9:15 o'jlock. The meeting did not adjourn until after 11 o'clock, and Durrant,with six young poeple. walked to Twenty-fourth ana Howard streets. There the party sepa rated, Durra.lt claiming that he pro ceeded as far as Bartlett street, where he found the purse belonging to Miss Wil liams. He then went directly to hia home. The newly discovered witnesses are pos itive that when they saw Durrant stand ing on the corner of Twenty-second and Bartlett streets it was not later than a o'clock or !»:1!> at the utmost. They claim they could not be mistaken as to the hour, as one of them had con sulted a watch a few'minutes before they were accosted by Durrant. Tho police are greatly elated over the finding of the four new witnesses. They claim that with their evidence they will be able to show that Durrant induced Miss Williams to enter the church on the night of April 12th last, and brutally murdered her. They were seen, it is claimed, to enter the church shortly after 8 o'clock, and the police believe that the crime was committed between that hour and 9 o'clock. TELLING THE STORY Closing the Chain of Evidence Around Durrant SAX FRANCISCO, April 23.—There were several new wiinesses produced at the examination of Theodore Durrant today and all of them brought the Eman uel church murders closer to him, or cut away the alibi upon which he is sup posed to be depending to save himself. It was foreshadowed in tbe morning papers that Durrant would try to prove he had been at the medical college and the city and county hospital attending lectures at various times when the prose cution holds he was with Minnie Wil liams. The roll call showed hn was there right enough, but yesterday the other medical students who answered for Durrant at roll call went on the wincss stand and told of it. MARIAN WILLIAHS BLANCHE LAfIONT The Two Bright, Innocent Girls for Whose Horrible Hurder In San Francisco Theodore Durrant Is Now Having His Preliminary Trial Hodgdon, the Southern Pacific claim ad juster, was another new witness. He saw the man he thinks was Durrant urg ing a girj in the direction of Emanuel church after S o'clock on the night Min nie Williams was murdered. Hodgdon's identification was not posi tive. He said he was sure enough for an ordinary business transaction. He would have wagered money, on tho pre sumption that they were the same, but that was as far as he would go. About as strong was tbe evidence of two young ladies of Alameda who saw a man who looked like Durrant on the porch at Clark Morgan's house talking to Minnie Williams on the Monday preceding the murder. Durrant's height and general appeal ancc were that of the man at Alameda and his face was very similar, but that he was the man neither of tho girls would swear, though they evidently were quite satisfied of it. Durrant has taken to watching the wit nesses. He looks at them steadfastly from the time they mount the witness stand until they leave it. His look ex presses absolutely nothing. It is not hostile, pleading, interested., incredulous, surprised, angry, grieved, hopeful or despairing. Whether their testimony is strong against him or only inferentially accus ing, bis expression is the same. There is a hint of surliness about bis face, due to the dull eyes under the thick eyebrows and to the heavy jaw. Ho talks very littlo to his lawyers, pays absolutely no attention to the crowd that cranes and strains to see him, and watches the pro ceedings with surly unconcern. Today he chewed gum. He looked belter than on the day be fore. Tbe circles about his eyes are not so dark and there wa< some color in his face; but he is still a very different look ing man from the ruddy young soldier Detective Anthony brought back Ironi Mount Diablo. Durrant Expects to Be Held to Answer for the Murders SAN FRANCISCO. April 23.-Theodore Durrant is convinced that he will be held to answer the charge of murder, and docs not hesitate to say so. All yesterday he had callers.and besides those who were admitted a large number of persons se cured permits to see him from Chief Crowley, but were refused the privilege by Durrant, to whom all such permits are submitted before tbe holders are allowed to pass the prison doors. The prisoner devoted considerable time to his devotional exercises during the early morning hours, anil on concluding nis prayers he asked an acquaintance what his attorneys were doing. Ho re ceived the reply that they had spent Sat urday photographing and measuring the scene of the crime, and that they were be lieved to have possession of a bloody shoe found in Dr. Gibson's study. THE ACCUSED TALKS "Is that so?" ejaculated Durrant. "So they are getting down to business, are they?" One of the attorneys, A. W. Thompson, called with his daughter and held a long conversation with the prisoner, but ap parently it was not satisfactory to the lutter. "So many people tire me," he said to a reporter. "I refuse to see a good many ami once in a while I make a mistake, as I did today, when W. S. Bishop, the stableman from whom I hired my horse, called. I did not recognize his name at first, and as I was busy with some other people I let Bishop go. I'm sorry, be cause there is a little matter I want to settle with him, and if you see him I wish you'd tell him." Durrant was cheerful, though evidently weary and somewhat distressed by his confinement. The ruddy color gained on his ride to Mount Diablo a week ago has gone and left a pallor that is heigntened by the artificial light oi the prison. Still, his appetite is good and he is physically well. When asked if he was willing to talk for publication, Durrant said: "Yes, 1 am. I told you that Ihe night I was brought here, and I havo been will ing to talk freely all the time, but am di rcted not to do so by General Dickinson, lie told me not to write a word for any body about anything and not to talk to any one about my case. I suppose there is some good lawyer's reason for keeping still, hut I don't see just what it is. "General Dickinson asked mo to write a full statement of my connection with the case, and I worked on il. a while. Then I destroyed if, because 1 was not feeling like writing. I can write in the midst of any noise if I feci like it, but if I don't then I can't pet either my ideas or words down to suit me." Durrant was asked about persons who had keys of Emanuel church, and the names of those known to have keys were recited to him. He listened intently and reflected some moments before remark ing : " There are others'—you know that saying. Well it lits this key matter 'There arc others.' I do not know all who had keys, but there are others than those you mentioned." Asked if he knew any ladies who held keys, he said "No, I don't think of any now. If ladies wanted to get into the church they could borrow my key, or get Dr. King's or Mr. Tuber's. It was easy enough to get a key any time. Dr. King is ono of the nicest and pleasuntest men in the church and he would always lend his key. I'm sure. It was not so easy to borrow mine, because 1 was away from home at the college. The sexton could let anybody into the church, and I sup pose tbe treasurer of the church, J. A. Davis, who works at the Art association in the Hopkins house, had a key. I'm sure there were others, anil their names will all come to light.'' Discursively Durrant talked of several matters that have interest since he has been accused of the murder of the young ladies in Bmanuel church. "That horse I rode to Mount Diablo," he said, "is a splendid old fellow. I never knew bis name was 'Fay,' but I like him very much. He works in harness all right and as a saddle horse be is line. Nobody would think he could run, but he goes like the wind if you let him out, and I could run away from any horse in the troop. When I got him Saturday morn ing be was feeling guy and I let him go as fast as he liked down to the ferry. It is true that I had a small package, but it was hardly a bundle, and if I am asked what was in the package I will tell and prove it was nothing except some little things I needed. It seems queer that everything 1 did was taken up as though it was something wrong, but I guess that is the way the police have. I don't feel that I am being treated well by the 'upper office,' but the officers of the prison are very kind. Perhaps the de tectives think they must create an impres sion that I am a criminal, and that is why they twist everything and leave me at such a disadvantage, but I have not lost confidence, and am ready to go to court any time. "I expect the court will hold me after the verdict of the coroner's jury. Those awful murders made such an impression that everybody feels that some man must be directly accused, and perhaps Judge Conlun will feel it impossible to take the responsibility of letting me go. But that will be all right. Ho will do what he thinks best, und when my trial comes everything will be made clear. lean prove an alibi about the time Blanche Lamont disappeared, and everybody will soon see that 1 could not have had anything to do with the death of Minnie Williams." LEPROSY IS OPENLY EXPOSED The excitement over the location of a leper pest house on the East Side, which was noticed exclusively in The Herald yesterday, has continued to grow, and the tears of the residents in the vicinity of Mission road and Grittiin avenue have in creased almost to a panic. A Herald re porter visited the scene of the trouble yes terday and found a widespread and deep rooted dissatisfaction, to put it mildly, at the action of the board and the county physician in placing this 10x20 little board shanty, by courtesy called a pest house, with its tnree leprous occupants within a few hundred feet ami immediately in front of some of the best residences In that part of the city. The building, as shown in the diagram, is located on the county hospital grounds near the corner of Griffin and Woodward avenues. It is a rough board structure with joints unbattened, the roof of ten inch boards, but the joints of it are bat tened. It is partitioned into two rooms, one of which is occupied by a Chinaman and the other by a Spaniard and a Ger man. The latter presents a most loath some and disgusting appearance, which is better undcscribed. The sewage from the pest house empties immediately intj the small stream running through the grounds, and also the general dump for all garbage from the hospital is located just on the bank. A few feet below the open outlet for ail the sewage from the hospital buildings pours a continual stream of filth into tbe same little stream, so that the effluvia arising there- from is almost suffocating,even under the glare of the noonday sun, to say nothing of what it must be after nightfall. After getting a diagram of the ground, as shown herewith, some of the near-by residents were called upon to ascertain the general feeling of the neighborhood in tegard to the complaints which had been made to the board of supervisors. Among those interviewed was Mr. I*'. Biggy, who resides in a well-appointed house en the corner of Griffin avenue and Henry street. Mr. Biggy is one of the old residents and has spent years of time and a great deal of money in beautifying the spacious grounds surrounding his resi dence, and consequently feels justly in dignant at what he terms "the worst out rage that has ever been perpetrated upon the residents of that locality." When approached by the Herald repre sentative at his home, Mr. Biggy said: "Yes, the people of this neighborhood are very much excited and alarmed over the location of this pest house right at our doors. This pest house which you see there is not over two hundred feet from my front door, and the three in mates whenever they step out of the door are in plain view. They are left there without any restraint. There is no one in ciiarge of them and they can go out in the public highway or over to the city and attend the Fiesta or any other cele bration in the city, the same as you or I." "Do you ever see them outside of the grounds, Mr. Biggy?" "Yes. sir. The Chinatnan has been driving the cows back and forth from the pasture until recently, since our last pro test to the board. And the Spaniard has been visiting his family over in the city until very recently, and his wife still con tinues to visit him here at the pest house. They all seem to bs at perfect liberty to go and come at their own pleasure, as you see there now." And Mr. Biggy pointed to the China- IT FETCHES a GOOD TRADE CLEVER ADVERTISING PRICE FIVE CENTS Residents of the East Side Highly Indignant A Pest House Located Among Residences THE SUPERVISORS CENSURED The Inmates Are Free to Go and Come at Their Own Will A Sewage-Polluted Stream That Runs Through a Thickly Populated Section of the City—Danger to the People Residing Near There man who was out taking a walk, appar ently for exercise. "Yes, sir." continued Mr. Biggy,"if this thing is allowed to remain here, we wdio built up our homes here will simply have to move out and leave our property, which represents years of labor and care, to say nothing of the money invested, for we cannot take the chance of having ourselves or our families continually ex posed to the danger of contact with this loathsome disease. It is nothing less than a living death. Have you ever seen a genuine case of leprosy?" And the scribe confessed that ho had not. Then Mr. Biggy led the way across tbe avenue to the pesthouse, nnd, the door being open, stopped at a respectful distance and called to the inmates, when the Spaniard and the German came to the door, and at the sight of them the reporter was ready to believe all the terri ble stories he had listened to in regard to leprosy. The Spaniard had his head bound up with a bandana handkerchief, and his face and hands had the appear ance of having just sloughed off, being of purplish color.and his feet were in such a condition he could scarcely stand on them while ha talked to us. He could not speak English, so the German acted as interpreter. He stated that his namo was Joe Galleman and he had been afflicted with leprosy for four years, and has been an inmate of the hospital al most that length of time. He has a fam ily, consisting of a wife and two children, the eldest live years old and the baby one year old. They reside onCastelar street, and he visits them occasionally. The last visit he made to them was within the past month. His wife 'had visited him the past week. These statements clearly show that he is not isolated or even restrained fro m associating with his family and mixing with the outside world. The German's name is John Martz. He seemed to be very intelligent, answer ing all questions readily. He has had leprosy for about five years. He drifted in here last summer with tbe industrial army that came down from Stockton and was one of the number arrested by the United States marshal. Being sick at tha time he was sent to the hospital. He complained of being placed in such quarters, where the rain beat in on them and the open joints let in the damp night air laden with tbe nauseating odors from the garbage dump and sewage outlet a few feet distant. He said: "All wa ask is that they give us Christian treat ment as Christians ought to do." His case appeared to be decidedly the worst of the three, his face and hands are covered with scabs and sores in all stages of formation, suppuration and slougning ulcers, presenting a most re volting and nauseating spectacle. Passing to the end of the house, Jim, the Chinaman, was found sitting outside in the sunshine. He replied to questions in fair English. He had come here trotu Denver about a year ago and was sent to the hospital shortly after bis arrival. He showed very little appearance of the dis ease on his face or hands, but when he displayed bis lower li nbl they were covered with small scale 3, dry, hard and feverish in appearance. He said he was not sick, that he felt "velly well all time." When asked if he was allowed to go away from the premises he said no, but stated that he had driven the cows to pasture and back until very recently, since he had been put into the new LOCATION OF THE PEST HOUSE quarters. He could certainly pass any» where without any suspicion ot heing a leper from his general appearance. The residence of Carson A. Miller, just across Griffin avenue from the pest house, was next visited. Mr. Miller was at his place of business in the city, but Mrs. Miller expressed herself very emphatically on the subject. She said: "1 think it a shame to place this house here where it endangers our health and our lives. Everybody in the neighbor hood is scared about it. I don't know what we'll do if they don't take it a way. It will ruin our property so we can't sel it, and we can't stay where. My husband would have been to the board of su pervisors before tUis,.but he couldn't get away from his work. "We have two children running around