The herald. [microfilm reel], April 24, 1895, Image 1

About The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
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