The San Francisco call. [volume], May 02, 1895, Page 4, Image 4

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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4
DURRANT AGAIN ACCUSED
New Witnesses Convince a
Coroner's Jury He Killed
Miss Lamont.
LOOKING FOR A LOST KEY.
Miss Williams, Carried Many Bun
dles to Mrs. Voy's— Her
Bouquet Found.
It appears strange, now that the case for I
the people against Durrant on the charge '
of murdering Mips Minnie Williams is \
closed and the testimony for the prosecu- j
tion is all i:i that so little account has been j
apparently taken of the Uowers which the j
dead girl carried on the night of her deatn. I
Mrs. Morgan testified that Miss Wil- !
liams carried from AJaineda flowers with i
which to decorate the church. She had |
them when she reached Mrs.Voy"B and that !
lady upon the expressed the opinion j
that she carried them with her when she
started for the party at Dr. Voxel's house.
The theory has been that she went to the
church three blocks out of her way to leave j
tne blossoms there.
In the pile of withered greenery back of
the church, where Janitor Sademan threw
the Easter decorations he removed from
the church last Monday, is a huge bouquet,
wbich is supposed to have been Minnie
Williams' offering to the altar. It is a
most tasteful arrangement of white flowers
resembling the heliotrope. Fine grasses
and stalks of wheat spring from the center,
and a circle ol yellow eschscholtzias forms j
a border f^r the whole. The bouquet, from !
top to bottom, measures about fifteen
inches. The llowi-r stems are tied together
with string, and it is the only bouquet in
the whole pile of which the stems are tied
together.
If Minnie Williams carried flowers to
the church they should have been noticed
by those who saw her and particularly so j
if" the flowers were white. But though Mrs.
Voy testified that she carried flowers, none
of those who claim to have seen her with
Durrant have spoken of seeing any blos
soms. And though Mrs. Morgan said the
dead girl brought flowers from Alameda,
neither Mr. Hobe nor any of the other
witnesses who claim to have seen Durrant
talking to a young lady at the ferry re
member that she (if she w;:s Miss "Wil
liams) carried a bouquet.
In addition to the flowers Miss "Wil-
Hams had with her a large extension
basket full of clothing and a pasteboard
box originally intended for packing shirts.
A small woman thus burdened could
scarcely escape special notice and surely
spent no time talking to friends at the
ferry or sauntering about town with dis
trusted acquaintances.
It is possible that the key to the solution
of the question, "Who killed Minnie Wil
liams?' is a key to the side entrance ot
Emmanuel Church.
All of tne authentic keys, plain, cast
iron implements, are in the possession of
the police. Their users are known and are
all free from suspicion of implication in the
tragedy. That is, all the authentic owners
of authorized keys, but — there are others.
This fact was introduced into the case
yesterday by a lady who is a prominent
witness for the prosecution.
She stated that she had been handed a
brass keyto the door by a companion to
open that door upon one occasion. Her
companion did not carry the key habitu
ally,* but had borrowed it. This' key, she
then understood, -was the key in common
use by the young people of the church. It
was an unauthorized key — a product of
amateur workmanship.
The initiated had a place where they de
posited tnis key when* not in use. and to
those who had knowledge of it access to
the church was at all times easy.
This key, different in workmanship and
material from the official keys, opened the
side door of the church, and would admit
either an honest man or a murderer. The
key is still extant, and a search for it is
being diligently prosecuted.
Much weight has been given to a state
ment that Durrani and Minnie Williams
visited the rooms of the State Board of
Trade on the afternoon of April 12, regis
tered, were recognized by the custodian,
and that vhe page in the register for that
date had since been destroyed.
This Custodian Johnsonnow declares to
have been the result of a jest. The page
was destroyed by himself, having been
rendered worthless by a mischievous vis
itor. Later a number of his friends en
tered and the subject of the murder was
brought up in conversation.
"Why, said Johnson, "they may have
been in here. A young man and a young
woman were in here last Friday, and I
think they were Durrant and" Minnie
"Williams. Suppose we look at the register
or that date?"
This was done and the page found miss-
Eng. Immediately the theorists were at
work. Durrant had been there, had regis
tered. Later ho had killed his companion
and then, regretting that he had written,
bad abstracted the page.
The theory was perfect. It was pub
lished and is now a portion of the history
oi the celebrated case. It was but a jest iii
its original aspect, but now many of Cus
todian Johnson's friends look upon him as
the American Sherlock Holmes.
La a matter of fact. Minnie Williams,
when she arrived in San Francisco the
afternoon of Good Friday, laden with *a
large extension basket of clothing, an
equally large package and the flowers for
the church decorations, was too much in
cumbered to stroll aimlessly about with or
without a companion. It is worthy of
note that not one of those who saw her at
the ferries or elsewhere in Durrant's com
pany noticed these packages, though she
bore them there and had them with her
when she arrived at Mrs. Yoy's house.
DURRANT ACCUSED.
Strong Evidence Against Him
at the Blanche Lamont
Inquest.
Durrant is a changed man. Close con
finement has shaken his nerve, and the air
of cool indifference which he at first
assumed has vanished. The Morgue seems
to contain some mystical terror for him.
He shudders - when he approaches it, and
is ill at ease during the time he is within
its somber walls. When the inquest was
being held on the remains of Minnie Wil
liams, he had to be pushed into the room
in which sat the jury, and throughout the
taking of the testimony which culminated
in his being charged with the murder, he
eat with a downcast countenance, and
started at each movement as though afraid
of an attempt upon his life.
In the City Prison and in the Police
Court it was different. There his courage
returned and the man accused of two of
the most terrible murdeTs in the history of
the State, was again his incomprehensible
self. When the hour arrived at which he
was to be taken to the Morgue again, that
he might be present at the inquest on the
remains of Blanche Lamont, his nervous
ness returned, and when witness after wit
ness traced him from' the Normal School to
the doors almost of Emmanuel Church, he
nearly broke down.) The testimony was
not very full, but the men and women who
were called did not hesitate an instant in
pointing out Durrant as the man who met
Blanche Lamont opposite the school,
boarded a car with her, rode down Powell
to Market, transferred to the Valen
cia-street line, and then walked
from Twenty-iixst along Bartlett toward
the Emmanuel Baptist Church. Within
I a hundred yards of the sacred edifice they j
; were passed by Attorney Martin Quinlan. \
who positively identified Durrant as the j
man walking with the girl supposed to be j
Blanche Lamont. Forty minutes later I
George King, organist of the church, testi- j
fied that the prisoner came down from the I
; upper part of the church in a state of great '
I excitement, and that he, at Durrant s re- j
i quest, ran to the drug store on Valencia ;
' street and got a bottle of bromo seltzer for |
■ him.
The jury retired about noon to consider
its verdict, and it was after 2 o'clock before
they finally arrived at a decision. They
found as follows :
That Blanche Lamont, age 21 years, nativity,
Illinois; occupation, student; single; resi
dence, 209 Tv.eutv-iirst street. City and County
of San Francisco; 'fouml dead April 14,1805,
in belfry of Enimumiel Baptist Church, Bart
lett street, between Twenty-second and Twenty
third streets, City and County of San Fra ncisco ;
cfttne to her death from asphyxiation due to
strangulation, and we further find that the
crime of murder lias been committed by Theo
dora Durrant. li. M. Portescuc (foreman), H.
Mohr, J. H. Ncwbauer. C. A. Smith, V. J. Fell,
S. C. Xewbern, Joseph Sullivan. Charles Dillon,
Martin Erlenbach, Louis Hartter, A. Birdsey.
W. J. Hawkins, M.D., Coroner.
yira. C. J. Noble, aunt of the deceased,
was the first witness called. After stating
that she knew Theodore Durrant the wit
tMMMid: "On \Vedlle3duy evening, the
day Blanche disappeared, Theo Durrant
spoke to me at the prayer meeting. He
asked me if Blanche was coming ana I an
swered him no. He then told me that he
hud ridden part of the way out to school
with her in the morning and had
i promised her the loan of Thackeray's 'The
Neweomes.' He said he had been unable
to get the book, but would bring it to the
! house. He brought it the following Fri
i day and gave it to Blanche's sister."
"Were Blanche Lamont and Durrant
friendly?"
"Yes, sir; very friendly. On one occasion
he and his sister called and asked permis
; sion to take Blanche to a concert in the
'. Methodist Church. I allowed her to go.
j Another time he called alone and took her
i for a ride to the park. They met frequent
; ly and Durrant was' very attentive to my
j niece.
The clothing found in the rafters of
Emmanuel Baptist Church was showrl the
witness and the gown and hat were iden
! tiffed as those worn by Blanche Lamont
j the day she disappeared.
Charles G. Noble, husband of the pre-
I vious witness, could not tell positively
when he last saw Blanche alive. He
! thought it was Wedaesday morning, the
3d or April. In answer to questions he
< said he knew very little about the prisoner,
i and had very few conversations with him.
On one occasion the prisoner called on him
and volunteered to search the various
\ houses of ill-fame for her. The offer was
■ not accepted and he went away after ex
j pressing his sorrow over the mysterious
: disappearance.
Mrs. Noble was recalled and identified
■ the rings sent to her wrapped in a piece of
the Examiner. One of them, she said, be
\ longed to Blanche's sister, Maud. She
I also identified the piece of paper, but could
j not tell whose handwriting was on ir.
"Die l Durrant ever propose marriage to
! your niece?"
"Yes, sir. I think it was a few weeks
i before last Christmas. Blanche didn't
1 think he really meant it and only laughed.
He wanted her to take his diamond ring
i and wear it, but she refused as she was
! afraid of losing it. He kept pressing her,
j and she, thinking he was only fooling,
; thought she would help him along. So
when he asked her aeain to marry him
she said, 'H'm, h'm.' Blanche stopped go- j
i ing with Durrant because she heard he was
I engaged to another young woman."
John E. "West, a conductor on the
1 Powell-street cars, was the next witness.
i Asked it he could identify a certain man
; who boarded his car on the afternoon of
; the 3d of April last, he said he could
! identify one of his passengers anywhere,
and was asked to see if the man in ques
i tion was in the room. West closely scruti
'< nized every person present, and finally his
i eyes resting on Dun-ant he said, pointing
to him : "That is the man. Yes, lam
positive that i* the man sitting over there
' by the window. I know his name is Dur
rant from what I have read in the papers." !
"Toll v? all you know about the matter, j
1 Mr. West."
"My car left North Beach about 2:30
p. m. At Clay street that man over there I
i and a girl whom i now suppose
;to have been Blanche Lamont boarded
: the car. At Sacramento street two more
I girls boarded the car and they eyed the
young man and his companion very
: closely. My curiosity was roused so when
; I went to collect the fares I took a good
look at the man. At Pine street we
I stopped for a passenger to get on and as I
: stepped forward I overheard the woman,
; whom I suppose was Blanche Lamont,
say, 'We have friends in Butte, Montana.
One of them is in business and 1 have an
. uncle or something in the stock businesß.' "
West is from Butte, and he looked closely
at the couple- again, thinking he might
' recognize a former acquaintance.
Continuing, the witness said: "I then
walked to the rear of the car and did not
pay any attention to them until I was
giving out the transfers to the Market
street line. The girl took the transfers in
place of Durrant. They left the car at the
Market-street terminus, but I did not pay
particular attention to the direction in
which they went.
Miss Minnie Edwards, a pupil at the
Normal School, also positively identified
Durrant as the man who met Blanche La- |
mont about 3 p. m. when they left school
and boarded a Powell-street car with her.
She noticed the fact particularly because it
was against the rules to either go to or
leave the school in com pahy with a gen
tleman. "I knew Blanche Lamont," said
the witness. "She came to our school
about 12:30 o'clock and a quarter of an
hour later I was introduced to her. We
got out of school early that afternoon. I
think about 3 p.m. I saw a man approach
Miss Lamont and lift his hat to her. After
ward they got on the car together. The I
man who got on the car with Miss Lamont
is the one I identified in Chief Crowley's
"Do you see him present?"
"Yes, sir; he is sitting over there by the
window."
"Where did you sec them first?"
"At the corner of Clay and Powell
streets. It was either 2:55 o'clock or 3:05.
They got on the dummy and I got inside
the car. They rode to Market street. Mil*
Lamont had only been two afternoons to
the school— once "on Tuesday. April 2, and
again on Wednesday, April 5."
The witness identified the hat and dress,
shown to her by Coroner Hawkins, as
those worn by Miss Lamont on that fatal
afternoon. She could not identify the con
ductor of the car, however.
The last time Miss May Lanigan saw
Blanche Lamont alive was about 3:10
o'clock on the 3d of April last. The de
ceased was then on a Powell-street car
with Theo Durrant.
' 'Do you see Durrant here now ?"
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1895.
"Yes. sir. He is sitting over there by
j the window. I was standing on th# corner
| of California and Powell and I saw them
j sitting on the dummy of the car that was
i going toward Market. Miss Pleasant was
j with me and we both took particular
i notice because it is against the rules of the
1 school to go home in the company of a
i gentleman. Miss Pleasant said to me:
! 'There goes the new girl. She'd better be
! careful or she will get into trouble. She's
i beginning early to break the rules of the
I school.' The "car disappeared down the
; hill and that was the last time I saw
Blanche Lamont alive."
Miss Alice E. Pleasant of 323 Twelfth
j street corroborated Miss Lanigan's testi
mony. She identified Durrant and said
the last time she saw Blanche Lamont was
in his company on a Powell-street car at 10
! minutes past 6 o'clock. They were look- |
: tug at an* open book which Durrant held, j
! The witness could not recognize the books j
nor hat of Miss Lamont, but she did iden
tify the dress shown to her by Deputy Cor
j oner McCormick.
The testimony here took a jump, and in-
I stead of tracing the couple to their desti
} nation the Coroner called the organist of
j the church to describe the prisoner's sud
i den appearance in the Sunday-school on
that fateful afternoon.
He said his name was George K. King and i
i that he lived at 521 Capp street. After stating j
j that he knew Theodore Durrant, his testimony |
was as follows:
Q. Where were yon on the afternoon of
I Wednesday, April -.13? A.— At what time do I
| you mean?
Q.— Between the hours of 4 and dp. m. A.—
i At about half-past four on that day I visited an
! old music teacher of mine, to get some music,
and at about 5 I went into the church.
| Q.— The Emanuel Baptist Church? A.— Yes,
sir.
q.— For what purpose did you go into the j
Church? A.— To practice ou the piano.
Q.— Did anything unusual happen while you
I were there? A.— While 1 was playing Durrant
entered the room ;iom the back door in the
lower Sunday-school room, with his coat off,
his hair disheveled and very pale. I asked him
what was the matter, and he said he had been
fixing the gas above the auditorium and had
been overcome by the gas.
Q.— What was the appearance of his clothing*
A.— l did not notice anything wrong.
Q.— Was his necktie torn or disordered? A.—
No, sir.
Q.— Did he make any other statement? A.—
Not that I remember; he asked me to get him
I some broino-seltzer.
Q.— Did you leave immediately for that pur- I
pose? A.-Idid.
Q.— How long were you gone? A.— Three !
Q.— Where did you go for it? A.— At the cor
ner of Valencia and Twenty-second streets.
Q. — You say you were only gone three min
utes? A.— Yes, sir.
Q. — You must have gone pretty quickly.
A. — I thought 1 had better run.
Q.— What caused you to run so? A.— Well,
he looked very faint.
Q. — Did he say anything else, in asking you
to get the bromo-seltzer? A. — Not that I re
member. He handed me a four-bit piece.
Q. — Nothing else transpired? A.— l think he
took the bromo-seltzer, rested a few minutes
and helped me to carry down a small organ.
Q.— How long did he rest? A.— l cannot say;
perhaps ten or'flfteen minutes.
Q.— bid anything else happen while he was
there? A. — No, nothing special. We just
talked a little bit.
Q.— Did he make any statement when he
asked you to get the bromo-seltzer? A.— He
said he felt faint from the effects of the gas.
Q. — Do you Know the effect of bromo-seltzer?
A.— l do not.
Q.— Did you ever use it. A.— No.
Q.— Now, Mr. King, in taking down the organ
down which steps did you go? A.— Down the
back stairs.
Q.— Did you carry it down without any rests?
A.— No; we rested several times.
Q. — Why? Were you weak or was Durrant?
A.— Durrant was weak.
Q. — Do you recollect the number of times you
rested— two, three, fonr, live or six times? A.—
Ido not know. About three or four, I guess.
Q.— Now, Mr. King, where did you say the
drugstore was situated? A.— On Valencia, just
one door from Twenty-second, on the west side
of the street.
Q.— Do you know the name of the store?
A. — I believe it is Keene's drugstore.
Q. — Are you positive you were not gone more
than three minutes? A. — No, I am not posi
tive. It was about three minutes.
Q. — Do you think you could go in three min
utes? A.— l think so.
Q.— How far is the drugstore from the churchT
A.— About one block.
Q— Now. Mr. King, describe the door or the
position of the door where you first saw Mf.
Durrant enter. These gentlemen are all
familiar with the church.
A.— lt was a large folding-door in the rear of
the lecture-room. Downstairs there was a
large room divided into two Dy folding-doors.
Q.— l suppose one was the children's room?
A.— Yes, sir.
Q. — You say the doors were open a little bit
and he came through? A.— Yes, sir.
Q.— And he stated that he had been in the
room over the ceiling? A. — Yes, sir.
Q.— Are you familiar with the working of the
gas apparatus in the church? A.— Yes, sir.
Q. — Now, Mr. King, if it was out of order, was
it your place to know of It?. A. — No, sir; it
was not.
Q. — Who is the person who supervises the gas
arrangement? A.— l do not know.
Q.— Do you know anything else of thig case
at all? A.— No sir.
Q.— Did you know Blanche Lamont? A.— l did.
Q.— Did you ever see her in the company of
Durrant? A.— l did.
Q.— When was the last time you saw them in
conversation? A.— About three months ago.
Q.— Was it in church? A. — 1 believe so.
Q.— What portion of the church were they in
when you saw them conversing? A.— l do
not know.
Q.— Did you ever see Mr. Durrant on the steps
leading to the belfry? A.— l don't believe I
have.
Q. — Were you ever in the belfry yourself? A.
— 1 was.
Q.— Have you a key to the church? A.— l
have.
Q.— How long have you had it? A.— Two
years.
Q.— Who gave you the key? A.— My father.
Q.— Do you know whether Mr. Durrant had &
key or not? A.— Yes, sir.
Q.— Do you know who gave him the key? A.—
I do not.
Q.— Do yon know of anybody else who has a
key to the church? A.— The janitor and the
president of the Ladies' Aid Society.
Q.— Who is the president of the Ladies' Aid
Society? A. — Mrs. Moore, I believe.
Q.— Who else has a key? A. — I cannot think
of any others.
Q.— Did you ever visit the church at anytime
when it was empty and when Durrant was
there? A.— Yes.
Q.— What was he doing on these occasions?
A.— Fixing the library books.
Q.— When was the last time? A.— About a
week before Blanche Lamont' s disappearance?
Q. — Did any ladies ever come and assist in
the library? A.— l don't think they ever did.
Q. — Did you ever meet Mr. Durrant at any
time since the disappearance of Blanche La
mont? A. — Yes, sir.
Q.— When was that? A.— On the Sunday
after and the Wednesday after.
Q. — What time on Sunday? A. — About half
past 12.
Q.— Many people in the church? A. — Yes.
Q.— Whereabouts in the church was it? A.—
In the Sunday-school room.
Q.— Front room or the back? A.— Front
room.
Q.— Who was with him at the time? A.— l do
not know.
Q.— Where was he tne Wednesday after the
disappearance? A. — In the Sunday-school
room.
Q.— The same room? A.— Yes, sir.
Q.— What was he doing? A.— Listening to
the service.
Q.— Did you ever see Durrant in the company
of any lady of the church while services were
not going on? A. — Yes, several young ladies.
Q — Wnen waa the lsst time yon saw him?
A.— l cannot state definitely, but I believe it
was on the Sunday after Blanche Lamont's dis-
appearance.
Q.— How many ladies was he with? A.— l
cannot state.
Q.— Do you know the names of any of them?
A.— l do not.
Q. — Are you positive? A.— Yes, I am positive.
Q.— Where were they standing? A.— l think
they were in the vestibule, but I am not cer
tain.
Q. — Were they there for a long period of
time? A.— l do not think so.
Q.— Did you ever see him when the services
were not going on with any ladies that you
knew ? A.— Yes, sir; with Miss Turner.
Q.— How long before Blanche Lamont's dis
appearance? A.— Two weeks.
Q.— Who else did you see him talk with? A.—
I cannot remember the names.
Q.— How long have you belonged to the
church? A.— Three or four years.
Q.— Have you any official capacity in the
church? A. — Organist.
Q.— Do you know the members of the congre
gation fairly well? A.— A good many of them.
Q.— And you do not know these people with
wiiom he was talking, you cannot recall their
names? A. — No, sir.
Q.— Did you know Minnie Williams? A.— l
did.
Q.— Did you ever see her in Durrant's com
pany in the church? A.— l do not remember.
Q.— Have you ever had any conversation
with Durrant in regard to Minnie Williams or
Blanche Lamont? A.— Yes.
Q.— What was the nature of the remarks?
A.— Oh, just passing remarks. 1 cannot remem
ber.
Q.— Don't you know the nature of the re
marks? Ido not mean the exact words? A.—
lao not know. I believe something as to the
kind of a girl she was.
Q.— He gave you his opinion? A.— Yes.
Q.— What did he tell you about Blanche La
mont? A. — He had a very good opinion of her.
Q.— Did he ever say anything about Blanche
Lamont's disappearance? A.— Yes, he said how
sad it was.
Q.— Did he volunteer to searchfor the body of
Blanche Lamont? A. — No.
Q. Did he say he was going to or had? A.— He
said he would do all in nis power.
Q.— Did he make anysuggestions as to the line
to be pursued? A.— Mo.
Q.— Do you know whether Mr. Durrant had
been very intimate with Miss Williams? A.— l
do not.
Q.— Did you hear some talk of his about it?
A.— From his talk I judged he did not care for
her.
Q.— Did you ever see them together? A.— He
escorted her home from church Eeveral times.
Q.— Was he intimate with Miss Turner or not?
A.— Fairly intimate.
Q.— Fairly intimate with Miss Lamont? A.— l
do not know.
Q.— Was he intimate with any other member
of the congregation? A.— Nearly all the other
ladies. Miss Upton was one.
Q.— ls Miss Upton a member of the congrega
tion? A.— When ulie is in the city.
Q.— How do you know? A.— Because he has
escorted her home.
Q.— Now, Mr. King, tell us some of the others
with whom l;e was intimate. A.— Oh, I could
mention all the young ladies of the congrega
tion, for that matter.
Q.— Give us the names, then, of all the young
ladies you know or believe he was intimate
with. A.— l do not believe I can state with any
certainty that he was intimate with any of
them.
Q.— Do you know the names of any ladies he
was in conversation with or escorted from any
social or other affair? A.— l did not hear of
any others.
Q.— Did you hear rumors? A.— No.
Q.— You have belonged to that church for
three or four years and yet cannot give us the
names of any ladies you think he had been in
timate with? A.— No, sir.
Q.— You said that Miss Upton was a member
of the congregation when in town? A. — Yes,
sir.
Q.— Where does she reside when in town?
A.— At Mrs. Davis', 130 Ridley street.
Q. — Now, Mr. King, when she is out of town
where does she reside? A. — I do not know; I
am under the impression that it is somewhere
in the southern part of the State.
<4.— Does she live in Madera County? A.— l
do not know.
Q. — Do you know of any circumstance which
can throw any light on the murder or disap
pearance of Alias Blanche Lamont? A.— No,
sir.
Q.— Did Mr. Durrant ever say he had made a
proposal of matrimony to Miss Lamont? A. —
No.
Q.— Do you know of his ever having done so?
A.— No.
Q.— Are you positive? A.— Yes, sir.
Here one of the jurymen interposed with the
question — When Durrant came into the room
where you were playing did he have his coat
off? A.— Yes.
The Juryman— Could you see the doors trom
the position where you sat playing? A.— Yes.
By the Coroner — Were his sleeves rolled up?
A. —No.
Q. — His pants rolled up? A.— No.
Q.— How about his coat? A.— His coat was
folded up and lay on a box in the library. Ilia
hat lay by the side of his coat.
Q.— After you cot Durrant the bromo-seltzer
did you leave him in the church? A. — No; we
left together.
Q.— When you went for the bromo-seltzer and
returned was he where you left him? A.—
When I went for the hromo-seltzer I left him
in the Sunday-school room. When 1 came
back he was in the vestibule.
A juryman: Q.— When he walked through
the folding doors what did he say? A.— He
said lie had been fixing the gas alsove the ceil
ing of the auditorium.
By the Coroner: Q.— lie told you he de
scended the ladder and came downstairs? A.—
Yes, sir.
Q.— Did he make any other statement? A.—
Not that I recollect.
Q.— How soon after he came in did he ask
you to get him the bromo-seltzer? A.— Almost
immediately.
Q.— Was he then standing up? A. — I think so.
Q.— Did you see anything in his hand, such
as a hammer or saw or tool of any kind? A.— .No.
Q.— His hands were empty? A.— Yes.
Q.— He made no other remarks about the up
stairs? A.— Not that I recollect.
A juryman asked in regard to the condition
of Durrant's hands when he handed King 50
cents. To this King replied that there was
nothing peculiar about them.
Q. — Did you smell gas -when you entered the
church? A.— Yes. I was under the impres
sion it came from the library.
Q. — Could you smell it in the library too?
A.— Yes: but on investigation I found that the
gas was turned off there.
Q.— Have you ever noticed the smell of gas
in the church before? A. — Yes; but never so
strongly before.
Q.— Did you see Mr. Durrant fixing his hair
or clothes after he came into the lecture-room?
A.— No, sir.
Q.— Did you see him put on his coat and hat?
A.— His hat.
Q.— Did you leave the church with him or
did he stay behind? A.— No; we went together.
Q.— Did you see Durrant go to the looking
glass? A. — Yes; in the parlor.
Q.— Did he make any statement after looking
in the glass? A.— He said he didn't look co
very pale.
Q.— Wnere did you walk when you left the
church? A.— Down Twenty-second toCapp.
Q.— Did you notice any blood on him? A.—
No.
Q.— When you left him at Twenty-second and
Capp what did he do? A.— He turned back to
ward home.
Q.— That is toward the church? A.— Yes.
Q.— Did you examine the mirror afterward.
A. — No, sir.
Q.— Did you notice anything under the mir
ror? A. — Not till two weeks afterward when
my attention was called to a little spot on the
shelf underneath the mirror that looked like
blood.
Q.— Who called your attention to it? A.—
Dr. Vosrel.
Q.— What comment did he make on it? A.—
Nothing particular.
Q.— Did he say that it was blood? A.— He
said he thought it was.
Q.— Had any person been fixing the gas 'be
fore you smelt it? A.— Yes. sir, the day before.
Q.— Had there been anybody there that
morning? A.— l do not know.
Q.— Were you there when the plumbers were
fixing the jets? A.— Yes, sir.
Q.— Did you see them turning on the gas?
A.— Yes.
Q-— Well, the doors being closed, it was noth
ing unusual or strange to smell gas. A.— No.
Frank A. Sademan, the janitor of Eman
uel Baptist Church, was next called to the
stand. The last time he saw Durrant in
the loft of the church was in the month of
January. They both went up to fix a new
battery, as the old one \tas worn out. He
remembered the date because he asked
Durrant how long the new battery would
last and the answer was six months. Just
for curiosity Sademan put the date down
in order to "see whether the thing would
last that long or not.
In answer to a question the witness
said that he looked out for the gas and
fixtures and saw that they were kept in
order. He had the jets fixed on January 12
last, a»nd since that time had never asked
Durrant to do any work on them.
Did Durrant ever fix any electric wires in the
belfry?
There are no wires in the belfry and I never
saw Durrant there.
Did any one, between January 12 and April
3, ask Durrant to fix the gas or electric bat
tery?
No, sir. I remember complimenting Mr.
Durrant upon the success of nis experiment.
The plumbers worked in the church for a day,
but they were only putting in patent burners
and not fixing a leak.
The witness next told of meeting Durrant
at the ferries on April 12. He was looking
for his son, who had run away from home,
and ran up against the prisoner. The
latter said he was following up a slight
clew in the Lamont case.
David Clark of 2691 Mission street was
called, and for a time it appeared that his
testimony was practically worthless as he
seemed to know nothing about the case.
Later, however, it was developed that he
met a very important witness on the corner
of Twenty-second and Mission streets
shortly after 4 p. m. on the day Blanche
Lamont was murdered. "I was at the
corner of Twenty-second and Mission
streets to meet Martin Quinlan," said the
witness. "We were going out to see my
brother-in-law at f?t. Luke's Hospital. I
was there about 4 o'clock and Martin
Quinlan came about fifteen or twenty
minutes later. I know it w.as April 3on
which I met him because I left Guerne
ville for San Francisco on April 2. After I
met my friend we had a couple of drinks,
and then we went out to the end of the
Valencia-street car line."
Officer Eugene V. Herve described the
finding of the dead trirl's books between
the ceiling and roof of the Emmanuel Bap
tist Church. He had to go down head
foremost in order to secure the books and
Miss Lamont's hat. Sergeant Reynolds
and Detective Silvey had to pull him back
up again by the legs. In order to get on
the ceiling of the auditorium he had to pass
in through the belfry.
Martin Quinlan, attorney-at-law, the
man who met David Clark at the corner of
Twenty-second and Mission, was the next
witness. Asked if he knew Theodore
Durrant he said he knew him by sight.
"Did you see him on April 3?" the
Coroner asked.
"I did; on the south side of Bartlett,
near Twenty-second. A young lady was
with him and they were going In the
direction of Twenty-third street. It was
about 4:15 or 4:20 o clock in the afternoon.
The woman I did not know. She wore a
large hat and dark woollen dress I think
and seemed to be 18 or 19 years old."
"Did you notice the couple particu
larly?"
"I did. They were coming toward me
yery slowly. The road is torn up at the
crossing of Twenty-second and Bartlett
and I saw them first at that point. Tney
were on the same side as the Emmanuel
Baptist Church. The young lidy had a
package in her hand. I think it was books.
Yes, I am sure it was a package of books."
"Would you know the man who was
with the young woman?"
"Yes, sir."
'•Do you see him in this room?"
"Yes, sir; he is sitting over there at the
window. I am positive that that is the
man."
As the witness made this emphatic state
ment Durrant crouched down on his chair
and seemed to be visibly affected. In
order to fix the time he met Durrant and
the young lady, whom he took to be Miss
Lamont, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
Quinlan went over everything he did dur
ing the afternoon in question. He left the
corner of Hyde and McAllister, where he
took a drink at twenty minutes to 4
o'clock. He took the Valencia-street cars
and rode out to Twenty-second. On his
wav to meet his friend he bought a cigar
and reached Twenty-second and Mission
about fifteen or twenty minutes past 4.
Clark and he had a couple of drinks and
left the saloon at exactly 4:30 p. m.
j. J. McGreevy of 137 Bartlett street said
he knew neither Durrant nor Blanche La
mont. He assisted in the*search of the
Emmanuel Baptist Church aud found the
hat of the dead girl secreted under the
stairs and her corsets and skirt on the raf
ters.
Louis B. Mayer, route agent of the Call.
denied having been present at the autopsy,
and said he had never niada any statement
as to Blanche Lamont's condition.
Ernest It. Wilson, a letter-carrier, who
was quoted as saying that Mayer gave him
a description of the autopsy, denied hav
ing ever made any such statement. These
witnesses were called to ascertain whether
anybody save Dr. Barrett and his assistant
had been present at the autopsy.
Dr. J. S. Barrett, autopsy physician to
the Morgue, was the next witness. He
gave the cause of death as strangulation,
and said the lungs and brain were con
gested. There were the marks of seven
fingernails on the right side of her neck
and five on the left side. He said that the
stories detrimental to Miss Lamont's char
acter were totally without foundation,
after which he gave a minute description
of the body.
Officer A. Anthony was called to tell
what he knew about the prisoner. "I
met Durrant on April 7 in Dr. Vogel's
office and asked him what he knew about
Blanche Lamont and when he saw her
last. He said the last time he saw her was
on the morning of April 3, when he rode
out on the cars with her toward the
Normal School. They separated, he
going to the Cooper Medical College and
she to the school. I then continued my
search and discovered the three young
ladies who saw Durrant and Miss Lamont
together the afternoon of that day. When
I was bringing Durrant back from Walnut
Creek a reporter got on at Martinez who
tried to interview my prisoner, but he
would not talk. Finally the reporter said
the body of Blanche Lamont had been
found in the church. I glanced at Dur
rant and he turned red and said: 'I'd
like to have the man in ray room that did
it. I'd fix him.' That was the last I heard
the prisoner say about the case."
Detective Edward Gibson told all about
the finding of the body of the murdered
girl. The first day he was searching the
church he could not get into the belfrey
because it was locked, the knob broken off
and the key lost. Some one had been
tampering with the door, as there was evi
dence of several attempts to pry it open.
The next day he went back with the janitor
and again failed to unlock the door, so they
burst it open. The body was on its back
and pieces of wood were placed on each side
of the head to keep it from falling to one
side The hands were folded across the
breast and the legs drawn up. The Coro
ner was notified and the body removed.
Detective A. Seymour testified to a state
ment Durrant had made to him. The pris
oner said he had been in the company of
Blanche Lamont on the morning of April
3, but not during the afternoon.
Deputy Coroner James Hallett described
the finding and removal of the body. It
was carried down the stairs in a table-cloth
and then placed in a receiver and taken to
the Morgue.
Durrant remained until the verdict was
brought, but was very nervous and ill at
ease throughout the long waiting.
HER BODY EXHUMED.
The Police Have the Stomach
of Minnie Williams
Analyzed.
Captain Lees, realizing the importance
of the omission to have the stomach of the
murdered girl, Minnie Williams, analyzed,
has determined to have it rectified.
Last Thursday he called upon the Coro
ner, but that official told him he was un
able to bear the expense of an analysis, as
the Board of Supervisors would net appro
priate any sum for such purposes. The
captain consulted Chief Cxowley and it was
decided to pay the cost out of the police
contingent fund. the murdered girl's father
The consent of the murdered girl's father
was obtained and that afternoon the body
was exhumed at Laurel Hill Cemetery,
Captain Lees, Mr. Williams, Charles L.
Morgan (chemist), Detective Gibson: and
the undertaker being present. , „ ' .
Yesterday Mr. Morgan .sent the follow
ing report to Coroner Hawkins, who im
mediately forwarded it to Captain Lees:
I hereby submit my report on the case of
M i" n your 'Son and in your presence the
ctmnnr-h and liver were removed from the
hndvfbr chemical analysis. The bladder was
found to have been perforated and its contents
10 Th e SO stom a S ot w e a" 0 to contain about
th^Vuft ounces of a thick niuci^noussnb
stance. This was mostly food in a partially 111
«£& analysis failed to show the
presence of any organic or vegetable poison
three different analyses were made with the
special object in view of determining th l
presence or absence of morphine. Two of
these'analvses were made by Professor Green
the pharmaceutical and medical departments
of the University of California, who worked in
connection with myself. The result ; of all
three analyses were identical, not the slightest
trace of morphia being found. , nm .. h
Mineral poisons -were found in both stomach
and liver, arsenic being: the most notable, Jhe
presence of these poisons are evidently due to
absorption from the embalming fluid used.
Further analysis of the stomach will be |
made in regard to the question of food, but
so far the analysis shows that the girl s
death had occurred not very long after par
taking of food. This tends to strengthen
the theory that she was murdered shortly
after leaving Mrs. Voy's house.
The test in regard to morphine was
made at the request of Captain Lees, as he
thought the murderer might have drugged
the girl before murdering her.
A NOVEL EXPOSITION.
The Merchants' Association to Exhibit
Paving Materials and Road
Machinery.
The Merchants' Association is making
preparations for a special exhibit of their
own at the next Mechanics' Institute Fair,
which will open in September. They will
call it a "paving exposition," and the in
tention is to make the exhibit an object
lesson in street paving and road work, in
teresting not only to those in the City, but
to people living in the country.
Paving expositions have been held in
several of the larger Eastern cities within
the past rive years and they have met with
success. One was held in Minneapolis on
April 1 and over thirty exhibitors, from as
many Eastern cities, exhibited asphalt,
stone, wood, brick and other kinds of
street - paving materials, road - rollers,
scrapers and all the machinery used in
street and road work.
The Merchants' Association has in
structed its engineer, Ernest McCullough,
to arrange for a similar exposition at the
coming fair. Mr. McCullough has corre
sponded with a number of gentlemen in
the East and he says the project is favora
bly considered. It will be the first of the
kind held west of the Mississippi "River
and the novelty will make it a success in
this City.
Dickens youngest son is a Member of
Parliament in New South Wales.
"THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE
IS HAPPY, FRUITFUL. MARRIAGE.*
Every Man Who Would Know the
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The book fully describes a method by which
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Age no barrier. Failure impossible. Two
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The book is purely medical and scientific,
useless to curiosity seekers, invaluable to men
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A despairing man, who had applied to us,
scon after wrote :
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wanted to hug everybody and tell them my
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And another thus:
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Write to the ERIE MEDICAL COMPANY,
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caUed MANHOOD." Keferto
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Of course people don't believe a thing just
because it's in the paper; but if it sounds
like the truth and they are interested
they generally investigate.— Advertising
STANDARD SHIRTS
is not to make peaple believe that black is
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it makes people ask'for and JL
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MARK.
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Manufacturers. x^
'TIS YET SPRING.
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As a spring remedy, Paine's celery com-.
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This remarkable discovery of Prof. Ed-
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college, is in fact so certainly first in the
estimation of thinking men and women in
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For strengthening the sick, restoring tho
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NEW INVOICE OF
BABY CARRIAGES
JUST RECEIVED.
Larger Assortment Than Ever
and Prices Lower.
■
BnmnjMWEßcMfl
Reed-Body Carriage, hood top, steel wheels,
as per cut $5 70
Fancy Iteed Body, hood top, steel gear, well
upholstered 8 00
Eeed Body, hood top, steel gearing, uphol-
stered in silk remy with plush r011. ...... 9 50
An immense assortment, ranging from $10 to .$25
Noiseless rubber-tire wheels put on any of our
carriages at $2 50 extra.
Electrical Construction and Repairing
of All Kinds. Estimates Given.
Special attention given to Sporting
Goods and Barber Supplies. Razors,
Shears and Knives ground and repaired.
818-820 Market Street
Fliela.ii Building.
Factory— 3O First Street.
DOCTORS, ATTENTION!
Geary St., North Side,
Inside of Hyde Street.
GOOD 8-1001 RESIDENCE,
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Depot, 383 Market St., S. F.
POSTERS
AND ALIi" •
LARGE PRINTING.
STERETT PRINTING CO.,
532 Clay Street.
THE LATEST DESIGNS
In VVOOLENS-FOR SPRING 1895,
HAVE ARRIVED. , ',
H S BRIBRF& fiO 622 Market st " u p:
11. 0. DniUSL U UU. stairs, opp. Pal. Hotel