The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-10-24
TY. OREGON. THURSDAY, OCTOBER
DEFENsE's LAST WITNESS.
Impression Prevails That the Peoples
Case Has Been Strengthened.

|
Case Has Been Strengthened.
San Francisco, Oct. 23.-The defense
in the Durrant trial practically closed
today. Possibly, another witness will
be examined tomorrow, but his testi-
mony will be brief, if taken at all, and
then the prosecution will begin the
production of testimony in rebuttal
Although some of the most important
evidence on the part of the prosecution
is yet to be submitted, from the present
outlook the case will go to the jury at
the close of next week.
Now that the attorneys for Durrant
have practically closed their case, the
impression prevails that the defense
has materially strengthened the case of
the prosecution Il is the opinion Of
those who have watched the trial that
the defense has failed to establish a
single fact which Attorney Deuprey in
do. Although it was announced that
an alibi would be proven for the pris-
oner, not a witness has been called to
swear that Durrant was elsewhere than
at Emanuel church ON the afternoon
that Blanche Lamont was murdered.
Failing to show that Durrant was not
at the church the defense has attacked
the credibility of the witnesses who
testified that they saw him in that vi
cinity in company with Miss Lamont.
The latest attempt of this kind as
made this afternoon, when DR.. g. G.
Mcdonald was called to the stand to
give expert testimony on the hallucina-
tions of elderly women. Attorney
Dickinson asked the doctor if it was
not fact recognized by the medical
profession that in time of great excite
ment over an extraordinary crime
elderly women often became impressed
with the delusion that they had per-
sonal knowledge of the existence of al
legged facts An objection to the ques-
tion was sustained in its first form, as
the court said it had not been shown
that the witness was competent to give
expert testimony on the subject. After
a proper foundation for the question
had been laid, the objection was over
ruled. The witness said that under
such circumstances people often became
possessed of various delusions, but de-
MED that elderly women were more
likely to have such hallucinations than
anybody else.
The question was plainly to throw
discredit on the testimony Of Mrs. Leak
and Mrs. Vogel, two of the strongest
witnesses for the prosecution. Mrs
Leak, who lives opposite Emanuel
church, testified that on the afternoon
of the murder she saw Durrant and
Miss Lamont enter the church. Mrs
Vogel said she saw Durrant standing
in front of the normal school fer an
hour, waiting for BlaDche Lamont, and
that when she came aat he boarded q
car with her and rodesaw in the di-
rection of the church.
A long deposition from Charles 6.
Clark, a travelling salesman who re-
sides in this city, but who is now in
Boston, was read. The defense expect
ed to prove by Clark that he had seen
Miss Lamont the afternoon of April 8
accompanied by man other than Dur
rant. Clark said that he could not
positively fix the date, and only
thought the girl he saw was Miss La
mont from the fact that she resembled
a picture of her which he saw in a
newspaper.
An attempt was made to discredit
the testimony of w. J. Phillips, who
said he saw Durrant enter the pawn
brokers' shop on April 12. Phillips
was recalled and asked about the char
acter of hotel that he formerly con-
Quoted in Victoria, B. c., but the ques-
tion failed to show that he was ever
engaged in any business that was not
respectable.
Attorney Deuprey was not we'll
enough to appear in court this morn
ing. 1t is expected that he will be
able to resume work in two or three
days.