The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-09-07
THE GREAT DURRANT TRIAL
The Skeleton of Defense is Begin
ming to be Family Visible.
It is Considered Certain That the
Trial viii Be a Long One. The
Dead Girl is Represented by
Beautiful Doll. Inter-
es,ing Testimony.


visible. Whether thoy have the sen
sational evidence that they have
hinted will clear Durrant completely
or not, they will try the Police De
partment. There will be whole lot
'n the trial about the blindness of
police and their fatuouBness in lguor.
,ng every clew that did not coincide
with their preconceived idea thut
Ourrsnt was the guilty man.
BY disputlDg every proposition of
ehe prosecution aud assuming nll the
time that the police are turning every.
thing against the prisoner. they will
raise cloud of contention anu sur
lnises that, with what evideLoo they
Will produce of DurraDt's previous
good character and the slibi of wit
nesses, they hope will raise the reason
nble doubt III the jurys mind thnt will
deter them from bringing III verdict
OF guilty.
1t Is considered certain that the trial
Will be II long one. If such minor wit
nesses as the detective, who merely
found the body, ana the physician. who
only conducted the autopsy, are cross
exnm'ned for half II day, how long will
the attorney for Durrunt keep the wit
Desses who actually give testimony
against Durruut on the stand?
iJtuh, WIZ viii hHGhE sue
cav Durruut 40 into the church
shat fatal afternoon with blanche
Lamont; Ou"uheimcr, the second hand
dealer IN I.Welry, who will swear Dur
Irut tried To sell him one of the dend
Elrfs rings, tue witnesses, to whom
Durrunt made sinicmeuts lnconslsteut
with the preseut theory of the defense
and with the facts the police will prove,
will undoubtedly be kept on the stand
for dnys. District Attorney Barnes
eaid it would tuke only two weeks to
get in the evidence. II 1t does not oc-
cupy two months present indications
count for nothing.
So fnr the case LGs been almost eX
clusively one of models, maps. charts,
plans and diagrams.
The witnesses testify. rOinter in
hand and every spot they meutiou, they
indicnte on the diagrams. 10 make the
thing perfect the pruserniiou Will pro
dnce doll that VIII represent the dead
Glrl Ill the tower model IL l. H. pretty
Il doll ns ever delighted hu''v. but II
Will play Srursune pgti IN tnis tr.ui.
IT IL one of those pretty TT. irn unlls
with movable limbs nnd IcnG. tumblrd
tInlr aud eyes that close. /, Viii he
laid III the corner OF the miniature bel
Try with arms folded across thu breast
aud head turned slightly TO one side
aud kept III position by two tiny bl ckS
of wood Then the jury VIII know
more vIvidly than words can tell them
5ust what WAS the state OF things III
emanuel Church when Detective Glib
Goa broke down the belfry door aud
fuund the murdered girl.
Durrant fakes ths liveliest sort of
Interest in themodel of the church.wiih
which he was SO familiar. He whsp
cred TO Detective Morse suggestions
all the time TINT Policeman Russell
was pointing out the distances and par
sicular points i'll his model.
u the interval between the disap
pearauce OF Buuche Lamont aud the
inding of her hody in the beiiry The
tongue of Theodore Durrunt WAS busy.
9le may have cause to regret IT. 10
some people he declared that no could
not account for the mysterious dlsap.
pearanoe of the girl. With tears In
tis eyes he said she had been pure
girl aud he could not reason IN
his own mind theory of her absence.
10 others. In several instances
10 newspaper reporters, he said that
hU felt confident that the girl Ind gone
astray; that she would be found down
sowh. 70 her uncle, he offered his
6ervices to search III tho shadows of
the city for the missing girl. To the
cantor OF Emanuel Church, who caught
him ut the ferry the day Minnie VII.
sams was murdered, he said that he
had Information that Blanche Lamont
was going away and that he Intended
80 intercept her.
"How will Durrsnt reconcile these
ettitudes?" is tho query of the prose
cutlon. 1t il one of the questions the
student will not answer, but it is one
problem be must face before the Jury
which Is trying him for his life.
When the trial WAS resumed this
morning Q. q. Noble, uncle of the
murdered girl, was recalled, and CON-
pleted his evidence respecting the
identification of the body.
A, B. Riehl, police officer, was the
next witness. lie entered the church
with Detective Gibson aud assisted the
faIter in breaking in the door leading
into the belfry. Gibson discovered the
body Of Miss Lamont and called his
attention to it. He saw the blood
stains on the floor of the landing below
where the body was found, and on ex.
aminuiion he hud found the blood had
dropped from above, Hs also saw
footprints III the dust on the steps of
che stairway,