The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-10-03

cOilpileu with MS request.
The crush in the corridors at the en-
trance to the court vas greater to-day
than upon any other day since the
trial began. Me and women fought
for admission, while the sheriff and a
score of deputies struggled as desper-
ately to keep the crowd back. At
times the confusion outside was so
great that the proceedings of the court
were interrupted. Al IengIn Juuso
Murphy summoned the sheriff and or
dered him to clear the corridors. IL
the sheriff's force was insufficient the
judge said he would call on the chief
of police for a squad Of men to execute
the order.
Sergeant Reynolds. the police officer
who conducted the search Of Emanuel
church after the discovery Of the bod
les of Blanche Lamont and Minnie
Williams, testified. After describing
the furniture and other articles found
I'm the pastors study. he was asked
about the chisel marks found in the
door leading to the belfry. The door
Ind casing through which the murder
er passed with the body of his victim
were brought into the court room and
formed M Of the most interesting eX-
hibits produced. The witness testified
that the marks correspondent i'm size to
a chisel found in a tool box in Rev.
John George GibsOn's study. The wit
ness also was asked to identify a shoe
supposed TO have been stained with
blood which was found in the pastors
study. AS Sergeant Reynolds did not
know TO whom the shoe belonged,
Sergeant Burke was called, but he
was also in ignorance with regard to
the ownership of the shoe.
San Francisco, Sept. %. If Theo-
dOre Durrant has anything tangible
upon which to base his denial Of the
charge that he murdered Blanche La
mont and Minnie Williams, his at
tOrneys have failed to give satisfac-
tory evidence OF the fact. The de-
Tense has disclosed enough to satisfy
the prosecution that Durrant's at
torneys are cropping in the dark in n
hope that something may develop
within the next few days to save the
prisoners life. The weakness of the
defense is made more apparent at this
time on account of the eXtravagant as
sertiOns that Durrant's attorneys have
uniformly made since the trial began.
When the prosecution was engaged in
BbttihS III no 'aiSS' III II
looked darkest for the young Sunday
school superintendent, Attorney Du-
prey was accustomed to snap his
fingers and remark that he had no
fears for the future of his client.
I'VE will clear him in three min
utes," said Duprey. and the public
will be at a loss to understand how
Durrant'S name was Yer connected
with the case" The same line of eX-
%travagant claims was continued when
Attorney Duprey made his opening
speech for the defense.
Not only will the prisoner tell with
his WI lips the simplest story of Ills
life on the day that Blanche Lamont
was murdered" said Duprey. "but DR..
Cheney will tell you that Durrant was
at Cooper Medical institute at the very
hour when the murder of Blanche La
mont is said to have taken place. Be
sides that. we will prove to you that
Durrant never tried to pawn Miss La
mont's ring at Oppenheim's store. On
the contrary. we will bring forward
the young man who did try to pawn a
ring at Oppenheim's similar TO the one
worn by Miss Lamont"
In view of these startling statements
1t was first believed that the defense
might have a strong case held in re-
serve. which would put to a severe
test the case Of the prosecution. In
one day, however, the case of the de-
Tense crumbled and fell Of it's own
weight. and to-day Durrant's alibi has
not a leg upon which to stand. DR..
Cheney. who was expected TO tell so
much fer the defense. was a stros,g
witness for the prosecution. Instead
of fulfilling Duprey's statement. and
swearing that Durrant attended a lee
ture at Cooper medical college on April
3. he said he had no recollection OF
seeing the young medical student
there. The denial ~dumfounded the de-
Tense.
If further proof were needed on the
belief that the defense has little to Of
fer in refutation of the case put for
ward by the prosecution il was fur
nished to-day. Instead OF placing wit
nesses on the stand to testify TO some
ma serial fact in connection with Dur
rants alibi, two gas filters were called
to testify with regard to the sun burn
ers in the gallery of Emanuel church.
For two hours the crowd "A bored
and the jury made tired by a long
series of questions and answers rela-
i've I'D the ihlhuteSt part Oh lue COLI
structiOn Of the SUI burner. Not once
during the entire session vas the name
of Blanche Lamont mentioned, nor
was anything said to indicate that 1t
was not n suit to collect a plumbers
bill instead of a murder trial that vas
before the court. The evident purpose
Of the examination, however, was to
show that the repairing of sun burn
ers would necessarily result in the es-
cape of a great deal of gas. This
testimony will be used to substantiate
Durrant's statement that he was suf-
fering from partial asphyxiatiOn when
he came down from the church belfry