The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-06
THIRD DAY OF THE TRIAL.
A Morning of Figures and Angles.
How the Body of Blanche La
mont Was Found.

mont Was Found.
1t is almost trite to remark again that
the crowd which thronged the corridors
leading to Judge Murphy's court yester-
day was larger than ever-for there are
limits to the capacity of these corridors.
Yet it was larger-if that is possible; but
it was also better handled by the police
and kept in such check that an open pass
ageway was maintained to and from the
courtroom all day.
1t has reached the pass now that to get
into the courtroom one must have pull"
of some kind-not necessarily political
pull, yet an acquaintance with a bailiff,
an attorney, or some one of the many men
whose duty it is to enter the court where
the great trial of the People of California
against William Henry Theodore Durrant
is now fully under way.
The morning session was very dull. Wit
ness Russell remained on the stand most
of the time, pointing out the different
parts of his working model of Emmanuel
Church, and Identifying and describing
various maps and plats of the surrounding
locality.
Civil Engineer Eugene Mccullough, a
witness for the defense, also identified
various maps and plats that will be re-
ferred to in the course of the trial.
In the afternoon several photographs
were identified by this witness-photo-
graphs offered by the defense. One of
these was of cable-car going south on
Powell street, near California; another
was cable-car going north on the same
street.
A diagram of the crossing at California
and Powell streets was also offered by Mr..
Dickinson. When the civil engineer con-
cluded, thesdfaugntsman of the Police De-
partment came back on the stand long
enough to give the exact measurement of
the distance from the basement floor to
the belfry of Emmanuel Church.
Then came the discovery of the body.
The story was told by Detective Gibson,
not particularly in dramatic manner, for
it came out in simple sentences connected
only by the questions of the District At
torney.
Yet the manner in which the story of the
finding of the body was elected, question
by question, step by step, was entirely sat
isfactory to the audience. All day they
had waited for something like this. Now
it had come at last
There was eagerness depicted on every
face. Even Durrant, always the least in
terested of the spectators, was considerably
interested as Gibson neared the critical
point.
Mr.. Barnes began in a very formal man.
ner by asking the name, then the occupa-
ton of witness. Where was he on such
and such day? came next. What was he
doing there? and so on to the climax,
which was reached when Mr.. Barnes said /:
Now tell US what you found there, if
anything?"
II reached the top step, turned around,
and saw the dead body"
Then began the description of the body,
the position in which it was lying, and all
the horrible particulars connected with
suth a CHASTITY find in the belfry of a.
church.
Detective Gibson kept the stand for the
remainder of the afternoon. He was
closely cross-examined by Lawyer Dick
inson, and requested to identify photo
graphs of the belfry door, open and shut,
that were submitted as exhibits by the de-
tense.
When the hour for adjournment came
Detective Gibson's testimony and cross
examination had been completed. This
morning the officer who accompanied him
to the church. Policeman Refill, will be
called to the stand as corroborating wit
ness.
It seems safe to say that there will be
no more dry days in the Durrant trial, and
that every day, from now on, will have its
own sensation. The only other expert tes-