The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-21
NEW EvIpENCEAGAINsT DURRANT
The Young Man a. Licentious as He
Was Pious.

San Francisco, Aug. 20-The prosecu-
tors OF Theodore Durrant are at present
engaged in developing a fruitful line of
testimony which promises TO throw a
powerful side light on the conduct of the
young man toward women. While Dur
rant is pictured by his friends as being
meek. modest youth, who, so far from be-
ing able 10 murder TWO schoolgirls. found
his only true enjoyment in the Sunday
school of which he was assistant super
intendent. ii is proposed TO prove that his
baseness was bOundless when associating
with women. In support OF this assertion
young women who are said 10 have been
insulted by Durrant will be placed on the
stand and letters written by the prisoner
20 his female acquaintances will be intro
duced as evidence. The audacity OF the
prisoner is shown by a letter now in the
hands of the police which he wrote TO
Helen Henry. a local actress. a few weeks
before the Emanuel church murders. Al
though he had not known the young lady
but few days, he wrote her letter so
suggestive that she declined TO answer II,
and a few days later he followed il I'D
with another just as offensive. So bold
did Durrant become that long before his
arrest II is said that number Of young
women declined 10 attend parties to which
ne was invited. or 70 associate with him in
any way. Some OF the women who have
been insulted by pgrraut VIII be placed on
the witness stand. and their testimony viii
be 81 Importance in refuting the conteu-
ton OF the defens, that so moral and con-
scientious young man could not com
NIT these church atrocious murder.
From a reliable source il is learned that,
no matter what IS accomplished by the
present trial. II IS intended 20 bring Dur
rant before a Jury on the charge Of killing
Minnie Williams This course will be Dur-
sued even II purrsnt should be found
guilty Of the murder Of Blanche Lamont.
The idea Of the prosecution in doing that
would be 10 provide against the possibility
OF the supreme court granting a new trial
IN the Lamont case. II is even probable
that the district attorney would consent
70 ? change az venue for the Williams
trial
Much speculation has been INDUCED in
"a "a the nature Of the abb Durrant's
counsel expect 10 present 70 the jury -
combat the evidence now in the hands Of
the prosecution. From hints that have
been dropped. II appears that the records
Of the Cooper Medical college win form
the basis Of the attack on the testimony
81 Martin Quinlan, Mrs. Leak and others.
The records are the rolls Of Dr William
+ Chaney's class a. the college Durrant
vEs one ~ a class Of seventv-Seven stu
dents who attended Tr. Chener's lectures.
The roll shows that he was present at the
lecture delivered az the college on the aft
crnoon of April 2 q; the precise hour that
Che prosecution claims he entered Emar-
uel church with Blanche Lamont Ur
Cheney's lecture hour Is from 80 90 %
O'Clock. and the roll ~ students IS not
called unfii tho close 81 the lecture on
this occasion. the doctor saws. his lecture
was q little shorter than usual. and he
may have ordered 'he roll called rs early
as f.2o o'cloFk II purvaut were present
and answered 20 his name. then DO could
not have been al the church with Blanche
Lamont. nr. Cheney considered the point
50 important that he spent two aays trv-
ing 20 determine the truth or falsity Of
facts as shown hy Tho roll The seventy
SIX members II ,he class were taken into
his private offire one by one and interro-
nurrsrtS presence a. the lecture, whether
they had heard him answer when hIS
mama vas called. ard whether tAav had
answered FOR him To Ire last two inter-
roCa;ories they all answered fn tHe mega
tive Some were under the impression
that purraut had attended thu lecture.
hut none wsS sure Dr Chsney's invsSsf-
CATION brought ont one important facr J.
was that On April "a Darraat went - a
follow student. Edward =. CHASER. ard
asked for the notes Of T1r. Chcuav's Fa--
tura delivered on the afternoon OF AnFli :
The prosecution looks upon this as proof
that U8rrant al not attend the lecture.
for hs8 Pc tone 50 he Mould have made
his owD notes
Walnut creek Cal. Aug @-Constahle
Palmer has knife which he believes has
a bearing on the nurrBrf case. When the
signal corps came - Mount Dlahlo on sat
ur4Ay. sf~er the murder - Minnie VIII