The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-10-12

District Attorney Barnes. Under
SeOrching Examination, Forces Some
Vital Admissions From the Prisoner.
SAN Francisco, Cal, Oct IL After
three days ordeal. Theodore Durrant
to day left the witness staud. District
Attorney Barnes tried this morning to
draw from the defendant admissions that
he was well acquainted with the use Of
bromo selizer as used in medicine. Dur
rants replies indicated that he had de-
voted the night to a study of the com
pound, as he replied that he had con
versed with Dr. West about it in the jail
last evening. He was able to give its
analysis, aud detailed its pathological
effect
For the first time during the trial,
Durrant to day pleaded ignorance. In
reply to a question by Mr.. Barnes, he
said he did not know what an alibi was
until after his trial began.
While testifying today, the prisoner
became badly confused at times, and
when questioned regarding his expert
ence at Cooper Medical college, became
so mixed in his dates that he had to re
to set himself Alright. He became no.
ticeably confused and rather testy in his
replies when examined in regard to the
interview that be had with Gilbert F.
Graham, fellow student at the city
prison, when the prosecutions counsel
Durrant asked Graham to furnish him
with copy of the notes of DR.. Cheney's
lecture, remarking: eff | had those notes,
| would be able to prove an allibi.
Durrant, in his logged way, denied
absolutely that he made such deciara-
tion and tried to explain by testifying
Graham came to him with pr0ffers Of
assistance, going so far as to inquire
anxiously if Durrant had the notes to
DR.. Cheney's lecture,
Durrant finally admitted that he
asked him to furnish the notes, but he
testified that he made the request al the
advice of his attorneys, who instructed
him to get the notes frem students of his
class and compare them with his own.
District Attorney Barnes again forced
Durrant to admit that he had written a
statement of his case and enclosed it in
an envelope to his attorneys with the in
structions to ''open it if he was convicted
and to return If he was not convicted. v
Durrant was asked if he did not re
Gently show an envelope bearing such an
inscription to Miss Carrie Cunningham,
local newspaper reporter. Durrant
replied emphafically that he had not. He
also denied that he had told Miss Gun
ningham that he heard suspicious noises
in the belfry Of Emanuel Church on the
afternoon that Blanche Lamont was mur
dered.
Several specimens of Durraut's hand
writing were introduced in evidence for
the purpose of comparing them with the
writing on the wrapper in which the
rings of Blance Lamont were mailed to
her aunt, Mrs. Noble.
The district attorney closed his cross
examination Of the witness by try.
ing to show that when he was
at the ferries ostensibly to search
for Bianch Lamont that he was in
reality looking for Minnie Williams who
came over from Oakland that afternoon
and was found murdered in the church
the next day. The defense fought
vigorously against the admission Of any
thing bearing on the case of Minnie
Williams, and after a long argument,
| Judge Murphy sustained the objections.
After Durrant was excused Charles
L. Lenahan, who was said to have been
mistaken for Durrant by Pawnbroker
| Oppenheim, was recalled to the stand
| for further examination Little pro
| gress had been made, however, when
| c-11rt odicurpad t1ufiI Tuacdav mn oy.uiuos