The San Francisco call., 1895-11-03
GLAD HE Is TO DIE.
Blanche Lamont's Aunt and Sister
Rejoice at the Ver-
dict

Mrs. Charles G. Noble, the aunt of
Blanche Lamont is satisfied. Her face
has lost the anxious expression 1t wore all
during the trial of Durrant and now her
features relax readily into smiles. She
laughs at little things and seems to feel
relieved of heavy burden, because Theo-
dore Durrant has been condemned to die.
"I never had any doubt about the ver-
Dict" she said. ''At first I feared that
Mr.. Dutton might be unfavorable, he
frowned so. But have learned since that
he frowned because he had a headache.
Some of my friends thought Mr.. Smyth
would hang the Jury. But l was not
afraid of him. His questions were always
to the point and he seemed almost to nod
yes when some of the evidence was being
given.
"There was one man we were sure of
from the first. Maude picked him out.
He was the feshy man in the corner, Mr..
Babbitt. Maude said she was sure he
would be honest, and as the trial pro-
gressed she grew more and more enthu-
siastic about him.
eve met him to-day. He took off his
hat and bowed and we smiled, and, don't
you know, it was just like meeting an old
friend, although that was the first time we
had ever even nodded to him. For it
would have been dreadful for us to have
spoken to or been friendly with one of the
jurors"
Mrs. Noble said that the people in Dillon,
Mont, the former home OF Blanche La
mont, were as much interested in the
trial as San Franciscans. She showed
telegram which had been received early
yesterday morning. 1t was dated 20 A. NJ.
and was signed Otho Klumm. Mr..
Klumm, she explained, was member of
the lodge of Masons to which Mr.. Lamont
had belonged. The dispatch read:
The entire community of Dillon rejoice
over the righteous verdict rendered and send
their heartiest congratulations to Mr.. Barnes
for his untiring efforts to see Justice done
God bless the Judge, jury and all those con-
nected with the noble work.
The telegram was addressed to Mr..
Noble. This, Mrs. Noble explained, was
TO prevent her being alarmed upon receiv-
ing the message.
In speaking of the verdict, Mrs. Noble
said:
cit could not have been different There
was NO other way to think than those
jurors did. As for myself, the events Aof
the trial merely added certainty to my be-
lief, for l was sure that Durrant was
Blanche's murderer from the moment her
poor body was found in the belfry."
As she spoke, the smiles that had gath
cred at the sympathy of the people of
Dillon faded away.
"And you had not connected Durrant
with her disappearance before that?"
"Never for moment. Some one-I be-
lieve it was Detective Anthony, but i
don't remember-suggested that perhaps
he was responsible, but told him the idea
was preposterous. Later | went to see
Miss Fowler, the teacher at the Normal
School. The girls said he was the last one
seen with Blanche, but Miss Fowler
thought the idea of suspecting Durant
was not to be considered seriously for
moment. She said that Durrant-no, she
didn't call him that; she said, Theodore
Durrant'-had gone to school to her, and
that he had always been one of the best of
boys.
THAT is why 1 never thought he was the
one who had enticed Blanche away, for
then, you know, we were acting under that
idea. Besides, | knew he was too poor to
be able to afford such a thing. Blanche
and had talked about him often, and she
had told me about some of his pecuIiari-
ties. We thought he was not very bright,
but was very good. This, too, had its ef-
feet in making me feel that there was not
even suspicion of his being connected
with the dear girls absence"
Mrs. Noble here spoke of some of Dur
rants peculiarities. His command of
English, she said, was poor. He was a
very bad reader and was unable to pro-
nounce even the commonest of words cor
rectly: This had made her feel that he
lacked the ability to thoroughly benefit by