The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-11-06
DURRANT FOUND GUILTY.
Tho student-Fiend Who Murdered Two
Girls.


der in the iirst-degree.
District Attorney Barnes this morning
closed his speech 10 the jury in these
words: THE structure which has been
builded aud cemented with a mass of
indisputable facts consistent with his
guilt, and absolutely inconsistent with
any reasonable hypothesis of his inno-
cenee, is now before you. Ii is for you Ia
finish it. VIII you combine it with the
sublime form of Justice, robed in her
garb of law, her forehead bound with the
latent purity Truths white diadem and
in her hand the flaming sword which
Furnishes the deer of funutterable sin; or
will you leave il To the usurpation of an
incarnate hell, to a grinning and deriding
fiend hugging to his DEVILS breast the
crime Of this dreadful murder, perpetrat-
ed under the shelter of church of God
and saturated with unspeakable and
measureless depravity. Gentlemen of
the jury, so far as the people of the State
of California are concerned in the exposi-
tion OF this most tragic story, the case is
with you.'
When Judge Murphy had concluded
his charge the jurymen filed out as
though they were going to their own ex-
ecution. Durrant leaned back in his chair
and chatted with his mother, laughing at
times, though his laughter was evidently
forced. The father went out into the cor
ridor 10 smoke cigarette, as he was too
nervous to endure the strain of suspense.
Scarcely fifteen inmates had passed
before word came that the jury was
ready 10 come into Court. When this
was announced Durrant's calmness for
sOok him for the first time during this
trial. His face became a. white as the
Court room wall, and his head dropped.
\ few minutes later the jury room door
was swung open and the twelve men
filed in.
Afler the usual questions as 10 their
agreement, the Judge told the foreman to
read the verdict.
Slowly the latter unfolded paper, and,
after wiping his eyes, read:
I'VE find the defendant guilty of mur-
der in the first degree.r
Instantly Durrant started forward, as
though he would rush upon the men in
the box who had sent him to the gallOws,
but his mother caught him and pulled
him back in his chair. Then she fell up
on his neck and sobbed as though her
heart would break.
The moment the verdict was read a
hoarse shout went up from the crowd at
the back of the court room. 1t was like
the sound made by mob of lynchers
clamoring to get at prisoner in a Jail.
A forward move was made, and it was
evident that some among the mass,
wrought up by the terrible invective of
the District Attorney, would like to have
poor Blanche Lamont.
RESUME OF THE CASE
on the Sd of April last Blanche La
mont left her home at s:3Q \. NJ, and
went TO the Boys High School for the
morning session. In the afternoon she
attended the Normal School, on Powell
street, near Clay, for the cooking class,
which she LEFT about 3 Il. VI. As she
walked from the school, in company
with Miss Minnie Edwards, young
man stepped up To her, raised his hat and
escorted her 10 the car at Clay and Pow
ell streets. The two sat on the east side
of the dummy, and rode i'm that position
10 Market street.
En- route to Market street Miss Ed
wards sat inside of the ear, and paid close
| attention TO Miss Lamont and her escort.
She saw them last at Market and Powell,
where she LEFT the car, and proceeded
| down Market To Fourth street. As the
car on which Miss Lamont and Miss Ed
wards rode passed the corner of Powell
and California, Misses May l.anigan and
Alice Pleasant, who attended the Normal
| School and saw Miss Lamont there that
day, noticed the young lady aud her es-
cort sitting on the outside Of the car.
NEVER AGAIN sKES ALIVE.
Blanche Lamont was never again seen
| alive by any ole who knew her. She
failed to return home, and her disappear
ance was reported to the police. They
not only failed to find her, but were un-
able 10 get a clew which would show
whether she had been murdered or had
elOped. The latter was the most accepted
theory. Ii became known that a young
man had escorted the missing girl from
the school, but his identity was not estab-
lished at that time.
On the 18th Of April the mangled body
OF Minnie Williams, who had been muir
dered on the night of Friday, the 18th
was found in the library of the Emman-
uel Church. This discovery led To an
investigation and the finding Of the -e,
mains of Blanche Lamont on the top
IL ,or of the tower of the church.
FINGER-MNRRs on HER NECK.
She had been strangled to death. and
the marks of the murderer's fingers were
| plainly to lie seen on the neck. 1t was
evident that the murder had not occurred
where the body was found. but that tn,
body had been carried, or rather dragged
to that spot by the murderer from som,
point outside the tower. Th0ra was 4
! large blood stain at the second floor o
the tower and other bloOd~rains below
which showed that there the murderer
had rested and permitted the body Il
lie.
The body had then been taken 10 tn,
top floor, denuded and laid out with
blocks ofwood at the head and under tn.
feet, something after the method in yogu.
in dissecting roam. The clothing haC
been torn to pieces and stuffed into in
tersiiceS in the walls of the tower. Tn,
school books which the murdered CIR
had carried had been disposed of by be
ing thrown into dark recesses above ia,
ceiling of the church on a level with tn,
lower .loor Of the tower.
ATTEMPTS AT CoSCEALNENT.
The murderer probably upon the day
Of the crime, had broken the outsid,
knob of the door of the tower leading {,
the gallery and had broken the lock
This was done from the inside, and ne
cessiiated his departure from the scene oi
the crime by going through an apertur,
communicating with the space above tn,
church ceiling and thence crossing owe
the top Of the ceiling to the rear Of tn,
church, whence there was a passageway
down to the auditorium floor, and from
there to the floor below, ON which tn.
| Sunday school room and the library
! room We're located