Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-23
DAMAGING FOR DURRA.T.
Evidence in Rebuttel in the Noted
Murder Case.

Murder Case.
The attempts of the defense in the Dur
rant murder case at San Francisco to prove
what it promised has fallen fiat. A long
deposition from Charles E. Clark, a travel
ing salesman, was read. The defense eX-
pected to prove by Clark that he had seen
Miss Lamont on the afternoon of April
;, accompanied by 4 man other than Dur
| rant. Clark said that he could not positive
| ly fix the date. and only thought the girl
he saw was Miss Lamont from the fact
! that she resembled a picture which he saw
| in a newspaper.
An attempt was made to discradit the tes-
timony of w. ]. Phillips, who said he saw
Durrant enter Oppenheim's pawnshop April
| -, but this also fell fiat. The general re-
| suit of the testimony was to weaken the
defense. through its utter failure to prove
the favorable circumstances promised.
| At the opening of the court yesterday
morning the defense announced that IT had
| finished its case, and the taking of testi-
| mony In rebuttal was at once begun by
| the prosecution. The testimony was the
most important given during the trial, as
| it corf1icted with several vital statements
| made by Durrant while he was on the
| stand. The testimony of DIR. Gilbert F.
Graham, for instance, is considered by
| many to sweep away Durrants entire de-
Tense.
Graham is a medical student and an in
innate friend of Durrant. He told of
sensational interview that took place be-
tween himself and the prisoner at the coun-
| ty jail on April 20. DR.. Graham was ac-
! companied to the prison by ]. S. Dunnigan,
| a newspaper man, who was asked by Dur
rant to retire after he had been there q
| few minutes. Graham said that after Dun
nigan stepped aside Durrant asked him II
| he would let him see his notes of DIR. Che
ney's lecture in order that he might COM
pare them with his own. Graham demurred
at first, after which he said Durrant stated
frankly to him that he had no notes of the
lecture. He said Durrant told him If he
| had the notes of the lecture he could easily
establish a strong alibi for himself, and
| urged him to leave the notes with Mrs.
Durrant in order that she might bring
| them to him at the prison. DIR. Graham
said he refused the request and never after
ward visited Durrant at the prison.
The first witnesses called in rebuttal by
| the prosecution were the five trustees Of
Emanuel Church. DurIant testified that he
was asked by the trustees to repair the
| sun burner at Emanuel Church on April 1.
| The trustees denied that they had asked
| Durrant to make repairs of any kind at
| the church during March April.
| Witnesses were next called to disprove
Durrant's statement that on the after
noon of April L. he was at the ferry for
| the purpose of searching for Blanche La
mont who, he said, mysterious stranger
| had told him would cross the bay that
| afternoon. c. w. Dodge, a medical stu
| Oent, SAID ne saw DuTTaDt at the y,
| and the prisoner told him he was wait
| ing for a number of members of the sig
nal corps who were expected from Oak
| land. c. A. Dukes, medical student, who
accompanied Dodge. corroborated his tes-
| timony.
A A Hobe, an old schoolmate of Dur
| rant, testified that he saw Durrant at the
| ferry the same afternoon in company with
a young woman.
| E. A Glase:, a student at the medical
| college, testified that on the afternoon of
April 10 Durrant asked him to read aloud
| his notes of DR.. Cheney's lecture. Chaser
| said he read his notes to Durrant, who de-
| voted three-Quarters of an hour to writing
| in his note book The defense tried to
| show that it was Gus tomary for students
| to compare notes, but Chaser said that
Durrant read nothing that purported to be
his own notes.
l.. Thomas Price, a chemist, called to give
expert testimony, was asked practically in
| what condition a man would be who had
breathed Illuminating gas for the length
| of time Durrant said he was working over
the sun burners. The witness said a man
would be unconscious in five minutes-the
| length of time Durrant said he was engag-
ed at work over the burner.
| Charles Morrison and ]. H. Cooper. news
paper reporters, testified that Durrant said
he arrived at the church on April between
4 and 4:30 in the afternoon. This testi.
mony conflicts with the statement Dur.
rant now makes to the effect that he did
not arrive at the church until o'clock.
From the outlook the case will go to the
jury not later than the close of next eek
after having been on trial since July %.