The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-03

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1.-THE calm
! and confident demeanor of Theodore
Durrant continues unruffied, despite his
conviction yesterday of the murder of
Blanche Lamont. He chatted affably
and unconcernedIy today to the news
paper men who called to see him at
the county Jail. He denied having
stated last night that Judge Murphy,
who presided at his trial, had been his
prosecutor, admitting frankly that
Judge Aurphy's charge to the jury had
been perfectly fair and his rulings i'm
partial
This verdict Durrant continued.
| does not affect me at all. I felt no
different when I heard it than L did
before it was delivered, and I am just
| the same today. AS a matter CT fact
there has been nothing in all this case
| which has moved me IN any way, and
there will be nothing. I do not wish
to be understood as saying that am
| insensible to feeling, but know my
whole life and just what / have and
have not done, and a consciousness of
my innocence buoys me up
Attorney John H Dickinson said today
that Durrants counsel would ask for
new trial, and that if Superior Judge
Murphy did not grant the application
an appeal would be taken to the su-
preme court OF California. Dickinson
stated that the application would
Be Based Upon the Exceptions
noted during the trial He added that
the removal of Juror Brown from the
panel after he had been definitely &C
copied by both sides would be one
ground for appeal and the admission
of the testimony Of Miss Carrie Gun
bingham, newspaper reporter, an
other. Dickinson said that he was not
surprised at the verdict. as the jury
had realized that public opinion. was
positively against the defendant. He
stated that every point made by the
prosecution was applauded in the court
room and that the jurors were thus
shown what they were expected to do.
Dickinson charged that Durrant had
been bounded in the newspapers and
referred to the remark of Secretary H
j. Mccoy, of the Young Mems Chris
tan association to Juror Truman: eff
you don't hang Durrant we will hang
you, as an instance of the unfair in
fiuences at work against his client. The
attorney added that he would stand
by Durrant, whom he believed to be
innocent, and whom he hoped yet to see
vindicated. Chief of Police Crowley
and Chief Of Detectives Lees today re-
ceived scores of kilograms from police
officials all over the country, compli-
menting them on the outcome of the
trial When Durrant is brought up for
sentence next Friday, District Attorney
Barnes will ask that the prisoner be
arraigned on the charge of having muir
dered Miss Minnie Williams and will
ask that the date of trial be set. The
prosecution is ready to proceed in this
case, but it is understood that the de-
Tense will ask for a continuance for
two months. The district attorney
says that at the conclusion of the pre-
Hminary examinations of Durrant the
Evidence Was Much Stronger
in the Lamont than in the Williams
case. In developing the former, how.
ever. new and stronger evidence was
adduced in connection with the murder
of Minnie Williams, so that the prose-
cution claims to be in possession Of
more conclusive proof of guilt in the
case yet to be tried than in the trial
Just concluded.
The most important of the new wit
nesses is Alexander Zeuger. a cabinet
maker, who is a member of Emanuel
church. He says that on the night of
April u he called on Mr.. Taber, on
Twenty-third street. About $50 o'clock
he left there and started for his home
at u Randall place. He walked along
Bartlett street and when he came to
the Emanuel church he saw Durrant
and Minnie Williams standing at the
side door of the church. The story is
contradicted by Durrant who in an in
tervieW on the night of his arrest stat
ed that he did not see Minnie Williams
at all on April Il and had not seen her
for three weeks prior to that day.
1t is expected that the defense
VIII Ask For Change of Venue
in the Williams case, as it is thought
that if by any remote chance the pros
ecution fails to secure a conviction the
result will be to cast q doubt over the
justice of the verdict in the Lamont
case. 1t is generally agreed chat the
man who strangled Blanche Lamont
slaughtered Miss Williams. IF dis
missal of the untried case results, it
will furnish ground for claiming a mis-
carriage of justice in the case already
tried, and will furnish a basis upon
which to appeal to the governor for
executive clemency. The impression
prevails that Durrant would gain little
by a change of venue. 1t is the general
opinion that he is safer here than in
any other place for trial on a charge of
numbering Minnie Williams, as there
might be fear Of lynching. Here, I'M
der the protection of the sheriff, DO
lice, and with the militia at hand, he is
safe from such public violence as re-
Gently occurred at Yreka. 1t has been
intimated that the defense may allege
insanity as a defense in the Williams
case. Many physicians and experts on
mental dieases argue that the murderer
has an abnormal brain, but # IS ques-
tionable if they will declare him moral |
ly irresponsible for his acts.