The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-18
DURRANT VERY COOL.
His Conduct Has Been That OF
an Innocent Nan.
a STATEMENT BY HIS MOTHER
She Insinusfos, and so Does Her son,
Thst Preacher Gibson Knows
Something About tho Crime.

fan Francsaco. AprsI 1.-THE Interest In
the Erasns~l rhuycf1 murders IL stu m
tense. and the proxrsss Of Ffle coroner
inquest fa closely wasrs1ed for exciting De-
yesgpments. SO Ear nothing starting. s's-
sood Essas Is ALREADY Sso1u. aaz BEEN
brought out. TIE strong sentiment asaif
DsarTaa1 seems 20 be gssdergesas reze-
ton. and the ngznsJer % pegple who as
cert belief sa his hanocencs r. on the
Increase Durrant does rot acs Ike a
guilty mar ffss derssanow as morn that OF
= man 1ssao Is perfectly coTsfi5sn1 saat
tss Innocence Of the awful crimes VIII De
certainly proved srfaeu the proper time
comes. II &c IL q rasssaeT and snars1ersr
hs certainly IS possessed q vonsisriHi
rcfye. Nothing appears 80 snake MIN or
6istTaD his air % confidence lie mas
been sleeping lady. bat that Is probably
natural unsar the circumstances. During
his waking hours he Ia qss4et. gentleman
Is ara sesfsrGsseEsed. He makes 80 sips
ard awkward admissions In spite OF the
rnanv traps laid for him ~ reporters ard
ss@see.iyes. He conveTses on any topic ex-
cert that uf the crimes With &isin ne AZ
charged When that sstateo1 IL Dreamed
he Degs 20 be excused and refers quea-
stons-rs "a his attorney. The testimony az
she inquest today, while IN some respects
damaging 20 Darr8ut. was no. as strong
az had been anticipated The Tact fnat
be had osce made an Improper prosyosaI
that will probably tell against han. but
the attempts 20 positively identity him as
the man who entered she church early IL
THE syofilng IN company VIII woman
failed The witnesses could only say
that Darfanf looked IKE TIRE man. AiSo,
ga every instance. Il was shown that as
Ear as rae knowledge o. the various VII
nasges went DuTFanf and Miss Wilnefns
were not intimate. They were never seen
sogssher Ensr ,id they ever speak OF esasa
other Miss Williams father IL the only
one apparently 20 whom she asd ever
talked about Dgrrant-
Some facts have come 10 light tending
10 show tie accused msa's remarkable
powers Of self-controi. 0n SATURDAY att
srneaa when members OF the signal corps
flashed the message from the top OF
TELEGRAPH hii 90 their comrades many
miles away on Mount Daabio that Dur
rant was wanted for the murder OF MISS
Williams DorFant was the man VINO re-
cessea the message. and read the flashes
on the mirror. Hts companions say mat
mis- face never moved as he read OF the
letters and he appeared 10 hs unconcefn-
ed though greatly surprised. That night
Darrant was on guard for four hours
while the rest Of his comrades slept.
There we're a dozen horses At his disposal.
one OF thesn unusually fast, and ne had
an opportunity TO attempt TO escape, and
could have secured o lead OF many miles
over pnrsuers had he 40 desired Instead,
he started 20 return to San Francisco with
the rest OF the party.
Mrs Durrnat his mother, has made
statement 10 the new spalsers In which she
claims there IA a conspiracy To fasten
the crimes on her son. The chief points
of interest IN this statement are az fol-
lows: WHY do they not arrest all OF
them and make them show where they
were At the times 81 the mnrdersF me
body Of Blanche Lamont was carried Nd
20 the balfry. and Theo. is not strong
enough 20 have done that, She was weH
made girl and she was choked 20 death.
Theodore ia not large and strong enough
10 have killed her In that way. Theodore
wore on tfe afternoon OF April 3. a dou-
hle-breasted sack sutt Of blue cheviot-
his ordinary. everyday clothes. II is here
IN the house. Tho detectives came here
and search 81 over his clothing for three
days. They found nothing wrong, how
ever In the Williams case. too. the muir
derer must have got blood upon his
clothes Thee. that night wore the same
suit he IL now wearing In prison. and
there is not the slightest spot upon them.
Mrs. Uurrant then recIteS In detail the
movements and alleged movements Ct her
son last Friday. the day OF Miss Will
iams murder. and continues: Il believe
that all these things which hook 80 badly
against my boy are the result OF a con-
Eptracy. Either somebody wants to In
Jure my son. or the guilty man Is trying
TO shield himself hy throwing suspicion
on Thee There are some questions In
the case which have never been as t'sfac-
torily answered. Why did Mr.. Gibson
want to hush the matter up at first. and
why did he refuse 10 let the police have
the keys Of the church, Why d'd Mr..
Gibson refuse himself 20 the reporters
on Saturday? Did no, Minnie Williams
= IA
old7 To whom did that gray hair belong
which was found yesterday IN the c'otted
blood on the floor OF the hook citset
Thee has not a gray hair In his head.
They found horse hair on the waist 81
Miss Williams Who. that attended that
party. had been riding a he~SeF
The statement shows an anafy dead turn
more likely 20 he found In an attorney
than Ia the mird OF a woman. Chiei
Crowley was asked what ne thought 81
Mrs. nurrant's arguments. and replied
that they saight have hesn expected froW
a mother. He had hesyn unable, he said
40 and evidence pointing 10 the guilt ol
any other person.
purrant complains bitterly that Pastor
Gibson has not called 10 see him. as &
not strange" said he. that a mintstei
OF the gospel. who would naturally he ex-
pes-ted % ne che first so call and see ons
IN my position has stUdiausiy held him.
self alaofs ! cannot understand his con
duet. The f~Alsce are bending all thcsl
energies 70 convt-t me. ard they are an.
tirely overlooking ths fact that nr. Glib
son was the las; one tn the church la
Saturday Before the body 81 Minnie VIII
ianas was discoveries. I hsd e good stars
% the pe!lce. and II I had been 80 sncltn
e. l could easily have got away cat ~
the state before they Anew cf the murder
Docs uay conduct look Ike that OF =
suAty man