Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-10-12
THE DuRRANTTRIA

y =
three days ordeal, Durrant left the wit
ness stand. District Attorney Barnes
tried in the morning to draw from the
defendant admissions that he was well
acquainted with the use of bromo-
seltzer, as used in medicine. Durrant's
replies Indicated that he had devoted
the night to study of the compound, !,
as he replied that he had conyersed
with DIR. West about it in the jail last
evening. He was able to give its an
alysis and detailed its pathological
effect.
For the first time during the trial
Durrant yesterday pleaded ignorance.
In reply to question by Mr.. Barnes,
he said ne did not know what an alibi
was until after his trial began.
While testifying the prisoner became
badly confused at times, and when
questioned regarding his experience at
Cooper Medical College became so
mixed in his dates that he had TO refer
to card that he carried in his pocket
to set himself right. He became no.
ticeably confused and rather testy'i in
his replies when examined in regard to
the interview that he had with Gilbert
F. Graham, fellow student at the city
prison, when, the prosecution claims,
Durrant asked Graham to furnish him
with copy of the notes OF DIR. Cheney's
lecture, remarking: "If had those
notes would be able to prove an alibi. y
Durrant, in his 'dogged way, denied
absolutely that he made such declara-
ton, and tried to explain by testifying
that Graham came to him with prof.
fers of assistance, going so far as to in
quire apxiously if Durrant had the
notes to DR.. Cheney's lecture.
Durrant finally admitted that he
asked him to furnish the notes, but he
testified that he made the request ct
the advice of his attorneys, who in
structed him to get the notes from stu
dents of his class and compare them
with his own.
District Attorney Barnes again fore
ed Durrant to admit that he had writ
ten a statement of his case and inclos-
ed it in an envelope to his attorneys
with the instructions to open it if be
was convicted and to return it ifhe was
not convicted.
Durrant was asked if he did not re-
Gently show an envelope bearing such
an inscription to Miss Carrie Cunning
ham, local newspaper reporter. Dur
rant replied emphalically that he had
not. He also denied that he had told
Miss Cunningham that he had heard
suspicious noises iu the belfry of
Emanuel Church on the afternoon that
Blanche Lamont was murdered.
Several specimens of Durrant's hand
writing were introduced in evidence for
the purpose of comparing them with
the writing on the wrapper in which
the rings of Blanche Lamont were
mailed to her aunt, Mrs. Noble. The
district attorney closed his cross exami-
nation of the witnesses by trying to
show that when he was at the ferries
ostensibly to search for Blanche La
mont he was in reality looking for
Minnie Williams, who came over from
Oakland that afternoon and was found
murdered in the church the next day.
The defense fought vigorously against
the admission Of anything bearing on
the case of Minnie Williams, and after
long argument Judge Murphy sus-
tanned the objections.
After Durrant was excused Charles
7. Lenahan, who was said to have been
mistaken for Durrant by pswnbroker
Oppenheim, was recalled to the stand
for further examination. Little prog
ress had been made, however, when
court adjourned until Tuesday morning.