Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1895-07-27
OURRANT in COURT
Trial Of the Alleged Emanuel
Church Assassin Begun.
+ CHANGE OF VENUE ASKED
Articles Printed in Local Papers of san
Francisco PreseE ted to Sup.
Fort the Motion.

/ San Francisco, July 22.-The trial 0
| William Henry Theodore Durrant 70
/ the murder of Blanche Lamont i'll tn
/ Emanuel Baptist church last April be
! gan this morning. Upon its conclusion
he will be tried for the murder of Min
| ME Williams, committed in the same
edifIce
The sheriff avoided the crowds tha
| waited around the Jail and city hal
TINS morning to see the defendant Dur
rant was taken from his cell a 80 an(
! was driven to the city hall in an OpeY
buggy, accompanied only by the chie1
Jaller. Crowds waited to see the pris.
onel for hours, but ali We're disappoint.
ed. None Were admitted to the court
room but attorneys, witnesses and re-
porters. The attorneys for the defense
moved for change Of venue with the
privilege Of renewing the motion if it
should be found impossible to secure an
unbiased jury or should such a state OF
feeling be developed as would make q
ialf tllal improbable. IN support of
the motion Durrant presented a bulky
alllQaNlt containing all the articles pub
A5fed IN local papers connecting Dur
rant with the Emanuel BAPTIST church
murders. The reading occupied the en-
tire day aud will be resumed tomorrow.
Dulrants incarceration has made him
paler, but stouter. During the cour
proceedings he displayed no feeling and
little interest.
VICIOUS PLAY CONDEMNED
san Francisco, July 22-Local clergy
men are making a vigorous protest
against the production Of The Durrant
case, a play based on the Emanuel
church murders, which was recentIy
written. In preaching on the subiec,
last evening Rev. W. w. Case of the
Howard Street Methodist church said;
The dramatization of the horrible
at the Emanuel Baptist church
should be condemned Theaters and
theater managers who would put such a
play on the boards would do more to
corrupt the youth of the city than all
the hell-holes Of iniquity that flourish
so abundantly in San Francisco. Such
plays would tend to cultivate morbid
spirit and lead the young men and wo-
men on the way to destruction"
Last April, San Francisco was thrown
nto frenzy of excitement by the dis
soyery in Emanuel church of the out
aged bodies of Blanche Lamont and
Minnie Williams, two young girls who
lad been members Of the congregation.
suspicion pointed to Theodore Durrant.
/ young medical student and also
member Of the church He was arrest
ID and held for trial At the coroners
inquest and preliminary examination
/ was SHOWN that Du1rant had been at
entlVe to both girls; that the day
5lanche Lamont disappeared he had |
'een in her company and that on that |
fternoon he was seen in the church |
'featly excited and in a. disheveled con- |
ltlon. 1t was also shown that he had /
n appointment to meet Minnie Will |
ams on the night she was murdered |
nd witnesses will testify that they saw
Wo people resembling Miss Williams |
no Durrant enter the church that even
ng. Miss Williams purse was also
ound in Durrants pocket after he had |
cen arrested
The police and attorneys for the pros
cutlon say that Durrant's conviction
certain. On the contrary Durrant
no his attorneys are supremely conf |
ent and say that an alibi can be proved
hat will shatter the case as soon as the
aking of testimony begins. The pre-
minaries of the trial have all been
and tomorrow morning the
'ork Of selecting jury will commence.
wing to the widespread notoriety of
ne case, and the countless theories ad-
anced by almost everyone, it is antci-
ated that there will be considerable
in securing II men in San
competent under the law to
ecide Durrant's fate