Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-10-03
OPENING STATEMENT OF HIS
ATTORNEY.
HE SPRINGS A SENSATION
Counsel Would Make 1t Appear That
Pastor Gibson Committed the Muir
der Of Blanche Lamont-Defend-
ants Mother on the Stand-Rey-
nolds Makes Startling Statements.

y
the district attorney that the peo-
pie rest and the subsequent state
ment of the attorneys for the defense
that they would be ready to proceed
yesterday, drew a crowd that could
| not secure admittance to a room ten
J times the size Of the apartment Set
apart for the trial. The fact that the
defense in its opening statement
would reveal for the first time the
! nature of evidence relied upon for ac-
quittal served TO arouse public inter
est to a degree never before seen in
! California at trial of a man for his
life. Although the occasion was of
! the grayeSt Importance to Durrant, he
was the most cool and impressive in
! dividual present.
| When the croSS-eXamination of the
! two last witnesses Tor the prosecution
was completed, Attorney Eugene Du-
! prey for the defense began the open
ing statement. His intimation that
the murder was committed not by
! Durrant, but by Rev. John George
Gibson, pastor of Emanuel church.
making significant allusion to the
resemblance of the preachers hand
writing with the lettering on the pa
! per enclosing Blanche LamontTs rings,
| created a marked senSa ton. Duprey
attacked the newspapers for articles
written and published concerning
| Durrant and warned the jury against
| improper inductions from circumstan-
| tial evidence. Duprey then said:
THE district attorney presented a
strong case of circumstantial evil
/ dence, which first would create Il
strong suspicion of guilt on the de-
| PENDANT. We claim that beyond d
strong suspicion the prosecution has
| failed to go. We contend that with
all the testimony introduced the only
issues to be passed on have not been
raised. Where did Blanche Lamont
! forfeit her life? When did she meet
her death? Who caused her death?
These questions have rot been
| answered. Under the testimony thus
| far we claim they should ask the
court at this time to instruct the jury
without one word to acquit. We in
sist that proper proof is wanting to
| connect the defendant with the MUIR
der. We will show that other men
had access to Emanuel church. Proof
may point to others. Let me carry
| you along the ground on which we
ask for a verdict for the defense.
| First, you shall hear from the mother
of Durra,t how he was interested in
church work and what he did for
| Emanuel church. We will tell you
how he met Blanche Lamont and Of
his associations with her. Of good
repute and honorable character the de-
| PENDANT will be proven. On the morn
! ing Of April 3 Durrant left home and
| walked towards tile house of George
King, so he might have a helper that
! evening to fix the gas in the church.
He accidentally met Blanche Lamont
and accompanied her on her way to
school as far as Suffer street and
Octavia, while the defendant went on
to Webster street to the medical col
lege. DR.. Cheyne will tell how ne
was present at the lecture. After the
lecture he took a Suffer street car to
Polk, to Mission and Ninth, out Mis-
sion, and then to the church and
alone did he walk into the church.
We will show he arrived at the
church at SO and not before; that he
entered by a door on the south side;
that he went into the library and
took the book he wanted. He removed
his coat and fixed the gas burners. We
will show that when the gas filters
were turned on the seventy-two gas
jets much Sas escaped. Through the
lack Of ventilation this gas remained
in the atmosphere near the ceiling
and when Durrant went near the cell
ing he inhaled the gas, which made
him sick, as testified by King. You
have been asked to believe that this
man, accused of murder, went direct
ly down to secure a witness to his
crime. We will show that Durrant
was on the platform lying down and
when King returned went down to
the kitchen to take a settler. We will
show that upon the request of King,
Durrant helped King to carry the
cabinet organ down stairs into the
Sunday school room. Then Durrant
and King left the church together,
Durrant putting on his coat at the
door. Durrant walked with him part
Of the distance, then Durrant re-
turned home, meeting a lady on the
way to whom he said the gas made
him sick Afrer dinner he went TO the
church to the evening entertainment.
This will be the simple story of the
defendant
We will then turn our attention to
some evidence found in the church
We will show that marks upon the
belfry door are marks of a chisel and
that a chisel has been found in the
pastors study in a tool box We will
show you as long as they introduced
| a paper here with letters on it as CON-
pared with letters found in Emanuel
! church that they are letters written
act upon suspicious, we will show you
| that there are others who have been
| cast into suspicion and worse than the
| defendant. We will show you that
| April 3, Durrant wore a dark suit of
| clothes, blue cloth, while the witness
! We will show that the eyesight Of
J Mrs. Leak and of Mrs. Crosset is i'm
| paired and that the reputation of Wit
| nesses Quinlan, Openheim an Phillips
| for veracity is bad If we can prove