The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-26
Mr.. DICKINSON'S SPEECH.
A Matter-of-Fa Statement of the
Claims Made on Behalf of
Durrant.

Dickinson omitted the customary intro
ductory tiattery of the Jury Ind the court
and its officers, and went at once to the
heart OF his subject.
May 1t please the court and gentlemen of
the jury: We are approaching 10 the conclu-
SONS OF this case. The quantity OF testimony
which we have taken, much of which has nee
essarily been immaterial, has been very great,
and as we are all very anxious TO get through
with the trial shall proceed at once with my
argument.
will start with the morning of the Sd of
April, and call your attention TO the position
and relation of the two principal characters in
this tragedy. The defendant young man of
"A, OF good character and good association. He
had been well brought up. His associations
had been of the best, and his character was
unSullied at that time, es it stands unsullied
duced.
The testimony shoBs no
nOtiUe for the crime.
I challenge the prosecution or any one else
to produce one iola of testimony which leads
or points in any manner or degree whatever
even TO the suspicion OF the existence of any
falling in his character. There is no such tes-
tlmony-and it is important that this should
be borne in mind. for unEridled passion was
given by the learned counsel for the proSecu-
ton as the motive for the crime. OF course we
VIII understand, and 1t IS a fair proposition of
argument that there is usually motive where
there Is d crime. In other words, man does
not commit crime without motive, some
outset OF this case, l submit to you that there
is nothing in this case TO show any motive for
the commission of this crime by the defendant.
He was upon that fatal morning Young, studi-
Gus, INDUSTRIOUS, OF A No. l character.
Blanche Lamont 1cas not de-
pendent upon DurrdRt for escort
The young lady who unfortunately lost her
life on that day, or some time shortly after,
believe her also 10 have been OF unblemished
reputation. There was no particular intimacy
between these parties. An examination of the
record will show the character of the associ-
alton between the defendant and the deceased,
and you must consider the circumstances
under which they met. They met but seldom
This young lady was not of a retiring DISPOSE
ton, but she acted naturally, as the testimony
shows. She attended the meetings of the
Christian Endeavor Society each week. as also
a reading club and the Sunday evening SER
vices OF The church She was also member of
the orchestra of Grace Church. She was not
dependent upon the defendant. l have heard
1t stated that she was dependent upon him for
escort. Such is not the case.
The meeting betloeen Blanche
aud DHTrGRt lUdS accidental
l shall lay great stress in the course of my
argument on the naturalness with which these
parties, especially the defendant acted. Under
the circumstances and conditions which have
been set forth by the testimony it was not an
unusual thing that the defendant should have
been on his way to the house of George King
gong TO make an arrangement TO meet him in
the afternoon for two puTposes-one to fix the
gashghts and the other to carry down the
organ TO the lower room. 1t indisputablv ap-
pears from the testimony that the defendant
had been In the habit of fixing the light in the
church. BY his own testimony and by his
connection with the church he was welcome to
attend to these matters, and he had done so.
BY a reference to Mr.. Sademan's testimony we
ind that the lights were not in proper condi-
ton.
Durrant lOent to the church
to fT the sunburRerS
Sademan tells Us that at times when pressing
the button the first or second time the lights
did not act. The burners were not out of re-
pair. 1t was merely the automatic spark which
wanted fixing, and Durrant went there for the
purpose OF regulating it. This testimony cor
roborates the defendants in that respect On
this morning the young lady was on her way
to school. They met, SO far we know by
chance. There is nothing to indicate that they
met by appointment. They met at the corner OF
has been given by the defendant There is
nothing out of the way about that They
boarded the car together We know that the
young lady had been acquainted with the de-
fendant for about five months. Had there
been anything wrong with him she would
have known it, The young ladies with whom
she associated at the church would have told
her.
Durrant himself told of the
ride in the morning.
The ladies of the church with whom Blanche
Lamont associated would have known it had
there been anything to know OF evil in this
young mans character. The prosecution tai es
great credit to itself for having discovered the
fact that the defendant and Blanche Lamont
rode on the car on the Sd of April to the High
School. They discovered that from the defend
ant himself On the Sd of April in the evening
he told Mrs Noble that he had been with
Blanche Lamont in the morning. On the 18th
of April in the prison he again said the same
thing. His story, shown by the testimony
is perfectly consistent. II this young lady had
been lnsulted or improperly spoken to in the
morning he would never have seen her in the
afternoon. Her innocence would have told her
mol
How natural the conduct of the
defendant on the Sd.
How natural the conduct OF the defendant
was on the evening OF the Sd of April. He met
Mrs. Noble at the church, and told her about
the conversation referring to the book, "The
Newcomes," saying he would bring Blanche
the book. The information was then conveyed
to Mrs. Noble that the young lady had ridden
on the car with him. Again on the following
day he called at the house. He took the booR
there. Itseems to me that guilty man wouId
not do that. There is too much m ethod in that
for guilty man. The guilty man makes mis-
takes. The Young lady, got off at her school
and he proceeded to college. The usual routine
was gone through until the noon recess. and
then, by defendants testimony, we have it
that he took two walks.
Durrdnt neUer attended the
lectures Of DR.. Hansen.
He went out once and returned. and sae;ng
that there was not to be a lecture by Dr. Still.
man, he went out with q student named Ross
1t appears from the testimony that there was
an occurrence of that kind. L submit the de-
fendants testimony is absolutely corroborated
as TO his having taken those walks at that time
AS 10 Hansens lecture, on which great stress
is laid, as he did not attend them, we do not
deny that, as he had not done so for some time
SO much for the talk of the Hansen lecture
We come down now TO the lecture given by Dr.
Cheney in the afternoon. | submit that the
testimony is clear and undisputed that the de-
fendant was at that lecture that his testimony
70 that effect is borne out by the evidence OF