Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-10-27
Tbs purr.nt Case.

Jan hh.NSAoSOt VII. -h.ht I1O AS-
quest Of General Dickinson, Miss Cum
ningham was recalled to the stand this
morning at the opening Of the Dur.
rant trial. She was asked a few I'M
important questions and then cxcus-
ed, after which the prosecution an-
nounced that it rested its case.
Assistant District Attorney Peixotto
then began the opening argument for
the prosecution, dwelling at length on
the importance OF the case on account
Of the brutality Of the murder. He
said he was prepared to answer four
questions asked by the defense at the
opening Of the case:
Where was Blanche Lamont muir
dered; when was she murdered; and
what was the motive?
He said the prosecution believed it
had proved that Miss Lamont was
murdered in Emanuel Church on the
afternoon Of April Sd by Theodore
Durrant, the motive he assigned to be
the same unbridled passion that
prompted Jack the Ripper to muir
der women i'll the White Chapel dis
trict OF London.
He said the State never had and
lever would demand the life OF an in
nocent man, but he believed the evil
dence justified the prosecution in ask.
ing Il verdict of guilty. and with the
penalty fixed at death.
So far rs Durrant's previous good
behavior was concerned, he said that
carried out the theory Of the prosecu.
ton as Miss Lamont would not have
gone to a lonely place with anybody
in whom she did not have the utmost
confidence.
Mr.. PeiXotto then reviewed the
testimony from the time Miss Lamont
left the Normal School with Durrant
until she entered the church with
him. After dwelling on the manner
in which Durrant enticcd the unsus.
pecting girl to the belfry and murder
ed her, he began an analysis of Dur
rants actions.
Stripping her body OF its clothing
and even taking from her fingers the
rings she wore he said athe defend
ant laid ont the form OF this poor girl
so that i'll after years when the skcle-
ton should be found in the belfry,
there would be nothing to tell that
the bleached bones were those OF Miss
Lamont. In doing this he did not go
about it rs Il person unskilled in the
handling Of bodies would have done.
for he blocked the mead up with
of wood Sc that the air might
circulate freely i'll her body and re-
ducc the liabilities Of discovery. Then
might be supposed that he would
have quietly slipped out OF the
church and gone away from the church
must have had so much OF horror
for him.
But not SO with this cool, calculat-
ing young man, who showed on the
that he was more cunning even
than his own lawyers and smarter
than the District Attorney, who was
questioning him. Egyptian darkness
was none too dark for him, and he
chose to remain in the church, as to
go out he might have met Janitor
Sadcman or somebody else he knew,
and seeing his pale face, dishevelled
hair and trembling form. they would
have asked, What makes you so
pale!' So he went down stairs. prob
ably not having heard King playing
on the piano, as his crime was all his
mind could contain. Coming through
the sliding door, he stopped moment.
King asked him why he was so pale.
Right here Durrant's tongue slipped
as he was telling Of this incident when
on the stand. Durrant did not real-
izc his pallor, and he was nnprcparcd
for the question. Before he thought
OF its full meaning he u~nconsciously
spoke of the crime he had committed.
You would be pale, too, il you had
been through what / have he re-
piled. Been through what? Those
words could not even be wrung
from that unwilling witness. King.
They were spoken by Durrant when
the stand, III IN Of the lapscs OF
memory that always come to guilty
consclenccs. When he uttered the
words To King he knew ut once that
he had spoken OF his secret, and at
once coutrived nm explanation. Then
he told the sto;y Of being overcome
by gas, the truth Of which has been
positively rcfuted by other witnesses.
They were the words Of 4 guilty man
who had told n crime he hoped To
conceal
Durrant was rs unconcerned as
this morning, but lns father md
mother showed more than they over
before their anxiety over the ont.
come Of tho trial.
Iur Auyuucod.