The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-28
HIS MOUTH rs CLOSED.
Witnesses Oppenheim and
OuinIan May Expect Sharp
Questions.
THE DEFENSE IS PREPARED.
Police and Superior Court Records
Have Been Dug From the
MuSty Past.
THE DURRANT CASE IN A MINUTE-ONE
MORE WITNESS Is FOUND.

THE DURRANT CASE IN A MINUTE-ONE
MORE WITNESS Is FOUND.
Another witness has been discovered who
will testify against Durrant in the Williams
murder case. His name is Alexander Zenger,
and he is an engineer residing al IL Rondel
place His statement, now in the hands of the
police, is to the effect that he saw Durrant and
Minnie Williams in front of Emmanuel Baptist
Church on Friday, April II, short time
before the prosecution Will contend the muir
der was committed.
No success attended the efforts OF counsel
Yesterday to secure the additional juror in the
case and special venire was ordered return
able this morning.
Alexander Zenger, an engineer, residing
at 10 Rondel place, is the latest and most
important witness for the prosecution
against Durrant for the murder of Minnie
Williams. On the night of April II last,
that Good Friday night, so dark with fate
for the poor girl, he saw, or claims he saw
and he will so swear-Theodore Durrant in
company with Minnie Williams in front of
Emmanuel Baptist Church. His state
ment is in the keeping of Captain Lees,
and the witness will be produced on the
trial to substantiate it.
Mr.. Zenger is a member of Emmanuel
Baptist Church, and knew both Durrant
and Minnie Williams. He was passing up
Bartlett street on the night in question
shortly after 8 o'clock, when he saw man
and a woman in front OF the church. AS
he pa ssed he took a good look at them and
recognized Durrant and the girl.
1t was some time after the trial OF Dur
rant for the murder of Blanche Lamont
was commenced that the police first heard
of Zenger. Detective Seymour hunted
him up and got his statement to the effect
stated.
A reporter for THE CALL visited Mr..
Zenger last night at his residence, but the
new witness positively refused to divulge
a bit of information concerning the mat
tiers upon which he would testify.
''Wait till | get into court" he said,
''then you can hear what l have to say"
The police are equally reticent concern
ing the witness, although Captain Lees has
admitted that he had witness named
Zenger, who was even stronger than Wit
ness Hills, and who would testify in the
Williams case.
With only one Juror needed to fill the
iury-box in the Lamont case, every one
connected with the prosecution is breath
1essly awaiting the day when the first wit
ness takes the stand and the testimony
begins to pile up. Each side is eager for
,
either, are the speculatons as to the evil
dence. But few of the prosecution's witness
es are unknown, while nearly all of those
who will come to the aid of the defense
are still under cover.
1t is pretty generally understood that
some Of the witnesses for the prosecution
might as well prepare themselves for
rather sharp treatment at the hands of the
attorneys for the defense. For two of
them, at least, Lawyer Quinlan and Pawn
broker Oppenheim, rather a rough recep-
ton is being prepared. Their credibility as
witnesses will be vigorously attacked, and ,
incidentally, their regulations, or lack of
them as the case may be, will be laid bare.
Whispers of this intention on the part of
attorneys for the defense have been rife for
many days. Their detectivesihave been at
work on the matter, and the reports they
have turned in are something voluminous
and, as nearly as can be gathered, very in
teresting from one particular point of
view. That point is where the fortunes of
Quinlan and those of Oppenheim ran to-
gether once upon a time, resulting in a
shooting and some nasty charges.
No one ever dreamed of such thing in
this case except the attorneys for the de-
Tense, much less that the dream would
come true and that upon it would be based
the plans for the attack on cross-exami-
nation.
1t was one day in the midsummer of
1891, the defense has discovered from an
inspection of the court records, that Mar
tin Quinlan was proceeding Ieisurely up
Market street. Crowds were passing this
way and that, and the vicinity of Lolita s
fountain, where Quinlan found himself,
was particularly busy. Suddenly a young
lady appeared on the scene. Whipping a
revolver from its place of concealment she
leveed it at the attorney and fired. Then
she screamed and nearly tainted, while
Quinlan, who had not been hit by the bull
let, got out of the way.
The woman, young Jewess, was ar
rested and at the police station gave the
name of Clara Luster. She said she had
been wronged by Quinlan and had fired at
him with intent to kill. She was charged
with assault to commit murder and was
afterward tried in the Superior Court.
On that trial it transpired that the girl
was relative of Mrs. Oppenheim-a niece,
some say. AT any rate the wife of the
pawnbroker testified in her behalf, as did
several of her friends. On September Is.
1891, as appears on the record of the
court, the jury returned verdict of mot
guilty by reason OF insanity" In connec-
ton with this verdict the same Jury, of
which II. G. Fisk was foreman, handed in
the following:
And it is the unanimous recommendation of
the jury that the attention of the Grand Jury
shall be called to this case, and that Martin
Quinlan be indicted for seduction.
After the trial Quinlan was arrested on a
charge preferred on behalf of the girl, but,
on preliminary hearing in the Police
Court the charge was dismissed.
That is part of the past concerning
which the defense will question Witness
Quinlan. But that is not all. Counsel for
Durrant have discovered that Quinlan had
q preliminary hearing in the Police Court
some time during $780, on the charge OF
having assaulted John Comerford with in
tent to commit murder. He was dis
charged in the Police Court, but, subse-
quently, in September, 1880. the Grand
Jury found true bill against him and he
was arrested. The case came on in De-
partment II of the Superior Court, but was
dismissed for want of evidence.
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