The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-09

total of events that to go to make up the
ife of Theodore Durrant.
The first of these is that pronouncement
of sentence on the verdict rendered in the
Blanche Lamont case has been deferred
until Friday morning, November %. The
other Is the indefinite postponemen of the
Minnie Williams case. In view of the lat
ter circumstance good many people are
led to the belief that the Minnie Williams
case Will never be tried-or, at least, that
it is not the present purpose of the District
Attorney to try the case.
When asked if he were going to try the
Williams case, Mr.. Barnes replied, 81 sup
pose So" which was not a very positive
statement and may be fairly construed
into an inclination not to seek to hang
Durrant twice. And for this the public
will probably not be sorrowful Durrant
has been convicted of the murder of
Blanche Lamont. 1t is hardly thought
possible that the Supreme Court will re-
verse this verdict, for Judge Murphy's
course throughout the trial was eminently
fair and impartial, and it is thought that
Whatever error he may have made was
surely in the interest of the defendant.
With this conviction in the Lamont case
1t would seem to be not an unwarranted
nor unfair presumption that the man with
whom Minnie Williams was seen to enter
Emmanuel Church Just before the murder
and IN whose pocket was found the purse
of the murdered girl is also guilty of this
second fendish crime-to a moral GER
tainty, at least. And a moral certainty
would seem sufficient in this case, seeing
that man can be executed but once in
this incarnation, and that the verdict and
sentence of a mortal court and jury could
hardly be expected to have force and effect
in any future mundane existence. But all
this is in the abstract.
The concrete facts are that Department
OF the Superior Court, holding session in
Judge Murphy's old courtroom, was as
crowded as ever yesterday morning with a
multitude of men and women as eager to
hear sentence pronounced as it was to wit
ness the closing scenes of the famous trial
Sheriff Whelan was himself on hand with
an ample force of policemen in the CORR
doris and Under Sheriffs in and about the
courtroom, SO that the best of order was
maintained.
OF the defense Durrant was the first one
present. Just before court opened his
father came IN and greeted him and sat
next to him on the left. moment later
the shining silk hat of Mr.. Dickinson was
seen to wedge its way through the crowd.
He took the chair to the right of Durrant
Neither Mrs. Durrant nor any of her
friends were present. The session was to
last but moment or two and the sentence
was not to be passed. Those most inter-
ested knew this and did not trouble to
come into court for the few minutes.
There was no change in Durrant. He
smiled kindly and quietly to those he
recognized, spoke with his father and his
counsel, and for the rest remained as pas
sive as ever.
Presently Mr.. Barnes entered, wearing a
black overcoat, which he did not take the
trouble to remove, knowing the briefness
of the session. Then Mr.. Piexotto en-
tered. Captain Lees, Detective Seymour
and many of the faces that grew familiar
during the long trial were conspicuously
absent. The lady in shining black silk
and yellow chrysanthemum, who had
upon the whole kindly and pleasant
face to look upon, was not in her accus-
toned place in the front row of the spec
tators' chairs. She was missed. And the
two ladies with monstrous yellow chry-
santhemums in their bosoms did not COM