Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-09-17
LOOKS BBD FOR DURBNT.
One Of Blanche Lamonf8 Classmates
Saw Her JON Dur2nt
And Board a Street Car On the Fa-
tai Day in April When the Young
Normal School Girl Was Last
Seen-A Woman Who Watched
Dwant Through Opera Glasses.

San Francisco, September 16.-The
Durant trial entered upon its fourth
week this morning. A slight change
in the programme for to-day was made
necessary by a death in the family Of
Mrs. George P. Dorgan, whose examina-
tion was not finished when court ad-
journed last Thursday Durants de-
tenders will be unable to persuade Mrs.
Elizabeth Crosett to modify her testi-
mony regarding her ride in a Valencia
street car on the afternoon of April 8.
The old lady is as sure of the day as
she is of the fact that she rode on the
same car with Durant and tried to at
tract his attention from the girl who
was with him.
Mrs. Crosett's visit on the following
day was to the home of her son-in-law
IN Alameda. The aged woman remem-
bered the day she went and her friends
who went with her TO the ferry will be
able to cOrrOboTate her. The testimony
OF Mrs. CroSett Will be the key to the
prosecutions arch BY it the evidence
of those who saw Durant before he en-
tered the church and those who saw
him after will be supported. Through
ii an unbrOken chain has been made.
The prosecuting attorneys have now
case that they did not dare hope for
when District Attorney Barnes made
his opening statement.
The identity Of the Sweet Pea Girl, ~
lln
constantly attended the Durant trial,
and who has attracted so much atten-
tion by her devotion TO the alleged muir
derer, has been discovered. She is Mrs.
Grace Bowers, the wife of an insur-
ance clerk. Last Wednesday she left
her husband as d result of her infatua-
tiOn for Durant. Mr.. Bowers says that
his wife never knew Durant, but that
from the beginning she has taken
great interest in the trial and believes
Durant innocent 1t is thought that her
mind has become affected and that she
is not responsible for her actions.
The prosecution estimates that it will
require fifteen days Of actual court ses-
sion for its direct testimony. Miss
Lanigan. q fellow pupil OF Blanche La
mont at the normal school, to-day tes-
titled that April 8. when school was
dismissed she left with Alice Pleasant,
now Mrs. Dorgan. They noticed
Blanche Lamont in company with a
man whom she identified as Durant.
Miss Lamont was smiling up 1T Du-
rant. who was carrying her books.
They boarded a street car going TO-
ward Market street. and she could see
the pair i'm animated conversation.
Mrs. VOgel. a new witness told how
She. from her parlOr window on the af-
ternOon Of April 3. noticed man who
waited about forty-fve minutes outside
the normal school Asked who the
man was. she pointed her finger to-
ward DUrant and dramatically eX-
claimed: There he is
Fearing he was a burglar, she watch
ed him with a pair of opera glasses.
When school was dismissed, she saw
two girls emerge from the building.
Accompanied by Durant, they boarded
a Powell street car. One went inside
and the other sat with Durant on the
dummy. When Durant was arrested,
she recognized him from his pictures in
the newspapers.
The defense was evidently much WOr-
ried over Mrs. Vogel's testimony.
Mrs. James Crosett, the last witness,
had known Durant we'll for four years.
The day Blanche Lamont was murder
ed. she said she was riding on Valen-
cia street car when she saw Durant sit
ting on the dummy with a young wo-
man. whom she did not know. She
identified Durant with great positive
ness. When shown the clothes worn
by Blanche Lamont at the time of the
murder. she said the woman she saw
with Durant wore garments of similar
cut and material.
Mrs. Crosett's testimony was not
shaken by crOss-eXaminauon.