The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-09-25
The Prosecution in the Durrant
Case Closes
WHAT WILL BE THE DEFENSE?
The Opening Statement for Durrant
Awaited With Interest
The False Claims rlade by the Defendant
When Arrested Increase the Danger
of His Situation
Associated Press specisl Wire.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24.-The case
for the prosecution in the trial of ! hep
do-e Durrant for the murder of Blanche
Lamont closed this afternoon. Today
was spent in putting the finishing
touches to the testimony against the ac-
cused.
Witnesses were summoned who, while
they furnished no additional links in the
chain OF circumstances against Durrant
we're designed by the district attorney to
strengthen the entire case by filling in
the weak places. The testimony of all
the witnesses today was brief. The chief
point which tho prosecution sought to
establish today was that Durrant had
said that tho last time he had seen Miss
Lamont was when he parted from her on
the morning of April 3. she going to
school, he to the Cooper medical college.
In all his statements regarding the dis
appearance OF Miss Lamont, tie defend
ant stuck to that declaration.
Detective Anthony, who arrested Dur
rant when off on iaunt with the signal
corps. testified today that Durrant had
made that statement to him when return
ing to the city under arrest.
DR.. Thomas A. Vogel. member OF
the Emanuel church. and an intimate
acquaintance of both Blanche Lmont and
Durrant. also stated on the witness stand
that Duran: had the Sunday after the
girls disappearance made the same state
ment about the last time he had seen
Blanche. thus corroborating the officer
and several newspaper reporters who
have already testified III the case. That
Durrant's story of his last meeting with
Miss Lamont was to be questioned by the
prosecution was evidenced by the testi-
mony elected from Mrs. Vogel, Miss
Lanigan, Miss Edwards and Mrs. Dorgan.
all of whom stated they saw Durrant
with Miss Lamont on Powell street car
at ) o'clocl. on the afternoon Eof her dis.
appearance.
The prosecution expects to score a
strong point by demonstrating to the
jury that the prisoner made false state.
ments regarding his movements and the
associations with the girl whom he is
charged with having murdered. The dis
frict attorney, II IS said. Will
of the matter in his address to the jury,
and will use it as the basis of an argu-
ment, the gist of which will be that Dur
rants false statements were inspired by
a sinister motive. If he had nothing to
hide. it is argued. he would have told
the truth about his last meeting with
the girl. mat was tne reason lot Cne eV-
ldebce of Anthony and Vogel.
The plumber who repaired the gas fix.
lures in Emanuel church on April I'd
w-re also called to lay. william Stirling,
one OF these gas ntters. explained the
~ork he performed IN putting new tips
on the gas burners. He said that on
April I'd. when ne left the church. no gas
was escaping. He did not work there ON
April Sd, the day Blanche is alleged to
have been murdered, but on the 4th he
returned to the church and no escaping
gas was detected. Attorneys for the de-
length, his intention being to show that
an immense quantity of gas escaped
while the repairs were in progress, the
object being to justify the assertion made
by Durrant that he was overcome by gas
fumes in the belfry and not from excite
ment caused by exertions in killing Miss
Lamont. DR.. G. Il. Farpum, demon
strator of anatomy at Cooper Medical COL
lege, was called to testify tina: the blocks
placed under the dead body OF Blanche
were laid in the same manner as under
subject in the dissecting room.
Harry Partridge, fellow student of
Durrant, swore that about week after
Blanche disappeared Durrant had told
him the girl had either met with foul
play or had been led astray, adding that
she was innocent ana would unsuspect-
ngly respond to any advances made her.
tanist George X. King each denied writ
ng his name on slip of newspaper en-
cosing Miss Lannon'S rings. which were
returned to Mrs. Noble. aunt OF the dead
grl.
Allen Church former janitor of
Emanuel church. said Durrant had key
Which would unlock all the rooms in the
introio, OF the church, He had fire.
quatly seen him opening these various
ROOFS.
TIE prosecution then rested and the
defese asked continuance until tomor-
row. Durrants attorneys wish to ask
few uesui0ns of several witnesses who
havealready testified, and promise there
aftero proceed with the defense imme-
dlatel. The opening statement of the
defens is awaited with much interest
Owingotthe refusal OF the court to admit
evidene Of the medical students of Coop.
or collge relative to Durrart's attend
;snce athe lecture on the afternoon of
Aprila, number of witnesses sum-
monad } testify were not called, and the
prosecutor therefore closed its case
much ealier than it had planned.
The teimony OF William Sterling, gas
sitter, wa import nt in an unexpected
way. ThGross- examination brought out
that on pril 4th, the morning afser the
disappear1ce of Blanche Lamont. the
knob of til belfry door was broken, ana
although Serling tried to turn the handle
with his ippers he could not. Blanche
Lamont's Idly is therefore located in the
beifry frorthat hour. and there were
no means onccess to it except by climb
ing steep ADDER to the false roof and
IRON that lnce crawling through the
uprights lntthe belfry.
This smalfact, brought out by acct
dent almost it the end OF the case for
the Penple, Is serious importance in
more than o. way. For some days 1t
has been obvi1s that the only possible
line OF defenswas to show that blanche
Lamont was SIN alive after O'Clock OH
April Sd. ThcircIe is narrowed both
as 10 time AZ place. The gas.iilter
swears that Indoor knob was broken on |
tho morning oApril 4th. There was no |
otner way by wlch body could be car
rieu mo the ilfry. although a man
witnout Ioaft oald creep in over the |
false ceiling resied by high ladder. |
me conoition One door, therefore, is |
PROOF tnat the by of Blanche Lamont |,
was IN tne towerlat morning. She was |
seen awe the preous afternoon between !
ana CLOCK. AZ If She was living at |
any hour later q must have been in |
easy rsacn u the Orch.