The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-17

SAN FRANCISCO. Sept 16.-This was
the opening day of the ninth week of the
trial OF Theodore Durrant, for the muir
der of Blanche Lamont. The prosecution
estimates that it will require fifteen days
of actual court sessions to put i'll its di-
rect testimony.
Saw Durrant and Blanche.
The first witness. today, was Miss May
Lanigan, who had been a fellow pupil of
Blanche Lamont at the Normal school.
She testified that on the afternoon of
April 8, when school was dismissed at
3 o'clock. she left the school with Alice
Pleasant, now Mrs. Dorgan. They no
ticed Blanche Lamont IN company with
a man whom she identified as the de-
PENDANT in the present action. When she
noticed them first, Miss Lamont was
ing her books. She identified the dress
and hat worn by Blanche Lamont and
also Durrants appearance and attire.
Durrant and Miss Lamont boarded a
Powell street car going toward Market
street, AS the car passed over the hill,
the witness could still see the pair in ant
mated conversation.
Failed to Shake Her.
In cross-examination. the attorneys for
the defense tried to shake the witness
Identification of the defendant, and tried
to show that from her position she only
Miss Lamonts companion. The witness,
however, persisted that there could be
10 mistake about her identification of the
prisoner. She said that she saw the man
distinctly, and that there could be no
doubt that he was Durrant. She admit
ted that she had never seen the prisoner
before, and did not see him again until
after his arrest. Then she identified him
= off Of hn cI,i r.f .OIf
Important witness
C. A. Stevens, a gripman on the Powell
street line, was then called by the pros
ecut1on to show that the Powell street
| cars going south all stop at California
street. The testimony is important, as it
shows that Mrs. porgan and Miss Lani-
gan could have had time to take a care
full look at Miss Lamont and her escort
while they were on the car. They were
at the crossing when the car stopped
and their glances were not necessarily
| hasty.
Awaiting His Prey.
Mrs. Mary Vogel, new and important
witness, told in a straightforward man
ner, how she sat ir her parlor on the
| afternoon of April and noticed a man
waiting outside the Normal school.
Asked who the man was she pointed her
finger at Durrant and dramatically ex-
claimed:
There he is
The court was dissatisfied with this
Identification, so the witness left the
rant sat, and touched the prisoner on the
shoulder, amid great excitement in the
| court room, exclaining:
This is the man; this is Durrant."
Continuing, she said that Durrant walk
ed up and down in front Of the school
for over three-quarters OF an hour. She
| was so impressed with his conduct that
she procured pair of opera glasses to
| observe him more clearly. When school
was dismissed, she say two girls emerge
from the building. She said that Dur
rant accompanied them and the three
! boarded a Powell street car, one going
seats on the dummy That evening she
! told her husband about the peculiar con-
duct of the young man. When Durrant
! was arrested she recognized him from
his portrait in the newspapers. She eX-
planned her long and careful watch stat
| ing that she suspected, from Dur
rants's actions, that he was 4 burglar.
| day or two before there had been bur-
! glary in the neighborhood and as she had
$500 in the house she thought it advisable
| to keep q careful watch. The witness
said she was Il years old, had excellent
| eye sight and had never worn glasses in
! ing for three hours Mrs. Vogef departed,
| her testimony unimpaired. The defense
was evidently much worried over Mrs.
! Vogefs testimony. She was very positive
| III uSI lQeDliIcttlOlI anu StOOu up IT,
markably well under cross-exanination.
| Another Identification.
| Mrs James Crossett was the last wit
! ness of the day. She is an elderly wo-
man and said she had known Durrant
| well for four years. On the day that
| Blanche Lamont was murdered she said
| that she was riding in Valencia street
car when she saw Durrant sitting OH the
| dummy in company with young woman
| whom she did not know. She identified
Durrant with grave positiveness. Shown
| the clothes worn by Blanche Lamont at
| the time of the murder, she said that the
young woman she saw with nurrant wore
garments of similar cut and material.
| Size had never known Blanche Lamont.
! The pair rode on the dummy as far as
| Twenty-second street, when they left the
car, proceeding in the direction of Bart
lett street. Emanuel church is on Bart
lett street between Twenty second and
| Twenty-third.
Mrs. Crossett's testimony was not
| shaken by examination.
/