The herald., 1895-10-14
DURRANJ'S FIRST 'ACCUSER
Was Mrs. Noble, the Aunt of
Blanche Lamont
MINNIE WILLIAMS MURDER
And Defendants Behavior on the Fol.
lowing Day
MINNIE WILLIAMS MURDEF
The Case Of the Prosecution on Rebuttai
Carefully Prepared and Testimony
VIII Begin Tomorrow

| Associated Press Special Wire
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 13.-Ever since
Durrant was arrested there has been a
still hunt for the first person who men,
toned his name in connection with the
murder of Minnie Williams. hmm ediate-
ly after the horror of the library closet
became known his name echoed in every
mention of it. In few hours the papers
had extra editions, naming Durrant. By
Saturday evening most people believed
that the murderer was known. DR.. Vo-
gel was asked to give an account of him.
self, the pastor told of his comings and
goiugs on Friday evening. Elder Wolfe
had to put on his thinking cap and Saoe-
man, the janitor. refreshed his memory.
The detectives sought to know why Dur
rant was accused, but they were never
able to find the exact information.
Now it comes out that Mrs. N Noble, the
aunt of blanche Lamont, was the first to
n.e:tion his name in connection with the
church tragedies. Mrs. Noble talked
freely of the case today. When asked
whether Durrant told her on that mem
orable Wednesday evening that he had
seen Blanche that mvrning. she said :
"Yes; when l went to prayer meeting
that evening 1t was agreed between Maud
and myself that nothing should be said
of Blanche'3 absence. We did not wish
to make any unnecessary fuss about
thing that might be cleared up in an
hour. I was SC troubled that would not
have gone to the church had not been
obliged to hand in notice for an enter
tainment. 1 do not rememb Der whether
went in ahead of Durrant or not, but
do know that he always sat in the back of
tho room during prayer meeting, and his
coming to where was was unusual. He
asked me, as I have testified, whether
Blanche would be there. He said she
wanted The Newcomes, but he had for
gotten it and would bring 1t on Sunday.
Then he stated that he had met her on
the way to school that morning.
1--WE suffered silently all day Thursday
| and Friday. 1t was not until Saturday
that the anguish became SO unbeara BILE
! that we began to tell our church friends.
"Friday morning,a little after 9 o clock.
Durrant called here. bringing with him
! He asked ii Blanche was at home, and OK
| pressed no surprise at seeing Maud, who
| would ordinarily have been at school.
When Maud told him that Blanche was
not at home, he said: L thought l might
see her. Maud closed the door and said {:
'Auntie, believe he knows that Blanche
ia missing. Why should he come to see
her at this hour? 1t is past school time
and he acted rather strangely
I've did not think he knew anything
of her whereabou we were concerned
only that tine fact Of her disappearance
| might become known. Even when the
| detectives commenced to work on the
case and came to me for the names of
| her friends m entioned Dr.Vogel's name
| first; Durrant was an afterthought.
''As has appeared during the trial, he
| offered his services to assist in the search.
| The following week dragged wearily on.
| Saturday morning Mrs. Keeler, the wife
of the undertaken, called mere to tell me
that body had been found and that it
WAS not Blanche's.
"Knowing my frightful anxiety, my
friends at the church feared that would
| might think it was Blanche, so they DIS
patched Mrs. Kee,er to tell me that it
was the body of some one else.
I'm referring to Blanche's disappear
ance and to the fact that Theodore was
the last one to see her, Mrs. Keeler re-
| marked that he had gone out of town.
Like flash his conduct from that We'd
nesday night prayer meeting passed be-
fore me. | remembered it all-his seek
ing me at the prayer meeting, his strange
call on Friday morning. what Maud had
| SAID and his dreadful Interpretation of
came to me and | said TO Mrs. Keller:
'Durrant has killed that girl"
That was before noon on Saturday,
April 18th. When the detectives were
seeking this information, Mrs. Noble said
that she did not know who first men-
toned Durrant's name. Sne did not
know that she herself had set the ma
him. Mrs. Nolte, who found the body
OF Minnie Williams, said today: Dur
rants name was not mentioned while l
was at the church. in fact, | asked Mr..
Gibson if he found odt who did it to let
me know. He did not send me word,
and the rirst mention l knew was in the
papers.
DR.. Vogel, who was called and identi-
fled the body of Minnie Williams, says:
'Durrant's name was not mentioned
at the time the body was found. | heard
it first early in the afternoon l was pre-
sumably the first person to tell him that
Blanche was missing. That was the Sun
day after the disappearance when Detect
i've Anthony called on me. told Theo-
dore on his way to church, going up the
stairs. l cannot say now how he acted
when | told him. | had not connected
him with her absence and was not on
tho watch to see how he behaved"
The case of the prosecution in rebuttal
has beon carefully gone over by. both
Barnes and Lees and the order of wit
nesses has been decided upon. DR.. Gill
bert f. Graham will be the first witness.
He will testify that he, in company
with J. s. Dunniean, visited Durrant at
the city prison and that the prisoner took
bin aside and asked him for the notes of
DR.. Cbeney's lecture, saying that if he
had the notes of that lecture he could
prove an alibi, He will be followed by
Dunnigan, VINO will corroborate Graham
in all material points.
Students Dodge and Dukes will testify
as to their conversation with Durrant at
the ferry landing on the afternoon of
April 18th, when the defendant told them
that he was waiting to meet some mem
bers of the signal corps.
Student Glaser will take the stand and
testify that on April 10TH three days be-
fore the discovery of Blanche Lamont's
body, but after Durrant became aware
that the police we're looking for the miss
ing girl. Durrant asked him for his notes
of DR.. Cheney's lecture and that he pro-
duced the notes ami read from them and
that Durrant took notes of the subject mat
ter they contained.
Reporters Cooper and Morrison will be
put OIL the witness stand to contradict
the statement of Reporter Marshal re-