The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-07
THE DURRANT DEFENSE
5YPORT VIII BE MADE SNOW
PgEJUDIcE or THE POLTCE.
Durrant Has Talked Too Much and May
Have Disiculty In Explaining Con-
nicting Statements.


rant trial is beginning to be family Vis-
.blc. Whether the sensational evidence
that they have limited at having Will
clear Durrant completely or not they
will Try to offset the police department.
There will DE a whole lot in the trial
about the blindness Of the police and
their fatuousncss ia ignoring every clue
that did not coincide with their precon-
coiyed idea that Durrant was the guhty
man.
BY disputing every proposition OF The
prosecution and assuming all the lme
tuat thc police are turning everything
og'inst the prisoner, they VIII IaiNc
cloud of contention ana surnNe th'1
with what evidence the defence VIII pro-
duco of DuIrants previous good charac-
ter and the alibi witnesses they nope
will raise tho reasonable doubt IN the
jary's mind that VIII deter them from
bringing in verdict of guilty.
NOW il is certain that the trial viii
be a very long one II such minor
witnesses as thc detective, who merely
found the body and the physician, who
only conducted the autopsy are each
examined for half a day. how long viii
the attorneys for Durrant keep the wit
against Durant ON tnc stand?
Mrs Leak who will swear that She
Faw Duuant 80 into the church that
fatal Afternoon. with Blanche Lamont.
Oppcuheimer. the second hand dealer in
Jcwelp, who Will swear Durrant tried
TO sell hlm one of the dead girls rings. the
witnesses to whom Durraut made state
mcnis inconsistent with the present
Theory of the defence and the facts the
police VIII prove. viii undoubtedly be
kept GA the stand for days.
PROMISED 10 BE A LONG c.sa
District Attorney Barnes said il would
take only two weeks 10 get in the evil
denee. II it docs not Ocupy TWO months.
present Indications count for nothing.
So FAR, the case has been almost exclu-
siFcly one oi models, maps. charts, plans
aud ClagTamg
The Witnesses testify. pointer in hand.
ana every spot they mention. they I'M
oicatc either on the elaborate model of
the tower or ON the diagrams. TO make
Tie tning more plain, the prosecution
girl
IL is as pretty q doll as ever dcliehted =
baDy, but 10 Will play a giucsome part
lh ihls triaL IL is one OF those prettv
tTthth dolls with movable limbs. tum-
nleI hdlr and eyes that close IL will be
lald in the corner of the miniature belf-,-
with arms folded across the breasf and
head turned slightly TO one side. and kont
III position by two tiny blocks of wool
Iheh the jury viii know more vividlv
than words can tell them lust what was
The state of things in Emanuel church
when Detective Gibson broke down the
otIify door and found the murdered girl.
buirant takes the livlicst interest in the
model OF the church, with which he was
so familiar was
re leaned 20 Detective Harry Moss and
Whispered suggestions and commons all
the ume fohceman Russell was pointing
OUT 'he distances and particular points i'm
his mceel In the interval hetween mo
disappearance Of Blanche Lamont and
me Nnding of the body in the belfrv the
tongue of Theodore Durrant was busy
lie may have cause TO regret it.
rALErD TOO MUCH.
To some people he declared that he
could not account for the mvsterlo,is
Glsappearance of the girls with tears I'm
ms eyes he said she had been a pure
e.fi and hc could not reason i'm his own
mint theory of her absence To others
IN several Instances TO newspaper re-
porters. he said that he felt confident that
the tifl had gone astray. that she would
be FOUND downtown. TO her uncle he Of
lcied Dds services 10 search ina tho sha-
co"s oi the city for the missing girl.
To She ianior Of Emanuel church. who
caught hm at the ferry The day Minnie
Williams was murdered. hc said that he
had Information that Blanche Lamont
was going away, and that he intended 90
intercept hs~
40" nurrdnt viii reconcile these atti
tuoes is The query Of the prosecution. II
J. one of The questions the student will
not answer but it is one problem which
he must face before the jury. which is
Whom the trial was resumed this morn
Ing. W. O.. Noble. uncle Of the murder
ed eirl. was recalled and completed hfs
evidence respecting the Identification of
the body
~. y. Riehl. police officer. was the next
witness. Tie entered the church with De-
tectlve Gibson. and assited the latter I'm
breaking in The door leading into the bel
fry. Gibson discovered the body Of Miss
Lamont and called his attention to IT,
The witness saw bl0od-stains on the floor
or the third landing below where the body
was round, and ON examination he had
found that this blood had dropped from
above. lie also saw footprints on the
dust OF the steps of the stairway.
THE DAYS TESTIMONY.
The testimony in the Durrant case to-
Cay was mainly given over TO incidents
connected with the discovery Of the body
OF Blanche Lamont in the church tower
Patrolman Biehl testified that he dis
covered f00t-pr nis in the dust on the
steps to the top floor OF the tower where
the body lay.
lie thought the footprints were those
az the murderer. but they We're oblitcred
Nv the morguc attaches. who entered the
tower 90 get the body
There were also marks I'm the dust on
the stairs made by the trailing skirts OF
the dead girl. while the murderer was
carrying the body up 10 the third landing
The defence was particular in bringing
out these points apparently TO foruiy its
theory that the body of the murdered
girl was carried a longd istance, aud
that a man OF Durrants physique would
have been unable 20 carry H.
The prosecution has evidence TO show
that Durrant could easily have carried the
body TO the SPOT where IL was found.
Tho other testimony to-day was as 10
tho removal of the body from the tower
and the discovery OF that part Of the
murdered girls clothing sccreted by the
murderer afterwards on the top floor
Charles O. Noble uncle of Blanche
while testifying 90 the removal of the
remains. WAS moved TO tears.
The case went over tlll Tuesday as
Monday will bc Admission-Day. and
legal holiday
m. 1.far.. to-day ,ra,fa o., i1ao ~ tho