The record-union., 1895-10-12
DIJRRANT MURDER TRIAL.
Accused Still Under the Fire by
the District Attorney.
STILL He LOSES NONE OF HIS COOL
NESS OR SELF-POSSESSION.

Defendant Denies Having Given
Lady Reporter an Envelope Con-
tanning a Statement Not to be
Opened Except in the Event Of His
Conyictfon-At the Conclusion of
the Cross-Examination the Case
Went over Until Tuesday.
SAN Francisco, Oct. H. = Theodore
Durrant, while losing none of his cool
ness and self possess and without De-
ing made to contradict himself In any
way. did not fare as we'll in his struggle
with District Attorney Barnes to-day as
he did yesterday. Barnes had reserved
his most telling points for the close. and
he brought them out with good effect.
There were in his interrogatlons to-day
broad intimations OF rebuttal testimony
of very important and in one case SEN
sational nature, and he expects next
week to complete the net which IN his
direct case he wove around the accused
man. Just how far he viii be able to do
this remains to be seen. Among his most
important witnesses for next week Will
be several to whom it is alleged Durrant
made damaging admissions or statements
at variance with his testimony given on
the stand.
When proceedings opened this morn
ing Durrant was confronted with state
ments alleged 10 have been made to TWO
reporters. in which he said that on
the afternoon of the murder he
had arrived at the church between
and 4:3O o'clock. He admitted that he
had made statements to the reporters, but
said he had been misunderstood. The
time referred 10 his trip from the college
10 the church, and not his arrival at the
church. He said he had stated the time
he left the college to be between and
4:30.
When he came down from the space
above the ceiling to the Sunday-school
room where George II. King the organist,
was playing, Durrant said he looked
through the glass in the door ana saw
King before stepping through the door
way " hen it WAS called 20 his attention
that the glass WAS stained, he Insisted that
he could see the outline of Kings form
through The clear spaces IN IL. lie did
not place his eye to the clear spaces, but
stood about fifteen feet distant from them.
King had testified that be was the hrst
to speak at that meeting, and that Dur
rant walked 10 the middle OF the room
before replying. This Durrant denied.
He said il KING spoke first he did not
hear him. but he himself opened the con-
versation by saying, Hello, George W
Barnes then questioned MIN as TO his
knowledge of bromO-seItZer, and he said
lie had never studied up on II, and had not
even read advertisements ABOUT II. lie
did not, as Barnes suggested, know that
,,.,S,,a n hrns a mol
sium. What little he knew OF 1t was inn
parted to him by DR.. West d prisoner in
. Ihe County Jail charged with murder.
He learned from West that il was COM
posed OF acananolid. caffeine, bromide OF
soda, soda and tartaric acid.
He was asked why, II he knew nothing
about 1t. he had sent King for It, ana re-
piled that he thought 1t would stay his
stomach.
Durrant's college note book is one with
an adiustiDle cover, and he was asked If
he had not made il that way to enable
him 10 insert lectures. lie said he had
not, and added that he had used the cover
over d year. He made the rather re-
markabIe statement that he had on the
day of his arrest forgotten that he had
notes OF DIR. Cheney'S lecture on the
afternoon of April Sd, though he remem-
bered il up to the time OF his arrest, and
il again occurred TO him three days later.
This was 10 account for his having told
two witnesses during the interval that he
did not remembe whether or not he had
the notes. He accounted for this forget
1ulness 10y the effect the hubub incidental
TO his arrest had on him.
IL denied that after his arrest he had
asked Dr. Gilbert /. Graham, a fellow
student, for notes OF the lecture, accom-
pauying his request with Ii statement that
1t would enable him to make an alibi
He said Graham had proifered his notes.
Durrant said at that time he did not know
the meaning of the word alibl, nor It's
operation in law. He also denied that
after he had seen his name associated
with the disappearance OF Blanche La
mont, and before his arrest, be had bor-
rowed the notes of Student Chaser, but
admitted that he had consulted Glaser's
notes.
Durrant admitted that he was absent
from morning lecture at the County
Hospital on the Sth OF April, the day he
is said TO have crossed the bay TO make
all appointment with Minnie Williams,
and that be got another student 10 answer
tor him on that day. He denied, how
ever, that he crossed the bay. He said
that be- had ordered a sack of coal and
had then gone home, but later changed
this, and said be had gone TO see the coal
dealer on business. but did not order the
coal until three days later. lie did not
know that he had visited a bank that day
until it was called TO his attention.
Several specimens of Dnrranps hand
writing were then introduced for the Jury
TO compare with the writing on the pack
age containing Blanche Lannon's rings
which were sent TO the aunt. This is the
writing which IS said TO resemble Kew.
DR.. Gibson's.
The sensation of the day was then pro-
duced, when Durrant WIS asked II he
had not on the I'D of last month shown
to Miss Carrie Cunningham, reporter,
an envelope containing statement not
10 be opened except in the event Of his
conviction. He denied having done SO.
barnes then sised him: Did you on
the 9th OF October, in cell % OF the County
Jail. in conversation with Miss Cunning
ham, say that when you were at work
fixing the sunburners you heard noise
and followed 1t up 10 the belfry, and there
saw the dead body of Blanche Lamont on
the second landing; and did you say that
she was murdered on the second landing
OF the belfry?''
There was story brought TO me by
Miss Cunningham" SAID Durrant,
(which, like the sweet pea girP story,
purported 10 be rumor which she had
heard about town, to the effect that L had
heard noise while fixing the gas, and
that / followed the noise TO the landing
above 10 see what il was and discovered
what you make reference TO. / neither
affirmed nor denied it, as ! have done TO
every reporter who has brought story to
me. l asked her ID she intended TO pub
lish this, and told her she would put me
10 great annoyance. She said she would
say nothing about il whatever and she
stood on box aud said she would
solemDIy promise me she would say
nothing about II until it could be proved.
Now" added Durrant, dramatically, II
ask for the proof TO come forward"
DID she not ask Won. -