The record-union., 1895-09-19
Disease.

SAN Francisco, Sept. 1S.-Durrant in
the Emmanuel Baptist Church, pale and
agtated, with bloodshot eyes and his
hair dsheveled, his coat and hat oil, and
with every evidence of weakness, was
presented TO the jury to-day by the pros
ecution as he appeared after his alleged
travels from the Normal School on the
afternoon of April Sd. 1t had been show 4
by four witnesses that he lett the school
with Blanche Lamont on that afternoon.
and by three others that he rode with a
young lady of her description out to the
church and entered it,
From the time he entered the church,
about 4:30 o'clock, it is the theory of the
prosecution that he was occupied until
% o'clock in perpetrating athat murder.
At o. clock he was seen in the church by
another witness, George Il. King. the
church organist, who occupied the stand
all Of to-day.
The murderer of Blanche Lamont, after
having killed her, locked the door to the
belfry, broke the lock aud took the knobs
of the door and threw them under the
Deliry door. 1t was then necessary Tor
him 10 cross space above the ceiling 10 a
ear garret OF the church, from hlch
tlere WAS passage down To the base
lnent. 1t was down this rear passage that
Durrant came when he burst on King q
view. He stopped in space between
opened folding doors when he saw King
sitting at piano ia corner, and when
King asked him what was the matter he
did not at once reply. When he did reply
he explained that he had been fixing a
sunburner above the ceiling, and that he
had been overcome by escaping gas. Dur
rants appearance was so startling that
King ran to drug store block ana a
half distant, at his suggestion, 10 get hlm
some broino seltZer, and hastened back
with it.
King was in doubt as TO whether Dur
rant, on his return, was standing in the
vestibule at the church entrance. or lying
on platform IN the sunday school room
in the rear. AS he remembered it, Dur
rant was lying on the platform.
Upon first entering the church King
had detected the odor of escaping gas, the
only thing IN MS testimony favorable to
Durrant, and this led him to enter the
closet used for library, where the body
of Minnie Williams was atterward found.
At that time he did not see Durranps coat
and hat in the room adjoining the closet,
but alter his return with the bromo
seltZer he entered the room with Durrant,
and the aatter's coat and hat were then
lying on box. The door to this room
was usually kept locked, put when King
arrived at the church he found the door
open. Only Durrant and King had keys
10 it.
The prosecution attempted to show that
the deieuse had tried 10 tamper with this
witness, and had got him 10 change his
testimony so as to place Durrant lying on
the Sunday-school platform instead OF
standing in the vestibule, but reference
TO the records of the court showed that
King had testified at the preliminary ex-
animation that he thought Durrant might
have been lying on the platform. The
point is inmaterial. except as to the al
legged attempt to influence the witness.
Miss Lucille Turner was on the stand q
few minutes to say that she was not in
the church on the day OF the murder.
Her testimony was to clear up point
lett in doubt by Mrs. Leake, the witness
who yesterday testified that from her
front window she had seen Durrant enter
the church with a young lady she said
looked either like Blanche Lamont or
Miss Turner.
The csse went over till Friday, on ac-
count of the Jewish holiday tomorrow,
to accom- IN odate two OF the jurors.