New-York tribune., 1895-10-11
DURRANT UNDER FIRE.
THE ACCUSED MAN SHARPLY CRoss-Ex-
AHMED.

oXI. POINT AND THAT a STRONG ONE. SCORED
AGAINST HIM-rIIs ACTIONS on THE DAY OF
THE MURDER OF BLANCHE LAMONT
San Francisco Oct lO-Whether W. II. Theodore
Durrant is one Of the mos; remarkable OF MURDER
ers or not he il a remarkable witness. Al DAY De-
fore an audience that packed the courtroom ne
stood fire OF questions from D'sf'cl--''.'''lT
Barnes which. it seemed at times, muf DreaH MN
down. with imper.urbable coolness. he went over
the ground OF MS direct testimony ana enterei ihto
the details OF his movements In the church on inc
dav Of the murder without varying point or aoa'-
ing any in piausibility.
Tn. cross-examinatlon began with the time tnat
Durrant first M; Blanche Lamont. ms "dS 'ast
san.ep,her a year He said he had escorted her 70
and from her home about fifteen times ne LOOK
her 10 ride or a streecar twice. and thrice ne ac-
conpanied her 10 other PAGES. These were the
on,v times he had ever been out with her lie met
her very often at church and one evening .as' year
she visited his house and he had given her
nadlock ShA had that occasion gone 10 Ms
house with him. but refused 70 enter. He dehlea an
,,,nuta,ion of the Disirict-Atorney that Miss La
n,, entered the halfway. ard that he extingulsned
,ho gas,lghts with an electric apparatus
n,.r,n, was ;hen asked about the defective cleo
trio appllance in the sunburners IN En''ha"ue'
1,t,,rcb and how he came know it needed repair
,r, He said the jantor had called MS atehuo" ~
# on Sunday Of the preceding week lie had peen
h, everv dav from that until April and could not
And time to repair it. II was shown that ne haa
never before taken the route to college by "heh ne
went with Miss Lamont on the day OF her u'sap-
nsarance He emphatically reiterated his statement
that after she left the car at her schOol ne never
saw her again. dead or alive. Durrant admitted
,bs, after Miss I.amont's disappearance he mad
stated that he believed she was easily leo astray anu
had been nvegled into a house OF III Tame lie was
asked what there about her or ABOUT her hAoi's
which had led him to that conclusion. he repied
ha.i z
statement of the detective who was put on the case
when her disappearance was reported to the po'ce'
DrRRANT WATCHED AT THE FERRY
The examination had been tame up this point.
but II soon became exciting. The District Attorney
went back to the statement OF Janitor Bademah'
Of Emmanuel Church. that he mad seen Dur
rant at the ferry on the afternoon OF tne '
Williams murder and that Durrant had then sa'o
he was waiting to see If Miss Lamont would NOT
pass He told Bademan he had heard she was going
to cross the bay that afternoon
Did you make such statement to Bademanr'
asked Barnes.
Il did" Durrant replied
"Who gave you that clewy'
Il got It from a gentleman uptown.
"Who he?"
81 don't know | never saw him before or since.
| was standing on Post-st. near Dupont contin-
ued Durrant. when this man tapped me on 'ne
shoulder and asked me II was not Theodore DUR
rant | told him that was my name lie 'he"
asked me- If | was net interested in the disappear
ance of Blanche Lamont and on my answering III
The Affirmative he told me he would advise me to
watch the ferry that afternoon as she would cross
the bay He then walked off down the street, ana
| went to lunch and afterward walked to the Terry
and watched for her all the afternoon.
Did you not investigate to learn who this man
and where he got MS ihlorhhS"oh' "e We"
asked
"I dd not he replied.
"You knew Blanche Lamont was being searched
for and that your name was associated WIN He,
dsappearance and yet you permitted this stranger
to walk away without learning anything ABOUT
well" said Durrant, the truth is that was was
so overjoyed at getting cew that | did not uI1an nm
about ; feet Inches In height. and dressed Win
Eight overcoat and hat. and told my counse' 10 NY
is not fac, that you were at the ferry r,ss a,
that time not because of any clew conne4tsd @ Wiz WIZ
| Blanche Lamont. but to meet Minnie Nsna"'
whom you es pected TO come across the pay h N.
rapdity of tn questioning or the reference to the
girl thought to be the second OF MS vlG,ms ha tha,
time and leave the ferry with herr he was then
| asked. ,,.a
II did not meet her or see her there, ne replsa p.Nx
Durrant admitted that while he was al the ierry
he met TWO other stuients and told them ne Sss Sss
him We're only Incidental. His business at the ferry
said the stranger had given him.
HIS WORK AT THE sUNBURNERs.
| Mr. Barnes then reverted - Durrant's alleges
! work at the sunburners He got him 10 20 over
| the details Of what happened then. and was pare
t.cuar to inquire 10 the symptoms which ioi.
| lowed his inhalation OF the gas while he was AZ
| the burners. Durrant said he was at work Al ths
| burners about a minute when he felt the nausedtlhs
! effects OF the gas. After completing MS WORK he
hal gone TO the opening whore the ladder was-s
dis lance of about siXtyhve feethad descended inc
ladder and had then taken II down from It's uprshs
| position The ladder weighed about MY pounls
He had then gone down 10 the sunday -schooi room
! He felt about the same degree OF nausea All tne
time he was going down 10 the room ana unul ne
took tn. bromo-se.tze procured for him Dy hlhs;
He took teaspoonful OF the selZer and IL relieved
him BarAes then questioned him as 10 his studies.
| and WAS told that Durrant attended the lecture
and read textbooks on matera meiica, ana ~ou.s
have graduated physician next December ID
| opposing an objection Barnes made the s,atement
, that Durrant knew enough about medicine 10 "
/ able 10 dlagnOs, his case, and that he had p,s'
scribei something not intended for partial asphyN1'
| ton Had ne been overcome by gas. ne had sLst'
/ ed and had taken enough bromo-seitzer. the pss,
trict- Attorney declared. he would have been lsao
! man before he could have left the church. Ihiss
telling u Mt had its effect on Durrant. VINO sho"e'
the oniv excitement manifested by him on the stand
lie rose u his feet and. turning 10 the Court Sc,
10 Ds,rct- Alto. ney had misstated his testimony
! IN saving ne had diagnosed his case as a par'Ai
] asnhvxiaiion Barnes said It made no difference:
! ne ne,icea according TO his own statement. "ss
from gas Inhalation. The prosecution VIII p!onusess
naiIns the face and that bromo-se,tzer is tor ~
| nerves. and not ior sueh Co"'p'a'h' 90 D
/ alleged he suffered frcm