Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1895-10-26
General DIckinson's Argument.

eral Dickinson began the opening ar.
gument for the defense in the trial
of Durrant this morning. Without
any preliminary remarks he began
discussion Of the incidents of April
Sd. First, he wished to consider the
personality of the young man accused
of the crime. Durrant was ambitious.
studious and of the highest character,
as the speaker commended he is now.
General Dickinson alluded to the con-
'tention of Assistant District Attorney
Peixotto, who said yesterday that
Miss Lamont was the victim of Dur
rants unbridled passion. He said
there was nothing IN the mass of tes-
timony taken to show that Durrant
was not moral young man. Dur
rants whole demeanor, both before
and after his arrest, he said, had been
that OF an innocent man. The de-
PENDANT himself had told Mrs. Noble
on the night that Miss Lamont dis.
| appeared that he rode to school with
her that morning. On the day of his
| arrest and when on the stand, he said,
the defendant made the same state
ment. He told the story long before
Conductor Shalmount was found.
The fact that Durrant left book at
Mrs. Mobiles for Miss Lamont OH Ap.
ril 9th, he said, contained too much
method for guilty man, and he
therefore considered that as circum
stance going to show the innocence
of the accused
General Dickinson next made refer
euce to the roll call, upon which it is
evident the defense intends to base
its case. He said if the correctness
of the roll-call was admitted, the
prosecutions case fell to the ground.
He said Drs. Cheney and Gray, the
only two persons who ever had the
| book IN their possession, made no al
terations, and he challenged the
prosecution to show that anybody else
had. He said the mute testimony of
the book was corroborated by all of
the students in the class, who testi-
fled on the stand that they did not
answer to Durrants name.
The statement of the prosecution
that the students were unwilling WIT.
nesses, and perhaps withheld the most
important testimony, was ridiculous
as, he said, Students Chaser and
Graham, the prosecutions two most
important witnesses, were willing
enough to tell what they knew.
The notes of the lecture were next
commented upon. He showed what
he said were Durrant's notes taken
by himself ut DR.. Cheneys lecture
and said they had been in his Dick
inson's) possession since April 18th
He said this fact had an important
bearing on DR.. Graham's statemert
to the effect that on April "G. Dur
rant told him he had no notes, and
asked TO borrow Graham's in order
that he might establish an alibi. The
notes of Chaser and Durrant, ar
ranged in parallel columns, were read
to the jury to show the dissimilarity
of the two. He said further that the
notes plainly showed that when Dur
rant end Glaser compared papers on
April 10th, Durrant did not copy
from CHASER.
General Dickinson said he made
the assertion with confidence that
when DR.. Graham testified that Apri
Goth Durrant said he had not the
! '3tes, he made a mistake. Dickinson
did not mean that Dunnigan ugeC
improper influence as means tc
induce him to give testimony, bu
said that Graham had become excited
over the matter and that he hat
become confused. He asked the jury
if they did not believe that Graham
would have told Dunnigan the same
day as Durrant, if he had told him Oh
April Goth that he had no notes. In
stead OF that he waited until DC