The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-06
The lnexplicable Part of the
Blanche Lamont Murder.
OUTSIDE sELFRY DOOR, LIKELY.
Most Of the Attendants at the Dur
rant Trial Are Women.
They Scramble for Seats a. soon as the
Doors Are Opened The Defense
Taking Advantage of Every Circum-
stance That VIII Possibly Help
Them.

San Francisco, Sept s-The Durrant
case took a mathematical turn today.
Straight lines and angles. figures and
things. photographs. maps and diagrams
furnished the subjects for the jury reilec-
ton all morning. They We're prominent
after recess as well. and divided the time.
If not the interest, Of the afternoon With
Detective Gibson, who is one of the most
important figures in the case. He todd %
the finding of the body OF Blanche Lamor.
in the belfry of Emanuel church on Easter
Sunday morning. and incidentally came IN
for some pointed and searching cross
questioning at the hands of the defense.
Lines and angles and figures ordinarily
would have the effect Of driving people
from any court room. In the Durrant case
il is different. The same crowds that have
camped about Judge Murphy's court since
the trial began, much augmented and con-
staatly growing. fiocked TO the new city
hall early in the morning. 1amming and el-
bowling for position in the same old way.
Just as eager as on the first occasion for o
glimpse OF the prisoner. Those who did
not get il and those who were not fortu-
nate enough to gain admittance TO the
court room cooled their heels in the CORR
dors. waiting and hoping for the next time.
The women predominated, as is also usual.
brothers in passing the deputies at the
court room doors. SOIL phalanXes of them
were safely seated when Judge Murphy
took his seat on the bench and the day
work was begun, with Officer Russell on
the witness stand. pointer in hand, his
model of the northwest tower OF Emanuel
church in front of him.
Then began the flood Of figures. IT was
a dreary two hours, but no one moved TO
depart IL was the general feeling that
behind all the seemingly aimless, uninter-
esting testimony there must lurk some
thing particularly significant The gen
eral feeling, as the developments showed.
was correct. There was and is a siSniti-
canoe in the figures which is likely 10 have
a direct bearing on the case. At least
that is the theory of the defense, and up
on that theory the lawyers worked stead
ily
one very important feature of the case
seems likely TO lend TO the questions Of
today their full significance-that is: At
what place in Emanuel Baptist church
was Blanche Lamont murdered No one
seems to know. not even the prosecution,
If it really does. il has not yet told. The
defense is non-committal. IL has nothing
10 say. but. from the drift of its questions
today. it seems prepared 10 fortify itself
strongly on this one point.
The general impression Of the public is
that the girl was murder on the outside
OF the door leading 10 the helfry. and that
the dead body was then dragged ny the
murderer up the three crooked fights of
stairs helond that door 10 the third land
ing stripped and left TO decompose.
Whether Blanche Lamont met her fate in
the gallery, near the belfry entrance. IN
one of the rear rooms or the library.
where Minnie Williams came 10 Eer end.
is all a mystery. 1t is almost a certain
~ that the prosecution has not established
hat ff4f gn zgf ngf not fAF M
is equally certain that the district attor-
ney considers II the one weak point in his
case. but one which ne does not think i'm
portant enough to imperil the outcome.
The attorneys for the defense asked
number of questions which tended 10 in
diCate an intent to show that Miss La
mont was murdered in one Of the lower
rooms of the church, and her body carried
to the belfry after death II this fact is
established. ii would be a strong point
in Durrant's favor. from the fact that 1t
would be argued that a man Of the prison
ers physique could not carry body
weighing / 80 pounds up a long, narrow,
winding stairway.
So far as the prosecution in the Durrant
case has exposed it's hand. it claims 10 be
able 10 prove Durrant was not al Cooper
college between l and o'clock on the
afternoon OF April 3. but was seen on
Powell street a few minutes later. There
ney's lecture except the record taken in
the confusion Of the class room. lie was
not in his own seat at that lecture, which
was unusual. as every student has a spe-
Cial seat assigned TO him. week later
he asked a fellow student 10 be allowed
to look at his notes of this lecture. that
he might be prepared for an eNam-na
tion. No one saw him at the lecture and
he was marked present once before when
he did not attend.
When the Judge and jury and Durrant
PASSED up Bartlett street to visit Emanuel
church. Mrs Leak. the woman who SAYS
she saw Durrant enter the church with
Blanche Lamont sat at her window. As
the PROCESSION passed her house on the
other side of the street she picked out Dur
rant and District Attorney Barnes, which
shows that her eyesght is good.
This morning the crowd struggling Tor
admission was great than ever. Two
lines 81 policemen e 4r3ed the corridors.
and prevented any one entering the cor
ridor approaching the court room except
Jurors attorneys. newspaper m m and
citizens having permits from the sher'h.
These speedily occupied the chairs ana
then no more spectators were aamlf'fi
The earlier part Of the SESSION was con
stined in a long wrangie between attor-
news for the prosecution and defense
about tbe accuracy Of the diagrams ~
Emanuel church which the prosecution
offered as exhibits t. facilitate the ex-
animation OF witnesses. The defense
claimed the diagrams were slightly inar-
rlraie Finally the court allowed the in-
PRODUCTION Of the exhibits. saying Their
accuracy could be determined by actual
measurements 20 be taKen later
After a lengthy examination ~ Police
man Russell as 20 tho interior ~ Efnan-
lei church the prosecution called Detec-
tive Gibson. who described the finding ~
blanche Iamout's body ia the helfry ~
Emanuel church. There vas nothing new
N his testimony The trial VIII "a on
tomorrow.
LIE FRAkEK CASE.