The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-10-17
TRIAL OF DURRANT.
ONE POINT Is GAINED FOR THE
DEFENDANT.
But That Is Almost I~mmcdiut.I
LOst-A Witness Testines Thn He
Tried to Pawn u Ring Similar %
the One Worn by Miss Lamont.

"a u ' wv i'.-&Alltl Ndll-
dering through a mass of unimpOrtant
witnesses the defense in the Durrant
case to-day summoned to the stand
two Of the most important witnesses
that have been called since the prose
cution closed its case. one Of the wit
nesses materially aided the defense.
| from the fact that upon crOSS-eXamina-
ton he failed to give important rpsti-
mony expected by the prosecution.
The examination Of the ether wit
nesses had only just begun when TIL
court took a rccess until tomorrow
morning. but in the short time the
witness was on the stand he testified
to Il important fact. which WAS di-
rectly opposed to what the defense
! had hoped to establish.
The most important witness of the
day was Charles 4. Lenahan, the
| young man whom the defense con
tends was mistaken for Durrant by
Pawnbroker Oppenheim. Lenahau.
who does not bear Il striking resem-
blance to the prisoner, said that on
April 3 he attempted to pawn a small
diamond ring. similar TO the one worn
by Blanche Lamont. at Oppenheim's
shop. The witness said that he asked
Oppenheim the same questions and
received the same answers that OPP
penheim quoted in relating the CONVEX
sation he had with the young man
whom ~Oppenheim testified was Dur
rant. Then came the surprise to the
defense. which cOunteraCted nearly all
the strength gained from the witness
testimony. Lenahan said he tried to
pawn the ring in the afternoon. while
O%ppenheim testified that Durrant en-
tered his shop in the Morning. At
torney Deuprey was &c nSiderahly dis
concerted by the statement Of the wit
ness and e~ndeavOred TO impeaCh Len
ahan's testimony by reading a letter
written by Lenahan to the attorneys
for the defense in which he divulged
the fact that he had tried to pawn a
small diamond ring at ~Oppenhcim's
on the same day that Durrant was said
to have entered the place. The court
interrupted Deuprey. however. and re-
fused to let him read only such parts
of the letter as referred to the Ques-
ton at iSrue. Deuprey then asked that
the letter be admitted in evidence, and
at the close of the struggle over this
move court adjourned.
The court refused to admit the whole
letter in evidence. as some passages
were devoted TO the expression of the
writer's opinions as 10 the correctness
Of ~Oppenheim's testimony. The re-
mainder of the letter was admitted.
After Lenahan surprised the defense
Ivy stating that he tried TO pawn the
ring in the afternoon Attorney Deu-
prey became very suspicious of the
witness. and asked him several QueS-
tons intended to indicate that he had
transferred his sympathies from the
defense TO the prosecution. Among
other things Attorney Deuprey asked
Lenahan If he had not been Informed
by persons known to be in sympathy
with the prosecution. Deuprey also
asked him when he had sha we'd off the
moustache that he wore when he en-
tered ~Oppenheim's shop. Lenahan
said he had never worn a mustaChe in
his life. Deuprey intimatcd that he
would impeach the testimony of the
witness on this point by a statement
contained in the letter written by Len
ahan TO the attorneys for the de
Tense.
w. A. Dukes, a student at Cooper
medical college. who was expected to
give strong testimony for the prosecu-
ton, gave disappointing testimony.
Dukes said that Durrant asked him If
he could not remember that he at
tended DR.. Cheney's lecture on the af-
ternoon Of April 8. and to that end re-
called a number Of incidents said to
have taken place at the time. AL
though Dukes seat in the lecture room
was next TO D%urrant's, Dukes could
not remember whether Durrant was
there or not, and told him so. Dukes
said it was untrue, as had been report
ed, that Durrant asked him as a IA
vor that he would testify that Dur
rant attended the lecture. on the con-
trary. Dukes said that Durrant told
him he wished him TO testify only to
the facts as he remembered them.
Cav lNYnrpic,n n.+ II Thnol,,n