Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-09-21
Dramatic identification of the
Prisoner at San francisco.
WITH AID OF OPERA GLASSES
The Cross. Examination Fails TO Shake
the Testimony of the Witness
on the stand.

San Francisco, Sept. 16-The first
witness today in the Durrant case was
Miss Many Lanigan, who had been a
fellow pupil of Blanche Lamont at the
normal school She testified that on
the afternoon Of April when school
was dismissed at OclOck she left the
school with Alice Pleasant, now Mrs.
DOrgan. They noticed Blanche Lamont
in company with a man whom she iden-
titled as the defendant in the present
action. When she noticed them first
Miss Lamont was smiling up at Dur
rant who was carrying her books. She
identified the dress and hat worn l,y
Blanche Lamont and also DurrantS
appearance and attire. Durrant and
Miss Lamont boarded q Powell street
car going toward Market street. AS
the car passed over the hill the witness
could still see the pair in animated
conversation.
In ross-eXamination the attorneys
for the defense tried TO shake the wit
ness Identification of the defendant
and tried to show that from her posi-
ton she only had q partial view of the
features of Miss LamOnts companion.
The witness, however, persisted that
there could be no mistake about her
identification of the prisoner She said
that she saw the man distinctly and
that there could be no doubt that he
was Durrant She admitted that she
had never seen the prisoner before
and did not see him again until after
his arrest. Then she identified him in
the office of the chief of police.
G.. A. Stevens, a gripman on the Pow
ell street line, was then called by the
prosecution to show that the Powell
street cars going south all stop at Cali
fOrnia street The testimony is i'm
pOrtant as it shows that Mrs. Dorgan
and Miss Lanigan could have had time
to take a careful look at Miss Lamont
and her escort while they were on the
car.
AN IMPORTANT WITNESS.
Mrs. Mary VOgel, a new and import
ant witness, told in straightforward
manner how she sat in her parlOr on
the afternoon Of April and noticed
"a man waiting outside the normal
school. When asked who the man was,
she pointed her finger toward Durrant
and dramatically exclaimed: There he
is" The court was dissa tisfed with
this identification, SO the witness left
the stand, walked down toward where
Durrant sat, and touching the prisoner
on the shoulder amid great excitement
in the court room, explaining: This is
the man; this is Durrant."
Continuing she said that Durrant
walked up and down in front Of the
school for over three-quarters Of an
hour. She was SO impressed with his
conduct that she procured pair of
opera glasses to observe him moro
clearly. When school was dismissed
she saw two girls emerge from the
building. She said that Durrant &C
companied them and the three boarded
a Powell street car, one going inside
and the other with Durrant taking
seats on the dummy. That evening she
told her husband about the peculiar
conduct of the young man. When Dur
rant was arrested, she recognized him
by his portrait in the newspapers. She
explained her long and careful watch,
stating that she suspected from Dur
rants actions that he was burglar.
After cross-examination lasting for
three hours, Mrs. Vogel departed, her
testimony unimpaired.
Mrs James Crossett was the last
witness of the day. She is an elderly
woman and said she had known Dur
rant we'll for four years. On the day
that Blanche Lamont was murdered
she said that she was riding in the
Valencia street car when she saw Dur
rant sitting on the dummy in company
with young woman whom she did not
know. She identified Durrant with
great positiveness.