The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-12

SAN FRANCISCO. Sept. 1.-THE
trial of Theodore Durrant is becoming
more interesting.
The district attorney has proved the
death of Blanche Lamont. and has
established that the body found in the
belfry of Emanuel church was her
corpse, and that the clothing hidden
in the rafters of the edifice was worn
by the girl on the day she disappeared.
The prosecution is now putting in
evidence connecting the prisoner with
the crime.
The. witnesses for the people will be
called in chronological order, the inten-
ton being to form a chain of evidence,
the links of which will be testimony
showing the movements of the muir
dered girl and the defendant on the
fatal 3rd of April.
Her Weight.
The district attorney tried by vari-
Gus pretexts to ascertain the weight
of Blanche Lamont at the time of her
death. the object being to show that
she was not too heavy to be carried
by one man UP into the church belfry
All questions looking for this informa-
ton were objected to by the defense
as hearsay and overruled. Finally
however, when Maud Lamont, sister
of the murdered girl, was on the stand,
the fact was ELECTED that last Septem-
Der Blanche was weighed and her
weight found to be lis pounds. Her
sister thought she had gained about
seven pounds. This was a point for
the prosecution. The autopsy surgeon
had testified on cross-examination that
although the corpse had not been
weighed he considered the weight to
be about $40 pounds.
The prosecution will now show that
when the surgeon viewed the corpse,
the girl had been dead ten days, and
that with modification the corpse had
become swollen so as to appear heavier
than was actually the case. The de-
Tense fought the introduction of this
evidence hard. but it was allowed by
the court
Damaging Testimony.
The first witness today sJas Mrs.
Noble, aunt of Blanche Lamont. On
cross-examination, she denied that she
first came here from Montana, nov,
Theodore, l wish you would make it
as pleasant and agreeable as you can
I for these girls of NINE The witness
said the only occasion when Durrant
had taken Blanche out alone was in
! the afternoon. Then they had been to
the park and had remained away so
long that Durrant voluntarily apollo
Sized, although the witness had not
| been anxious at their absence.
after Blanche disappeared" the
witness continued, "Durrant came to
my house with DR.. Vogel to consult
about her absence. He turned to me
and said: Blanche was such a good
! girl, she believed everybody else was
as good as herself and in that way
she might have been carried off,
The Ring Identified.
| Maud Lamont told about Durrant' S
attentions to her and her sister, cor
roborating her aunt's testimony on
that point. Maud positively identified
the ring with chip diamond as hers.
| She said she had exchanged with
Blanche, each wearing the others ring.
! This was one of the rings returned to
Mrs. Noble, wrapped up in news
paper, on the edge Of which was
printed the names of George King, the
church organist, and Professor Schern-
stein, an elderly music teacher Shis
same ring was positively identified at
the preliminary examination by a sec
ond hand dealer named Oppenheim. as
one offered to him for sale by Durrant
after Blanche disappeared. The wit
ness identified the clothing found in
the belfry as worn by her sister on the
morning of her disappearance.
| Adjourned until tomorrow