The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-02
DUaRANT'S FATE is DEATH.
qvl, JURY CONVICTs HIM IN TwEN-
TY-EIGHT MINUTES.

% shout or ADDFOFuA-DuFFanN de-
sant Toward the Jury and Takes
His sobbing Mother in His Arms.
SIM Francisco, Nov. Theodore Dur
-.,- murdered Blanche Lamont. That
,.as The verdict Of the jury in the case this
sf+arno7n. The jury was out IS minutes.
Tho verdict was received with a shout OF
s,-1s,I-s from the auditors who packed
Tie court room.
THE closing scene of the great trial was
fr1 of dramatic interest, pathos and ex-
c.-.meat. The district attorneys perora-
zion was an able effort. He said he had
struggled to suppress his feelings of re-
.rusuance TO the defendant, and to be alb
solutely fair to him. and to lay aside the
feelings Of horror and detestation which
hindered and oppressed him. He conf
IDENTIFY asserted that nothing had been
stated in his address to the jury which
had not been proved by competent evil
dence. Link by link. the chain had been
welded until it had been shown beyond any
doubt that DurTant had murdered Blanche
Lamont on April g. by strangulation.
The charge Of Judge Murphy occupied
little over an hour in delivery. Before
he began it Gen. Dickinson, Durrants
counsel, formally objected to the portions
Of Mr.. Barnes address. abusive in their
nature but the court considered them
proper. The charge was a cold statement
of the law, unrelieved by any side disser-
tation. 1t was very fair, and covered the
ground Of alibi, circumstantial evidence
and motive completely. The motive would
not necessarily need to be shown, as it
might not appear on the surface. Circum-
stantial evidence as to motive would ap-
ply as to other points in the case. He
stated the California law as to murder in
the first degree which involved one whose
death resulted to a victim of a criminal as
sault, whether the killing was or was not
premeditated. AS soon as the court COM
pleted the charge, Gen. Dickinson took
an exception on the ground that his honor
had not read the instructions submitted
as the defense had written them. The
jury was then given in charge of two
deputy sheriffs and conducted to the jury
room.
Suppressed excitement was manifested
throughout the court room and the corri-
doris outside during the wait which sue
ceeded the departure of the jury. There
was a great deal of speculation as to how
long the jury would remain out. The
general opinion among those who had fol-
lowed the trial was that an agreement
would be soon reached, but, owing to
the mass OF evidence, IL was LnOuSnL
possible that the jury might remain out
all night The result showed that the
jurymen had already digested the evil
dence, and that the overwhelming case
which the prosecution had piled up against
the accused had left them no option and
not even room Tor doubt.
The jury, upon reaching the room, Sc
lected Warren Dutton for foreman and
then balloted. The first ballot was for
Immediately sent to the court room, and
Judge Murphy sent for the jury. While
this was going on, Durrant sat in the
court room beside his counsel convers-
ing with his mother and several of her
AS soon as Mrs. Durrant learned that
the jury was coming in her demeanor
changed from one of gaiety and a look of
dread came to her face which was not re-
fected in that of her son., He stoically
watched the jurymen as they took their
seats as if to get from their features the
import of the verdict which their early re-
turn portended.
AS Foreman Dutton pronounced the YER
dict of guilty of murder in the first degree
the large audience, which had listened in
perfect silence for the words which he
was to utter, rose and uttered yell which
echoed far out in the corridors.
Most of those in the audience were wo
men. The cries which went up from them
fell upon the ear of the convicted murder
er's mother like a blow and it seemed to
bring her first realization of the force OF
the words of the jury's foreman. Her face
was aVerted as she had nerved herself for
the ordeal; but though possessed of mar
velous courage, cry burst from her lips,
followed by a hysterical outburst of sobs.
AS he listened intently to the words
which sealed his fate, Durrant partially
rose from his seat. The look on his face
was one of defiance, and it was apparent
that he had il in mind to address the
jury. The first cry from his mother
changed ms MIND, II ne had such an IN
lentlon. He sat down, turned to his
mother and took her fOndly in his arms.
She rested her head on his shoulder, and
with his left arm about her slender form,
a tender
her with his left hand and with his right
hand stroking her hair. He seemed OBJ
llFlOus to the fact that a verdict which
brought death to him had been read, OBJ
AFlous to everything, except the weeping
woman who had sat patiently by his side
through the long trial, cheering him with
words Of hope. If his display was one of
nerve, it was marvellous, and if of calous-
ness to any but filial sensations, it was
equally marvellous.
The triumphant shout from the 500
throats in the court room had been hushed
tle DalliIs ana huSh Iell upon the
crowd when Judge Murphy began to ad-
dress the jury. He assured them that
lhey had his thanks for the manner in
winch they had performed their duty, and
he believed they would have the thanks
OF the entire community: AS the jurymen
marched by Durrant and his mother, they
an looked sympathetically upon the sad
PLIi PLlC1uIS OF me weeping woman upon the
snoulder Of her condemned son.
Ihen Judge Murphy announced that
next Friday he would pass sentence upon
Durrant and at the same time he would
fix the time for beginning the trial Of
Jams
The verdict of the jury meets with gen.
elal appreciation. The town is tom ght
Wild over it and it resembled the after
lnath of an election. Durrant himself
takes il cOOlly and says he has not yet lost
nope His attorney will take an appeal to
the supreme court on a bill of EXCEPTIONS
the material for which was accumulated
during the trial
The material for the Minnie Williams
Ilal mas all been gathered and the urOs-
ecution is prepared to go right ahead
with it, 1t is certain that Judge MurEby
VII set an early day for the hearing.
-he general impression is that the result
!A That case will be the same as the one
lust concluded. Considerable matter bear
ing on the facts was developed during the
al OF the Lamont case, and since the
ifrilmlnary examination, much new evil
4rnce has been gathered. So far as know H.
l'lffants defense in the case vt II De
..tel VIII be as weak as it was in the
l-l- just closed.
EeDort of the Canal Commission.
Washington, Nov. 1-As required by
-a"- the report of the Nicaraguan canal