The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-09-05
THE TRIAL OF DURRANT.
THE FIRST UITNEsS ExiuINED An
UNCLE or BLINCHE L1HONI.
The Physician Who Conducted the Autop-
~ TestiGes as TO the Cause OF her
Death-sketch of the Hcinous crime

The Physician who Conducted the Autop-
~ TestiGes "a TO the Cause OF Her
Death-sketch of the Hcinous Crime.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. A.-Tne rrs'
witross in the trial of Theodore Dusrah''
charged with the murder of Blanche La
Il cnt. was called to the stand shortly
after 10 a. NJ. in the person Of Charles
w. Noble. uncle Of the murdered girl.
lie testlhed that Miss Lamont had
lived at his house from last September
Until the 80 Of April, the day Of her
disappearance. He had last seen MS niece
alive on the morning OF that day.
Noble was then excused. and all the wit
ncsses were excluded from the court
room. After he last one had left, General
Dickinson, OF couascl for the defence,
asked that Captain Lees and Detective
Seymour also be excluded, but District
Attorney Barnes objected and Judge Muir
phy refused 30 order their retirement,
wnereupon Dickinson took an exception.
IL. j. j. Barrett, VINO conducted the
autopsy in he Lamont case. was then
called.
lie read his report from the official au-
topsy. but this brought a protest from
Attorney Dcprey. OF the defence. VINO
maintained that The original document
should be- ., odLced. Judge Murphy over
ruled the objection. but ordered the wit
ness to testify from memory, and II
necessary, be could refer 10 the book.
Witness then testified that Miss La
monts death had been caused By suIo-
cation due TO strangulation.
HISTORY OF rHE CAST.
On Saturday night. April l3. le.9. lhe
mutilatsi body of Miss Minnie Williams
was found in the library OF bm"nuei
BAPTIST church, on Bartlett street De
tween Tweniy-second and Twonty-third
streets. in San Francisco. The excitement
caused by this discovery was intensihed
on the following day, wren ihe nuuv
| body OF Blanche Lamont was fourd III
| the tower Of the same church. The young
ladies were members Of the church IN
which their bodies were found ana aiso
members of the Sunday school class. MISS
Williams was a student AT the Norman
| School on Powell street, IN San Francisco
and Miss Lamont was a companion IN a
family in Alameda, across the bay from
I San Francisco. Both were tWenty-one
years old brunettes, and pretty ana
modest girls Both had been the recipe
ents Of attentions from a young medical
student. who was W. II. T. Durrant, also
the librarian of the ,church and the
secretary Of the Young Peoples Society
Of the church.
MISS MINNIE WILLIAMS.
Miss Williams had been assaulted and
ber remains were cut and hacked, the
Girl having evidently died from the
| loss of blood. On fur.hcr examination
il was found that she had been gagged
the assailant tearing part OF her under
/ cloth.ng and forcing IL down her lhIoal
with a sharp stick, badly laceraiing her
tongue Two witnesses were found VINO
saw young man and young woman,
| the former answering the description OF
! Durrant and the latter that OF Hiss VII
| nams. enter the church. Following this
| clue. the police al once put the residence
of Dmrant under surveillance MISS
Williams lived with friends in Alame4a,
| who gave her a home until sne coulu
| secure q position. she hal nteh
regular attendant of the Emanuel church,
having formerly lived in that he4shDol-
| hood. but on the separation ol Aet
father and mother. had moved 10 Ala
media. Friday morning the Morgan lam-
| uv. with whom she had lived, packed
| their household goods, intending 10 leave
| for Tacoma. and Miss Williams had
moved her possessions to the house oi
| Mrs. NOy, near the churcn. friday
evening. April 18th, she was TO have al
! tende a meeting Of the Young Ieoplc
| Society of the Emanuel church, at Dr.
Vogels house. Al 7.l5 o'clock she left
Mrs. Voys house TO attend the meet
ing. taking a latch-key with her. She
never appeared there. About the same
time. Durrant left his home. on Fair
| oaks street. in the same vicinity, bound
| for the same meeting About O'Clock
Durrant met Philip Perkins, and asked
| him some questions about trip 10
Mount DiablO, which the signal corps,
Of which he was member, was TO make
next day. AT $3.50 he appeared at Dr.
! NoseIs. where the meeting was In pro-
| gross and none were merrier than he
during the remainder of the evening.
AT IL o'clock, he left with party OF
young people. and went home. The next
morning Durrant arose early. and went
with his comrades OF the signal corps
to Mount Diabio. fifty miles away. He
| was arrested there.
MISS BLANCHE LAMONT.
Miss Lamont had disappeared April
| 90. ten days before. Diligent search
| failed to reveal any trace OF her where
abouts. and her aunt Mrs. Noble. with
| whom she had been living. was totally
unable TO throw any light upon the affair.
Miss Lamont went from lJlnOli MONT,
| several months previously TO san Fran
| cisco, for her health, ana at the same
| time 10 attend the normal school 10
| perfect herself as q teacher. The last
| person seen in her company was Dur
| rant. who had been on friendly terms
| with the girl
on the morning Of April 18th, few
| hours before the finding of Miss VIII
| lams' body Mrs. Noble the aunt OF
| Miss Lamont. received through the mail
q paper containing the four rings worn
| Ly her niece the day she disappeared.
! On the paper were written the name ana
| address Of Theodore Durrant. This, to-
| gether with the fact that Miss Williams
was an intimate friend OF Miss Lamont
| and was heard 10 say she knew Blanche
| had been murdered. but had refused 10
| tell what she knew ana how, led the
police 10 suspect that the same man VINO
| had killed Miss Williams had slain Miss
| Lamont. and that. learning that Miss
| Williams knew Of his first crime, at
| tempted further concealment by COM
| hitting a second murder.
This led to n further search or the
church. which resulted in the finding OF
| Miss Lamont's body in the steeple. She
had been assaulted. Death had been
caused by strangulation. The body
was lying just inside the door Of the
| lower room, nude and on the floor.
Around the neck there We're n few streaks
| the marks of fingers that had been press
a. 1I.