The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-08
A DUMMY IN BLANcHE'S eARB.
STANDS. EVER SILENT, NEAR THE
WITNESSES CHAIR IN COURT.

Sensational and Realistic Features
Introduced I'm the Trial OF Theo.
Durnnt for Murder-Iutense Inter-
est ana Excitement Are Visible In
the Faces OF the Audience, But
DurRnt's Gaze Is Ever Cold and His
Expression NOnchaIant A. His
Eyes Rest on the Murdered Girls
Emgy Clothed A. in Life.
San Francisco. Cal. Sept. Though
yesterday was the fourth day of the trial
of w. H. 7. Durant. the prosecution is
still a good distance from its testimony.
if it has any. which will prove beyond a
doubt that the mild-mannered, well-bred
little man is one who committed the
fiendish double tragedy at Emanuel Bap-
tist church A fresh stage in the Du-
rant murder case was reached yesterday,
a stage which was thrilling in its horror
and kept the crowded court room almost
gasping with interest.
The story of the finding OF Blanche Ia
monts clothes that were hidden away
among the rafters Of Emanuel church
the man who found them, and as each
torn, ragged bit of clothing was shown the
crowd swayed with excitement There
was just one man in all that crowd who
seemed not to feel that interest. This
is the man who, of all others might have
been expected to shudder and cover his
eyes when the clothes were exposed
the man accused of the murder OF the girl
who wore the garments when she was
last seen alive.
The entrance of these garments happened
soon after the noon recess. A man bear
ing a burden pushed through the crowd
and into the court room. No one could
see exactly what he held in his arms, but
Il appeared to be a wOman's form. What
the bailim brought into court was really
harmless enough simply a dressmakers
dummy, over which had been draped
Blanches basque and skirt.
In order to make It realistic, however,
the dummy was as near as could be made
the dead girls hight and figure, a tall,
slight girlish figure. undeveloped, but
still not lacking in grace. The basque and
skirt were torn and wrinkled, but the tears
were pinned up in part, and the gown
draped so as to show much as 1t must have
been when its wearer was alive.
There stood the dresmakers dummy be-
side the witness stand. and there IL re-
mained all the afternoon, and to the excited
imagination of attendants on the Durant
trial-and it is a trial which sets the cool
est nerve on edge-the poor figure seemed
like an accusing presence,
Men and women shuddered as they look
ed at 1t. 1t made Blanche Lamont, who,
under the fuss and technicalities of the
trial, seem more like an abstraction. one of
the conditions in a game, the stakes OF
which were Theodore Durant's life. IL
made her appear young girl, who had
really lived and whose bright young life
had been cut short by O fiend.
Probably nothing in the trial has done
so much to revive the thrill of horror
that swept over the country when IL was
first known that two young girls had
been outraged and murdered in the
church.
A new witness has been discovered by
the prosecution in the person of II. J..
Shalmounts, the street car conductor,
whose car reached Mission street day
after day in time to receive Blanche
Lamont as a passenger. Having TO be at
the school house at certain hour, the
pretty school girl had made it habitual
to take the same car every morning. From
the Mission street line she transferred
at Ninth street to the Lark street branch
on the Sutton street road.
Shalmount came to know her face. He
noticed that she was a very pretty school
girl and always seemed to be unaccom-
panied. On the morning Of April this
rule was broken. Shalmount observed that
Blanche was accompanied by a young
man whom he did not know. The con-
ductor was particularly attracted to the
couple by their laughter and conversa-
ton. They seemed busted in some in
teresting discussion Of their books TO
which now and again they would refer.
Shalmount took a good look at Blanche's
go panion. and when the pictures OF
Theodore Durant were subsequently pub
lished, the conductor knew that the girls
escort on the morning OF April was
the young man who stood accused of a
double murder.
AS the prosecution wiz endeavor to
trace in accurate and logical detail the
movements of Theodore Durant and
Blance Lamont upon the fatal day, this
new witness is looked upon as one of
great Importance. He will draw the con-
nection between the two as he saw them
upon his car and begin the recital Of a
terrible story. which the prosecution con-
hdenty expects to see end In the sentence
Of death.