The herald., 1895-10-24
DURRANT'S NECK IN DANGER
The Attempt at Defense Is Worse Than
Useless
A Review of the Testimony Shows that De-
fendant's Evidence Has Strengthened
the Prosecutions Case


tDlS dIteTOOH DlStrlCl httOTuey
Barnes announced that while he would
not formally close the case for the people
he would undoubtedly do 50 the first
thing tomorrow morning. Mr.. Barnes
notified the attorneys for the defense that
at most he would have but one more wit
ness, whose examination would last but
few minutes. The case would have
ended in a pyrotechnic display OF sensa-
tions today if the testimony that was in
troduced had not been printed SO often
before that it was familiar to every body.
Miss Carrie Cunningham. newspaper
reporter, who visited Duirant in prison
frequently, testified that Durrant told her
he saw Blanche Lamont on the second
floor of the belfry, where she was muir
dered While engaged in fixing the sun
burner, Miss Cunningham said he told
her, he heard a suspicious nose in the
belfry which attracted his attention. He
crept along tina ceiling OF the church un-
til he came to the belfry casing. where he
looked through q crack and saw Miss La
mont
Miss Cunningham 8 testimony was OBJ
tanned only after a great number OF OBJ
jections made by the defense had been
argued and ruled upon. An effort was
also made to secure statement from the
witness with regard to an alleged confes-
sion made by Durrant, but the court sus
tained an objection to the question. On
one of Miss Cunningham visits to the
prisoner he is said to have shown her an
envelope addressed to his attorneys.
Iuarked ITO pe opened if l am conviGt-
ed, and to be returned II l am acquitted
The witness was sui jected to a search
ing cross.examination, in which an
effort was made to show the means to
which she had res .rted 10 obtain inter-
views with Durrant. She said that at the
suggestion of the newspaper by which
she was employed she expressed the
greatest friendship for the prisoner and
and flowers. She denied that she ever
took an oath ana kissed the Bible after
promising Durrant not to publish any
thing he told her. She said she promised
Ourrunt she would not publish anything
he told her and kept her word.
Only two witnesses besides Miss Gun
ningham were examined today. Both
were physicians. Their testimony was
important from the fact that 1t shows
that Durrant did not have the appearance
OF n man who had been partly asphyxi-
ated when he met Organist King in the
church on the afternoon of April Sd.
King testified that Durrant was pale and
trembling when he saw him. When on
the stand the prisoner corroborated
Kings testimony.
Drs. May and Rosenstern, who we're ex
amined today, testified that the first
effect of gas was to flush the face and
lips and intiame the eyes. Durrant, ac-
cording to his own statement, had neither
of the symptoms. The physicians also
testified that man who for five min
utes had been subjected to the fumes of
escaping gas from twentyfour jets would
be insenslble.
The Evening Post. in commenting upon
the close of the case, says:
Now that the evidence in behalf OF the
man charged with the Emanuel church
murders is all in, it is fair to compare
what has been proved with the promises
in the opening statement to the Jury,
when he said he would prove beyond a
doubt the innocence of the accused. With
apparent sincerity he stated he would
furnish an unaSsailable alibi. which
would be supported by the strongest kind
of testimony. Hs further said he would
mpeach the chief witnesses OF the prose-
cution and even went so far as to claim
that befor1 the defense was all in it would
he shown that another man than Dur
rant was the murderer. He pointed the
finger of suspicion at the Rev. John
George Gibson, but did not go so far as o
charge HIM with the strangling Of
Blanche Lamont and the murder and
mutilation of Minnie Williams.
How the oefense has failed is matter
ali I,ao ,pf
been established. and the testimony of
the numerous witnesses called to sustain
it in an indirect way impeachss the story
told by the defendant on the stahd. 1he
page in the roll call kept by DR.. Cheney
is all that stands between the prisoner
and the scaffold. If there is one juror OF
the twelve who believes II correct the
prisoners life will be saved. The prose-
cution has shown. however, that it is q
mere COPY and an erroneous one at that.
1t can easily be appreciated that the
document has very little weight, especial
ly as it is i'm peacned by the negative tes-
timony of seventy-four students and Or.
Cheney, who have sworn that they have
no recollection of Durrant's attendance
at the lecture on April 81.
The effort of the defense to impeach
the testimony of the leading witnesses for
the prosecution amounted to nothing.
The attempt to prove Durrant innocent
lcll Hde, 40 HOt a FcStiEO VI S''NSi'SS
was presented points to such conclu
sion. In fact, the case OF the prisoner
was stronger at the close OF the case for
the people, So far as tho Rev. John
George Gibson is concerned, not fact
has bean produced to connect him with
the case in any manner.
George Il. King is annoyed, put not
exercised over the rumor current i'll tbs
Mission to the effect that he has no alibi
for the night Minnie Williams was MUIR
derad. The young man thinks he Is more
competent to settle the question of his
whereabouts on the evening of the 18th
of April than the residents Of the Mission.
He claims that he can establish COM
plete alibi for that fateful night in April,
and that he can produce witnesses to tell
where he was at certain hours and how
he passed his time. He is very confident
concerning the reliability of his alibi,
and rIdicules the possibility OF it's being
shattered. He says he passed the even
rg, as he often did other evenings, at
he Tivoli, and that nothing unusual oc-