The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-03
MUST STAND TRIAL,
Durrant Held Without
Bail for Miss Will
Iiams' Murder.
COMMENT OF THE COURT.
The Crime Denounced as
Worse Than Those of Jack
the Ripper.
MISS LAMONTS CASE BEGUN.
She and Durrant Seen Together
. by Four Witnesses on
:, April 3.
MISS LAMONTs CASE BEGUN

dOre Durrant, charged with having muir
dered Miss Minnie Williams and Miss
Blanche Lamont, has been before the pub
lie of late, the interest taken in the case,
owing to the shocking character of the
crimes and the mystery that still so largely
: surrounds them, remains undated. This
was intensified yesterday by the fact that
1t was known that Judge Conlan was to
render his decision in the matter of the
preliminary examination of DuTant on
the charge of having murdered Minnie
Williams and was also to take up the pre-
liminary hearing in the Blanche Lamont
ease.
When the court opened the usual crowd
of morbid-minded people was present. The
: absence of women was, however, a notice
able feature.
%. Upon taking his seat Judge Conlan re-
ouested the clerk to call the case of Theo-
.dore Uurrant, charged with the murder of
Minnie Williams. He then rendered his
decision, saying:
j.: "When this crime, one of the most re-
voting murders ever committed, was
brought to light, wave of horror swept
over the community and the land. Never
before, to the knowledge of this court,
has such a horror been uncovered. The
Jack the Ripper crimes can hardly be
compared with these. Those crimes had
for their victims women of bad character,
and they were committed in the shady
quarter of London, where a man would
scarcely dare to appear in the broad light
of day. But this crime was committed
right here in the respectable quarter of
this community in a sacred edifce and the
victim was good and pure creature.
certainly find that the murder has been
committed. Now as to the defendants
connection with it, l shall take very
short view of the testimony
The court said it appeared that Durrant
was we'll acquainted with the, unfortunate
girl, Minnie Williams. He was member
Of the church of which she was also a MEM
Der Their social acquaintance was COM
plete. The evidence showed that the
defendant had visited her at her home in
Alameda. and that he was seen in COM
pany with her the day before her death.
Itwas also shown that he was seen waiting
at the ferry on the afternoon of the muir
der, apparently waiting for her to come
over 70 the city. A man answering the
description of the prisoner was seen with a
., woman answering the description of Miss
Williams at the church that fatal
evening. The identity of Durrant here is
not complete but taken with the other
facts the evidence is significant
- The court then recited the evidence that
Miss Williams had come to her death on
the evening OF April II, about o'clock
He referred to the fact Of the finding of the
+. girls purse in the possession of the defend
ant and to all the other incidents in rela-
.tiOn to the meeting of the Christian En-
=: deavor Society, and the prisoners conduct
D.: and appearance. The court then said !:
- a complete chain surrounds Durrant;
not only that, but to cap the whole matter
the personal property Of the dead girl was
found in the pocket of the defendant
overcoat. There certainly is sufficient to
send him to a jury to determine his guilt
or innocence. l will deny the motion to
: dismiss and release him on ball."
Attorney Dickinson then renewed his
motion to admit the defendant to bail.
The reply of Judge Conlan was: "Let the
order be that the defendant be held to an
swer the charge of murder in the Superior
Court without bail"
Both sides announcing themselves as
ready to go on with the preliminary ex-
animation in the case of Blanche Lamont,
Mrs. Charles G. Noble, the aunt Of Blanche
. Lamont, was called to the stand She re-
81 peated the testimony given at the inquest
Wednesday, and identified the clothing
worn by Miss Lamont on the Sd of April,
a.ld also went over the circumstances at
tending her disappearance on that dav.
= had come to her house and offered to
search for Blanche. He had said that he
believed she was in some house, and that
Clarence Wolfe knew lots of places the
police did not know and would help him
to find the girl. The witness identified the
schoolbooks carried by Blanche and the
strap used to tie them together
Mrs. Noble was asked to identify certain
writing in the books, but said she was
bad hand at judging writing. She thought,
though, the writing had been done by
Blanche. Other exhibits were shown, the
object being to get an Identification of Miss
:: Lamont's handwriting
e. General Dickinson went deep into the
question of handwriting and caused everv-
body in the court to wonder what use the
: defense hoped to make of the testimony.
The only writing that has so far cut any
figure in the case was that which appeared
, on: the margin of the newspaper sent to
Mrs. Noble inclosing the rings worn by
Blanche.
: The names of George R. King and Pro-
lessor Schernsteln were written on the pa
per, and it was conjectured that the de-
tense wanted to show that Blanche Lamont
had written them, the theory being that
she had not been killed at all, and that the
body found in the steeple was that of
somebody else.
=. The witness said that DR.. Vogel accom-
sion when the latter offered to search for
Blanche. Durrant did all the talking. He
said that Blanche was such a good girl
that she thought everybody was as good as
she was and she might have been taken
advantage of.
Mrs. Mobiles husband had said that sit
was no place for young men to 60" mean
ing the kind of houses Durrant had pro-
posed to search.
In the discussion as to what had become
of Blanche Mrs. Noble said that some one
had suggested that some of the young men
belonging to the church had spirited her
away, but that she rejected that idea. She
never dreamed that any of the church
members would do such thing.
"After the disappearance of Blanche
who came to the house to inquire about
her?'
''Mrs. Corwin and Grace Corwin, Mrs.
G. J. Cheney, Mrs. E. Worth, Miss Fall,
Miss Daisy Wolfe, Clarence Wolfe, Mrs.
Taber, Mr.. Gibson, Mrs. Underhill, Miss
Kingsbury, teacher of the High School,
and lady who was a deaconess in the
Methodist church, and DR.. Vogel and Mr..
Durrant."
The witness was asked if she had en-
-ployed anybody to act as detective for
her in finding Blanche Lamont. She said
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