Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-09-09
THE TRIAL OF DURRANT.
District Attorney Barnes Makes the
Opening Address to the

San Francisco CAL, Sept 3-The tax
ing of testimony in the case of Theodore
Durrant, the young medical student, for
the atrocious murder Of Blanche La
mont a school girl, in Emanuel Baptist
church last April, was begun this morn
ing 1t took from July % to last Friday
to get a jury and the remainder of the
trial will probably take as long again.
Durrant is as calm and collected as
ever. Some time ago he shaved his up
per lip and had his hair cut close, two
changes that were against him, for they
revealed his heavy sensual lip and enOr-
! nous development Of the back head,
which is recognized as the seat of ami
NAL passions. Intense interest has been
taken in the case from the start. Dur
rant is either an exemplary young Chris
tan and the victim of a strange link of
eliminating circumstantlal happenings,
or he is a cool, methodical, calculating
fend; q paranOiac more daring than
Jack the Ripper and a monster who
turned a house of worship into a slaugh-
ter house for the qualification of the
baSeSt passions.
AS SOON as court had convened, Dis
trict Attorney Barnes outlined the posi-
ton OF the state. He said:
At this point in the trial and before pro-
ceeding with the evidence it becomes my
duty as a representative of the people to
make what is called the opening statement
of the case. The opening statement should
not be regarded by you in the light of tes-
timony, neither should it be regarded as an
argument upon the facts. 1t should not
have any weight with you, nor should you
consider it as mitigating against the pris1
oner. 1t is merely a statement of what
the people expect to proye-a statement of
the evidence which they intend to set for
your consideration and upon which they will
confidently rely for a verdict at your hands
which shall sweep away the sophistrles and
1,0x n1nYNA f1f
inal proceedings in this state as with gar
ment and shall declare that the land we live
in is blessed not only with the manifold
gifts of nature and Of God to man, but is
further blessed with the hard clear common
sense that can rise above the tOrtuous en-
vironments that surround the criminal and
punish crime committed in the manner re-
quired and demanded by all laws both hui
man and divine.
We will show you that in the month of
September, 1894, Blanche Lamont, young
girl about 20 years of age, came to San Fran
cisco from her home at Dillon, Mont, in the
hope that the mild climate of California
side with her aunt and uncle Mr.. and Mrs.
c. G.. Noble, and from the time of her ar
rival here until April she was engaged in
girl in any sense of the word. She was Of
a quiet disposition, home excepting ard relig-
ious. She never attended parties, theaters
or other places of amusement except in COM
pany with her relatives. We will show that
Blanche Lamont in her lifetime was we'll,
too we'll, and yet not we'll enough acquaint-
ed with the prisoner Durrant; THAI he was
in the habit of accompanying her home from
church; that he was a caller upon her at
her auat's house: that upon the only occa-
sion upon which she ever went anywhere
with any young man, as far as we are in
formed, she visited the park one afternoon
in company with Dnrrant we will give you
far as we are able, up to the Sd of April,
1895, III order that you may form just APP
probation of the character and the habits
nf nm
show you her connection with the defend
ant and we will show you the. reason why
when the murdered body Of Blanche La
Emanuel church. the question sprang
from the lips of every resident Of this city
and Of this country: ''Who is the murder
erT'
Why is it that the state answers that he
WHO was responsible for the slaughter of
this ypnf G o M he Hendy Of Bsnehe
Sunday school library; Dgrfant o91ne eee IS
gstant superintendent of the -, EMdnsie d,
9aax B 5eif29 ak f H. rs &5dis IL e Of
great building; and now Durrant, the priSS,.
oner and on trial for his life. We sEdil
and n1s shalI l. d$ by irrefutabe and un
6TsWera BILE evidence that he, and he alone,
committed the murder.
If we SHOW you these facts if we show
you that Durcant met this Inflated girl on
the day of her death; that he accompanied
her to the church; that he was seen to enter
the church with her; that he was seen
afterwards in the church alone; that
Blanche Lamont was rever again seen by
human eyes from the moment when she
entered the portals of Emanuel church with
the defendant; that in the church was found
her dead body; her clothes, her school books
showing that she had never been home and
that she had gone straight from her school
to her death-if we show you as we conf
IDENTIFY expect that no one but the prisoner
could have committed this outrageous and
horrible crime, we shall look to you as
citizens of the great state whose reputs,
tion for justice and for enforcement Of the
Jaws we as its officers are trying to uphold
20 render your verdict that the prisoner at
the bar is guilty Of murder in The first de-
gree.