The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-25

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 24-The
case for the prosecution in the trial OF
Theodore Durrant for the murder Of
Blanche Lamont closed this afternoon.
Today was spent in putting the fin
ishing touches to the testimony against
the accused. Witnesses were sum-
moned who, while they furnished no
additional links in the chain of circum-
stances against Durrant, We're dragged
in by the district attorney to strengthen
the entire case by filling in the weak
places. The testimony of all the wit
nesses today was brief. The chief
point which the prosecution sought to
establish today was that Theodore
Durrant had said that the last time
he had seen Miss Lamont was when he
parted from her on the night of April
3. she going to school, he to the Cooper
Medical college.
Durrant's Statement.
In all his statements regarding the
I disappearance of Blanche Lamont, the
defendant stuck to that declaration.
Detective Anthony, who arrested Dur
rant when off on a jaunt with the
signal corps, testified today that Dur
rant had made that statement 10 him
when returning to the city after the
arrest. DR.. Thomas A. VOgel a mem
Der of Emanuel church, and an init
mate acquaintance Of both Blanche
4 Lamont and Durrant, stated on the
witness stand that Durrant had to
him, on the Sunday after the girls dis
/ appearance, made the same sta tement
about the last time he had seen
Blanche, thus zorro bOrating Officer
Anthony and several newspaper re-
/ pOrters who have already testified in
( the case. That Durrant's story of his
/ last meeting with Miss Lamont was to
be questioned by the prosecution was
evidenced by the testimony elected
from Mrs. VOgel Miss Lanigan, Miss
/ Edwards and Mrs. Morgan, all of
whom stated that they saw Durrant
with Miss Lamont on a Powell street
/ car a 8 o'clock on the afternoon Of
her disappearance,
To Score Point.
The prosecution expects to score a.
/ strong point by demonstrating to the
! jury that the prisoner made false
statements regarding his movements
and the associations with the girl who
/ he is charged with having murdered.
| The district attorney, it is said will
make use Of the matter in his address
to the jury and will use it as the basis
/ of an argument, the gist of which will
be that Durrant's first statements wer-
/ inspired by a sinister motive If he
had nothing to hide, it is argued, he
would have told the truth about his
! last meeting with the girl. That was
/ the reason for the evidence of Anthony
and VOgel.
The plumbers who repaired the gas
fixtures in Emanuel church on April
2 were also called today.
The Gas Story.
William Stirling. one of these gas
/ filters, explained the work he per
! formed in putting new tips on the gas
/ burners. He said that on April ? when
1 he left the church no gas was escap-
/ ing. He did not work there on April 3.
the day Blanche is alleged to have been
/ murdered. but on the 4th he returned
1 to the church and no gas was notice
able.
The attorney for the defense cross
examined this witness at length. his
intention being to show that an i'm
mense quantity of gas escaped while
the repairs were in progress. the object
being to justify the assertion made by
I Durrant that he was overcome by gas
fumes in the belfry, and not from ex-
element caused by exertions in kill
ing Blanche Lamont.
DR.. c. e. Farnum, demonstration OF
anatomy at Cooper Medical college,
was called to testify that the blocks
placed under the dead body of Blanche
were laid in the same manner as I'M
der a subject in the dissecting room.
Harry Partridge, a fellow student Of
Durrant swore that about week after
Blanche had disappeared Durrant had
told him the girl had either met with
foul play or had been led astray, ad-
ding that she was innocent and would
unsuspectingly respond to any adj
vances made her
Professor Charles Shernstern and Or
ganist George P. King each denied
writing his name on Slip of news
which were returned to Mrs. Noble,
aunt of the dead girl.
Allen Church, a former janitor OF
Emanuel church, said Durrant had
key which would unlock all the rooms
in the interior of the church. He had
frequently seem him opening these
various rooms.
The prosecution then rested and the
defense asked a continuance until to-
morrow.
Durrant's attorneys wish to ask a
few questions Of several witnesses
who have already testified and promise
thereafter to proceed with the defense
Immediately. The opening statement
of the defense is awaited with much
interest
Owing to the refusal of the court to
admit evidence of the medical students
of Cooper college relative to Durrant s
attendance at the lecture on the after
/ noon of April 8. number of witnesses
summoned to testify were not called
and the prosecution, therefore, closed
it's case much earlier than it had
! planned.
ABERDEEN RECALLED.