The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-08-01
IS BROUGHT TO TRIAL
The Durrant Case Now Before
the Court.
THE NEWSPAPERS SIZED UP
Proceedings Begin by the Defendants
Counsel Moving for "a Change of
Venue-HO dimes Tragedies.

Venue-H dimes Tragedies.
San Francisco, July 24.-Hundreds
of people surrounded the county Jail
this morning, eager to see William
Henry Theodore Durrant taken to the
new city hall to be tried for the MUIR
der of Blanche Lamont and Minnie
Williams, in Emanuel church last
April. 1t was supposed that Durrant
would be kept i'll Jail until near the
time for commencing the trial. The
waiting crowds were disappointed. At
S:45 Sheriff Whalen sent his private
buggy to the county Jail. Durrant and
Chief Jailer Satler entered this open
buggy and started alone for the city
hall. No one saw them start except
the deputy jailers. Durrant was not
handcuffed and the pair attracted no
attention as they drove quietly through
the streets. The early hour disap-
pointed watchers at both ends of the
journey. After Durrant had passed
into the courtroom where he was taken
for safety, crowds began to gather at
the Jail and all the streets in the vicin-
ity were black with people until long
after the hour for opening the court.
People early filled the corridors lead
ing to the courtroom of Superior Judge
Murphy, before whom Durrant is to be
tried.
A squad of deputy sheriffs and de-
tectives kept the crowd on the move,
until the regular hour for opening the
court. Deputies guarded both doors of
the courtroom and admitted none but
jurors, attorneys and newspaper men.
These occupied all the seats in the
room, all chairs being taken out, and
Judge Murphy peremptorily ordered
that none others be admitted.
Durrant's father, who greatly re-
sembles his son, and who looks to be
only about the same age, was early at
court to meet his son. The two sat in
quiet conversation as the room gradu-
ally filled up. When Durrant was
first arrested his mustache hid his
mouth, and his long hair gave him
the appearance of a student. Now
his closely cropped hair gives him the
appearance of criminal. and his
clean shaver lips reveal the coarse sen
suality of his mouth. Three months
confinement in Jail have made his nat
urally colorless complexion even more
pallid and pasty. He is fatter than
when arrested, and his eyes were very
bright as he glanced around the room.
1t is only by an effort that Durrant
seems able to fix his attention ON one
subject but he frequently forces him
self to concentrate his eyes and mind
The defendant was represented by
Attorneys Deuprey, Dickinson, and
Thompson. District Attorney Barnes
personally appeared for the prosecu-
ton, accompanied by Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Peixotto. Captain of
Detectives Lees and all the detectives
under him were in or about the court
room. When Judge Murphy said,
1.-THE case of w. II. T. Durrant, muir
DER" Barnes said, 81 am ready for the
people, Attorney Dickinson for the
defendant, then formally moved for
change of venue stating that if it
should appear that it would be impOs-
sible to secure an unbiased jury or
should state of feeling be enveloped as
would render fair trial improbable he
would reserve the right to renew his
action which he asked the judge now
to pass upon. In support of his action
Dickinson said he would sumbit aft
davits of the defendant. The judge
insisted that the affidavits should be
read although the counsel said that
the reading would occupy today and to-
morrow. Attorney Deuprey then began
to read Durrant's affidavit which
stated that owing to publications in the
local press the minds of the public are
infamed against the defendant and
the press and the people are violently
prejudiced against him so that he be-
lieved he could not have fair trial. In
support of this statement Deuprey read
as part of the affidavit excerpts from
three morning and three evening pa
pers published in San Francisco in
GLIDING practically every thing that has
been written about the Durrant muir
der.
The reading of Durrant's affidavit
occupied the court until noon. An
adjournment was then taken until 2.
Thereafter the reading of the affidavit
with the newspaper clippings occupied
the court without interruption during
the rest of the afternoon.