Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-04-23

San Francisco, April 22.-For hours
before the preliminary examination Of
Theodore Durant commenced to-day a
crowd commenced to gather and squads
OF policemen were stationed in differ
ent parts Of the room on the lookout
for cranks who have written threaten
ing letters to Judge Conlon. Before
the court opened at II o'clock 5000 peo-
pie surrounded the hall and filed the
approaches.
The prisoner looked pale and con-
cerned, but showed no emotion. A pho
tographer exhibited several photos Of
the scene in the church and two en-
larged pictures Of Marian Williams,
showing the wounds and the work Of
the physicians were exhibited and at
tracted much attention. They exhib-
tied revolving sight.
When the name Of A. 2. Williams,
the father of the dead girl, was called,
a young woman rushed to the stand
and said that no one should testify be
fore her. She gave the name Of WV
hanson, and said that she would be the
one to judge Durant and ordered him
released. The police tried to remove
her, but she would
NOT LET THEM TOUCH HER,
but left the stand voluntarily after
some words. She handed an incoher-
enJ letter TO the clerk She said she
was sent by God to judge Durant.
The woman was Subsequently iden-
tilted as Laura Lucy Gould - illiam-
son, OF 10 Leavenworth street. She
declares herself 10 be an "emisary of
Coo" She disappeared after being re
moved from the court room.
A. e. Williams then took the stand
and identified the pOcketboOk found in
Durants Overco2t as one he had given
mis- daughter.
Sergeant Burk testified as to the
finding of the pocketb0ok He said
there was bunch Of twelve keys in
the same pocket and a single key Of
the Yale pattern. The officer stated
that one key that was in the bunch
when he found the ring in the over
coat pocket was missing.
The case will be continued to-mor-
row.
THE POLICE ARE CONFIDENT
as ever, and Chief of Detectives Lees.
who has returned TO this city from q
%
church, hearing reports of his subor-
didates and counseling with the Chiet
of Police, has expressed himself as in
readiness to proceed with the case.
New witnesses were found to-day in
the persons of three young ladies who
positively identified Durant as a man
who had spoken 10 them on the night
of the murder near the church between
9 and 9:15 o'clock He mistoOk them
for acquaintancas and after recogniz-
ing his error, apologized and turned
away. Miss Williams was killed be-
tween s and 9 o'clock that night.
A dispatch from Napa, Gala, says
that Allen Church, who has been close
ly associated with some of the Eman-
uel Church people, stated in an inter
view:
AS soon as I heard Minnie Williams
was murdered. l connected Durant
with the murder, as he had been most
intimate with her and I knew that he
had key that would unlock but would
not lock the side door. I have known
Durant for five years and have warned
Minnie Williams against going with
him.
THE IMPORTANT PART
of this statement lies in the declara-
tion that Duraut's key would unlock
but not lock the side door Of the
church. 1t viii be remembered that
the murderer left the side door un-
fastened in making his escape from
the scene Of his crime Church Wiz
be questioned by the police.
The TWO murders furnished a topic
for four or five ministers to discourse
on yesterday to their congregations
Durant maintains a cheerful de-
meanor. He still denies his guilt and
says he has a suspicion as to who the
guilty party is, but refuses to give