The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-04-27
DURANT ON TRIAL
San Francisco Court Crowded to
Suffocation.
A FEW WITNESSES EXAMINED
Woman DECLARING Herself an "Emissaay
of God" Insisted on Giving
Testimony.

san Francisco, April 22.-For hours
before the preliminary examination of
Theodore Durrant commenced in Judge
Conlon's court this morning, crowd
commenced to gather and a squad of
police were stationed at the entrance
Of the hall to preserve order.
Judge Conlon's courtroom was crowd
ed to suffocation and not a few police
men were stationed in different parts
of the room on the lookout for cranks,
who have written threatening letters to
the Judge. Before the court opened,
5000 people surrounded the hall and
filled the approaches. When the defend
ant arrived all eyes were turned upon
him and he was sketched from all points
of view by the newspaper artists. The
prisoner looked pale and concerned, but
showed no emotion. A photographer
exhibited several photographs of scenes
in the church and two large pictures
OF Marian Williams showing the
wounds, and the work of physicians
were exhibited and attracted much at
tention. They presented a revolving
sight.
Mrs. Morgan, with whom Miss Will
Jams lived In Alameda, was called to the
stand. She said that she last saw Mar
ian Williams on the morning of the Goth
and that the deceased had told her
she was going to Mrs Voy's house
She knew Durrant. He had called at
her house last summer and stayed half
an hour. She had not seen him this
month.
Charles H. Morgan, husband of the
preceding witness, said that the girl
was counted as one of the family. He
could not identify the face shown in
the photographs He also failed to
identify the purse found in Durrant's
overcoat pocket.
THE CRANK APPEARS.
Here the name of A. E. Williams, the
father of the dead girl, was called, but
in his place, a young woman rushed to
the stand and said that no one should
testify before her She gave the name
of Williamson and said that she would
be the one to judge Durrant and or
dered 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 in
coherent letter to the clerk. She said
she was sent by God TO judge Durrant
The woman was subsequently identified
as Laura Lucy w llldInSOn OF l,llU
Leavenworth street. She declared her.
self to be an "emissary of God" She
disappeared after being removed from
the courtroom.
Sergeant Burke identified a bunch of
keys as those found in the pocket of
Durrants overcOat with the exception
Of a 18th key, which he said had been
given him by George King on April -
Burke then told of the finding of the
body of Marian Williams in the book
closet of the library, identified the pieces
of the young wOmans underclothing
which had been taken from out of her
throat, where they had been thrust, the
broken pieces of a table knife found on
her body and the stick which had been
used by the murderer in forcing the
strips of clothing down the girls throat
He also testified to the condition of the
library door, the lock of which had
been broken. Sergeant Burke then gave
q bit Of sensational evidence, which
has not come out before today. He
said that when he, in company with
other officers, examined the lavatory or
washroom in the back part of the
church, just to the rear of the pulpit,
he saw blood stains on the wash basin
and the wall just above 1t. Sergeant
Reynolds had called his attention to
these stains.
OTHER TESTIMONY.
Maggie Fitzpatrick identified Durrant
as the young man who has called on
her and two friends on Mission street.
April u, on the night Miss Williams
was murdered. She said he was agi-
tated. He had mistaken her for some
one else. Another girl, who was with
her, corroborated her evidence, but
could not identify Durrant, though she
!, identified the coat and hat he wore.
The place where these girls say they
saw Durrant is about two blocks from
the church. They say they saw him
about 8 p. m.
The last witness for the day was Mrs.
Mary M. Mccoy, a laundress, who tes-
titled that she saw man and a young
woman near Emanuel church, between
and o'clock on April II. They ap-
peared to her to DE lovers. The man
was urging the girl to accede to some
proposition and the girl seemed to be
coaxing him not to insist. Just as she
passed them, she heard the man say:
you are a coward" The man was
dressed in a long overcoat and dark
soft hat
Restored TO Memhershfn