The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-12
hope FOR
DURRANT.
Judge Merriman is Convinced of
His Innocence.
HE BELIEVES BLANTHER,S STORY
AND DECLARES THAT IF DUR
RANT IS HANGED II WILL BE
JUDICIAL MURDER-GIvES HIS
REASONS FOR BELIEVING THE
CONFESSION OF BLANTHER.

NJ Merrimau, of Little Rcck, who was
personally acquainted with and once rep
resented j. K. Blanther alias Forbes, AS
attorney, in this city, Insists that Blan-
Their and not Durrant murdered Blanche
Lamont and Minnie williams, in San
Frarclsco,a and that the execution of Dur
rant will, therefore, be u judicial muir
der. few days ago the story Sas sent
out from Atlanta, Ca, that Blanther was
in that city at the time tho girls were
murdered. Judge Merriman scouts this
idea, and yesterday made the following
statement
'Since the publication of the card
through the Associated Press, in which [
stated that believed in the innocence of
Theodore Durrant and the guilt of Blan-
Their, alias Forbes, have received many
communications supporting either side
OF the question. Now, as the supreme
court of California has refused to inter
fere and Durrant must hang, and still
having an abiding faith in his innocence,
feel that the public ought to have an
insight Into the facts that have arrayed
themselves before me and convinced me
that n judicial murder is about 10 be
committed.
First. There can be no question hut
that the written confession is, n the
handwriting of Blanther,' for nc effort
has been made to contradict this prs
sumption, and examination by experts
has established it.
'Second. Blanther confesses that he
murdered Blanche Lamont and Minnie
Williams.
''Third. The entire evidence in the cen.
viction of Durrant has been circumstan-
tial. and the only possible statement that
has ever hinged on the case is Blant.er's
confession that he and not Durrant diu
the deed tor which Durrant's young life
is about to be forfeited.
Fourth. Blanther being once dead.
my lips may reveal the fact that he had
told me during his troubles here that the
name of Forbes was but an alias that he
had assumed for reasons best known to
himself, and that his life had been an
eventful one.' This, coupled With the
statement of his second wife, Agnes Cam
crop, in public print, convinces me that
he spoke the truth.
Fifth. The trial Of Durrant seems to
have been forced one by some power
behind the scenes the prosecuting at
torney being notably bitter in the con
duct of the same, and yet failing to es-
tablish a single fact by direct and posi-
tive proof.
sixth The theory of the State that
Blanthe Lamont WAS murdered on the
night of April 3, 1895, is. and has been
throughout the whole trial, an unwar-
ranted assumption, for Of Blanther's cor
fession be true) as we'll assume thai she
was murdered at the same time Minnie
Williams was, on the night of April -,
1888, or, perhaps, the night previous
There is no proof that the girls were
murdered in the Emmanuel Church, and
II more reasonable assumption would be
that they were murdered elsewhere and
bodies RI hp oh 1-ab
of the programme
Seventh. - to the Atlanta dispatch
that Blanther was seen in that city he
tween the 18th and 10th of April, 1895.
This may be all true, and he may have
had all arranged for his purchasing
agency 20 believe that, but does ANYBODY
Anow, or has anybody ever ventured to
sayawhen he left Atlanta? Ten days inter
vened between April 13 and 90. at which
latter date Minnie Williams body was
discovered. Within that period of time
Blahther might have been seen in At
lanta, and also have been in San Fran
cisco to do his bloody W ork and even had
day or two to spare if he was working
under precohcerted plan, and ..stimula-
ted by reward fer prompt and immedi-
ate fction, rs has. been, intimated by a man
named Austin
Eighth. The theory of the State with
out anything upon which to base it, is
that one of the girls was killed on April
j, the other on April 49, Blanther saws
he killed them both at the same time.
which is a more reasonable presumption
when the whole case is founded upon
presumption alone.
"If Blanther was in Atlanta at the
time indicated, ne probably went there
with perfected plan to return at once to
san francisco as soon as he had estab.
lished the premises upon which to'base'an
alibi, following the advice of somebody
in whose employ he was to oonsummate
this dastardly deed. He could have left
Atlanta on the 4th or 5th. and had been
in San francisco in time to murder the
two girls
Finally, it is very dangerous to take
mans life on circumstantial evidence
alone.
agnes Cameron Forbes says she can
Drove that Blanther murdered the girls.
Blanther with death staring MIN in the
face, standing on the brink of eternity,
said Durrant was innocent and he was
guilty.
surrounding circumstances'tending to
establish the truth of Blanther's confess
sion with these facts before it, how can
any court avoid the doctrine 'of reasona-
BILE doubt and refuse an appeal in the in
trrest Of Justice, humanity. and right?
II, after an investigation, all this should
prove fallacious, then Durrant's life could
pay the penalty and the public would feel
better satisfied that judicial murder
had not been committed"
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