Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-12-31
The Durrant Sensation.

di>honnr the defense may 90 :nl the
Durrant> submit. To- obtain II bare
chance ui delay oi the death penalty
ri the convicted and Jour times sen
fenced murderer.
William \. Durrnnt, father of the
convict, has made IN aitliaNit, on
which Dickinson bases an application
Tor Horace Smyth, one OF the jurors
on the trial, to appear before Judge
Wallace and show cause why he
should not be adjudgcd guilty OF con-
tempt OF court and punished therefore,
in having acted upon information As a
Juror furnished him outside uf the tcS-
timony and proceedings in the trial.
TIE ai.i,iav:: AYERS that Smyth has
admitted that he had made up his
mind OF the guilt Of defendant Dur
rant from statements made to him
that he DurranD had maintained in
cc>tuous relations with his mother and
sister, and that Smyth had been salts
fed of the correctness of his informa-
ton and acted upon it, although no
testimony was adduced on that point
in the trial OF cause.
The object to be attained is to make
such showing as will result in hay
ing one Of the jurors who tried the
case adjudged guilty of contempt in
disobedience OF the statutory admoni-
ton to base his verdict upon the evil
dence submitted. If this is successful,
and it can be shown that juror Smyth
deliberately, or from uncomfortable
prejudice, thus found verdict against
the defendant, it will be claimed that
Durrant did not have fair trial and
that he was convicted by eleven jury
men instead of the full trial panel, as
is required by statute. They will then
insist that they have ample grounds
for a new trial.
Whether such procedure can be
made success, or not, is of course q
matter tor conjecture, as Duprey and
Dickinson seem to be men of infinite
resource in evasions OF the intent, if
not in support OF the majesty of the
law. One would naturally suppose,
however, that even they would hesitate
to open closet-door that affords even
a glimpse of such glarfng, garish,
grewssome, CHASTITY skeleton. How
a new trial, with this horrible scandal
dragged forth, can benefit their client,
except to secure further delay of exc
cution, is beyond the ken of mortal
man. He has been tried by the jury
of the commonwealth, rs we'll as by
one of his peers clothed with the
forms of law, and from the popular
verdict there is no appeal. The people
are environed by no technical re-
straints; they are slow to condemn
except on the most positive convic-
tions of guilt, but when a verdict is
found it is generally just one, though
it may not conform in some respects to
all the requirements of criminal pro-
ccdure as laid down in the books.
Enough was shown in the trial of
Durrant to convince anybody who has
followed the testimony closely that he
is a man of dual nature, and that
while posing as saint he was at heart
a sinner. Many facts then presented
went to show that he possessed the
erotic Imagination, the pruriency of
temperament, and the utter disregard
of moral impulse to do the foul act of
outrage and murder as we'll as the sto-
icism to very effectually conceal his
true nature beneath o stolid indiffer-
ence that was too perfect at all times
to be other than an acted part of a
cool and calculating brain and of
nerves that had been trained to do
their work. An analysis of his char
acter leaves no obstruction to the be-
lief that, so far as he is concerned,
juror Smyth's alleged bias had ample
grounds for support. Such crime is
in keeping with the devilish deeds by
which he has rendered the belfry and
library-room of Emmanuel church
veritable chambers OF horror so long
as the structure stands and its congre.
CATION survives.