Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-05-28
Washin9tun Standard
OLYMPIA. WASH.
FRIDAY EVENING. NAT IS. 1897.
- A Celebrated Case" Indeed.

A Celebrated Case Indeed.
Il the p"ttifu-Lin. methods "i law
Nrt>. which W. regret t. observe. j. not
always confined t. those on tn, lower
rounds "u the ladder "f fame. result in
the rrl..l-,. g: Thrnlnr,, lIurrant from
the hAn2nlAn n'"'>', great injury
VIII l." done t. *ncI,ty III >tIll further
weakening public confidence in legal
mcth"d> Tor SURPRISING crime 81
deep na> been the interest irlt in tn,
trial for the murder OF Blanche La
mont. So full, fair and impartial were
the details OF the trial, - perfect and
conclusive the chain Of circumStantial
evidence and 80 overwhelming til, 49,
prevail by the people OF the verdict
after careful reading OF verbatim re.
ports OF the testimony, that it seems
indeed strange that counsel for the
defense should have been engaged foI
two wears i'll delaying, ii not defeating
the ends OF justice. Even with the
lapse of time and the ingenuity of the
best legal talent, no flaw has been dis
covered by the higher court on which
to base plea for new trial, or for
pardon or communication OF sentence.
AS the day approaches for the exc.
cution of this arch criminal, the eff
forts of these lawyers continues una.
bated, and we find the most absurd
cxpedients resorted to to save him
from the gallows. One of these expe-
dents was 4 confession" by convict
John Rosenberg that he himself had
murdered Blanche Lamont, but he
was unfortunately not very well posted
on dates, and his affidavit shows that
he arrived in San Francisco fully six
months after the murder had taken
place. Then an inmate of the Color.
ado Soldiers Home, VIM. Il. Bryant
by name, made affidavit that he saw
the slaughter in Emanuel church, and
that Rev. j. G. Gibson, its pastor, was
the murderer, but the improbability Of
the statement is about as apparent as
that of Rosenberg. Then comes Mrs
Marguerite Schwartzler, who says that
she was we'll acquainted with Minnie
Williams, and that she disclosed to hel
the "secret of her life"; that she had
been married in secret to one whom
by inference Mrs. S. CONVEYS the i'm.
preston was Mr.. Gibson. Her state
ment is vague, but of dire import
limiting at Minnie's sickness and resort
to drugs; her contemplated departure
for Tacoma, and some other things
she could only tell to Gov. Budd
One remarkable averment in her pub
lished statement is that when it was
made to Chief Lees, he had asked hel
"twenty-three" times-no more and
no less; just twenty-three, remember
to make full disclosure to him. Such
wonderfully precise statement can
but throw doubt over her whole
story. The police discredit it for an.
other slip showing total unreliability
She claimed that she had met Mrs
Morgan in San Francisco, few days
before the tragedy, a lady with whom
Minnie had Notwithstanding her with
the minute exactness that seems to be
such marked personal characteristic
when it is matter of certainty that
Mrs. Morgan was in Seattle on the
date named. There are several other
evidences of untruthfulness in hel
statement, one of which is the asser.
ton that she crossed on the ferrybOat
April 18th, with Minnie Williams and
Rev. Gibson, and on leaving the boat
they took car together Although
this statement may seem to be unim.
portant, it is of service in testing the
credibility of her other assertions.
Mrs. Eliza White, who was on the
ferryboat at the time when Minnie
crossed the bay, states that she was
not accompanied by the preacher but
man who she afterwards identified
rs Durrant.
Whether it is that Attorney Duprey
and his associates, by preconcerted
effort, are promoters of these state.
ments, for the purpose of creating a
doubt in the popular mind sufficient
to influence a clamor for executive
clcmency, or it is but an abnormal
development of crankiness incident to
long-continued thought on a given
subject, every day seems to bring forth
new sensations. If the former suppo-
sition is correct, the query at once
rises, Who pays the cost? Prolonged
proceedings in court involve an ample
expenditure of money. 1t is known
that the Durrants are poor. It is not
known that they have anybody bound
by the ties of consanguity that are
able to stand the expense. Still there
seems to be no hitch from financial
knots. 1t now transpires that there is
friend Of the family Of ample means
in Mayor Sutro, and it is said that a
glamor of romance tinges the sombre
pages OF this chapter of horrors; that
in the long ago Sutro had loved Dur.
rants mother, and that this memory
has impelled him to loosen his purse.
strings to lessen the pangs of heart
broken parent.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, is agitating the