The San Francisco call., 1897-06-03
AFRAID OF The MOTHER.
Warden Hale Fears Traeical Con-
sequences From Mrs. Durrant's
-. Devotion to Her Boy.

OeNOtlOn TO Her Boy.
SAN QUENTIN PRISON, CAL, June
2-Waraen Hale feels that he is carrying
heavy burden these days The visits OF
DQrrants parents are events to the prison
peop.e fraught with great importance.
Both father and mother. in the despair OF
saving their unfortunate son, might at the
last moment make some supremely tragi-
cal effort 10 rob him of the disgrace of a
felon's death. Harassed by the ordeal OF
the past Two years since the prisoners ar
rest Mrs. Durrant in the last few days OF
her stricken motherhood is an object of
fear as we'll as pity. The Warden OF San
Quentin is afraid of her. Her expressed
threat TO witness the execution would lend
such a dramatic effect 10 the closing scenes
in the life of the great criminal that he
fears to contemplate it.
1t is her sex in this instance that in
creases the peculiar perple1lty of the
Warden. While her son is pacing up and
down the cage of death the mother is
planning and hoping to save him, if not
from death at least from death a. the
hands OF the hangmAn.
What schemes she is turning over in
her mind to accomplish her aim can only
be jectured. There might, were the
opportunity open, be enacted a tragedy
on the scaffo,d of San Quentin that would
surpass in human interest the grewsome
and appalling mysteries of the Emmanuel
Church belfry. History has vet 10 record
that a mother volunteers and even insists
on seeing a son go down to the most
ignominious of deaths, yet Mrs. Durrant
threatens to break the record. The gibbet
scene in the life of a criminal is nearly
always passed over lightly. 1t is a su-
preme4y revolving spectacle and one of
all others that mother would desire to
@ayoid.
: Supposing, say the mysterious ones,
that this woman at the last moment,
when every yestige of hope has absolutely
: fed, should attempt to take her sons life
in the agony of her sorrow. Supposing
that hidden in the folds Of her dress or
wraps there should be lurking a pistol or
stiIetto to deal a kinder fate to that
meted out to men who take human life.
Surprising that the last kiss from mis-
other should convey to Theodore Dur
rant some unknown ana undetected po-
tion o! death or poison on the very steps
of the scaffold.
These are the gravest possibilities in
the way of tragedy that enter some times
into the calculations of the prison authori-
ties. Less tragical ones are more really
feared in the solemn procession that
moves from the death cham Der to the ex-
ecution-room. This is no place for q
woman or sensitive man. H-r presence
would be a shadow and from prison view
a sacrilege.
Warden Hale will continue to dissuade
both the father and mother from seeing
their son die. If unsuccessful he will use
every precaution to guard against scene.
BoIh parents will be thoroughly searched
before they enter the prison. In Mrs.
Durrant's case the services of the matren
will be called into requisition to see that
even in the hidden folds of her clothing
there is neither poison nor weapon. Each
will be turned over TO the custody of a
separate guard, who will watch their every
movement and gesture.