Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-06-04
Gov. BuGd Will Not Interfere.

Gov. Budd, last Monday, gave out
his statement of determination not to
| interfere with the courts verdict and
sentence in the Durrant case. After
recltlng the acts OF the defense on
which he was called upon Tor an cxcr-
else of the clcmcncv rcpo>cd in the
executive, he says:
"ln the case of Durrant the petition
was based upon the claim that the
dcfendent did not have fair and I'M
partial trial; that the passion OF the
people, and the prejudice OF the com
munlty i'll which he was tried, and the
course Of the press during the conduct
of the trial was such that the evidence
could not have been and had not been,
impartlcally considered by the jury,
and that if it had been so considered,
that the defendant would not have been
convicted. The claim was also made
that the witnesses, through age and
lack of powers of observation, or from
interested motives, had misunderstood
or misstated the facts, and that there
was evidence which had not been, nor
could have been, presented to the trial
court or considered by the Supreme
court, because of its character or
other reasons.
"Undcr such circumstances, and
upon such reasons having been adj
vanced, the duty of the Governor to
thoroughly investigate the case, to
look into the circumstances of the trial,
to sift the evidence, to inquire into the
motives and the crcdibility of the
witnesses and to make such other and
further investigation into the matter
as its nature and its gravity demanded,
was plain. l have deemed it my duty
i'll this case, without regard to pre-
cedcnt, to make this investigation. In
the case under consideration w. III. r. |
Durrant has been convicted of the
murder of Blanche Lamont, and has
been informed against for the killing
of Minnie Williams.
81 have carefully considered the
evidence produced at Durrant's trial. |
have interviewed the witnesses and |
inquired into the characters and |
crcdibility; l have heard all arguments
made or offered by his attorneys, and
by other persons who might be likely
to inform me in this matter.
al careful and thorough investiga-
ton into the evidence in this case and
the facts and circumstances attending
1t has convinced me that it is not a
proper case for my interference. No
new evidence has been produced tend
ing to show the innocence of Durrant
or creating doubt as to his guilt, |
feel satisfied that his trial, where he
was found guilty by jury, was fair,
and surrounded and attended by all
proper legal safeguards and guarantees.
after conference with the witnesses
| am convinced of their honesty and
cpdibility, and from an examination
OF the evidence feel that it was in
itself sufficient in character and ex-
tent to have justified the verdict and
the Judgment passed upon it, while |
found other material corroborating
circumstances, not produced at the
trial, which tended further to support
the verdict.
"Under such circumstances, finding
no irregularity in the trial of the case,
and that the evidence justified verdict
of guilty, cannot do otherwise than
follow the Supreme court and permit
the verdict of the jury and the judg-
ment OF the lower court to stand"