The San Francisco call., 1898-01-05

the annoying insistence of Durrants attorneys and of all the political re-en- forcements they can muster, that a re- prieve be granted. The Governors de- cision in the matter IS expected some time tomorrow.
 Should the Circuit Court deny the petition for a writ of habeas corpus it is said to be extremely doubtful whether Warden Hale, acting under advice of the Attorney General, would decline to execute under the notice Of appeal. The Attorney-General is ac- credited with having, after more thorough study of the complications, changed his view as to the efficacy of such notice If his present state of mind on the subject be reported cor rectly. he would advise the Warden to proceed with the execution of the order of the State court, despite any inter vening action on the part of Durrants attorney based on the denials in the Circuit Court of the petition for writ
 The scientific men who are interested in the pathological features of Dur rants case are grievously disappointed at the prospect that no autopsy will be allowed on the remains. Dr. John w. Robertson, the celebrated chemist has received a commission from the Ameri- can Journal of Insanity to prepare an elaborate treatise on the case. He is firmly impressed wirh the eXtraordin- ary character of Durrant as a study in psychopathy, and regrets that a post mortem examination of the head of the condemned man cannot be made. Its cranial conformation and the relative development of the cerebral convolu- tions would prove of incalculable inter est and value to science. The fact that Durrant, having been well advanced as a medical student should have made a positive request thag no examination 1 l,t for, xl1 is commented on as significant.
 An autopsy would not necessarily prove that Durrant was insane" said pr. Robertson, 'or that he was guilty of the crimes charged. We have to ac- cept the legal determination of the latter fact. Certain conditions con- 1 firuatory of the theory of monomania or moral perversion, might be dis closed in the assymmetry of the facial | bones and brain formation. These measurements would be of great value, while they could not be accounted as proof of his guilt"
 It seems that no measurements of Durrant's head have been made, and 1 it is regarded as rather strange that | he should have been exempt from the | study common in nearly all cases of capital crimes, and particularly in | those where the subject of satyriasis l is involved Dr. Robertson has made an appear to WdTueH t1dle lo procure l at least external measurements in ac- cordance with the formula provided
 Dr. w. H. Mays is equally interested
 with other cerebral specialists in se-
 curing for the records of American
 medical jurisprudence a record of the
 external and internal formations oi
 Durrants head. Tt would be i'm
 portant to know the relative develop | ment of the cerebral convolutions,
 said he Much might be inferred 1 from the measurements and condition
 of the two parts. Degeneracy of the hu-
 man brain is readily determined in this
 manner, inasmuch as the left side ir
 the normal man shows excess of size
 over the right. In human degeneracS
 the brain tends to a similitude an6
 perfection of formation which Is tht 1 characteristic of animals. It is to be
 regretted that an autopsy could not bt
 held in this case"