Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-07
DuRRANT IS DEAD.
LcontInued from pase one.l

slnce he had been placed in the con-
drmned cell. The meat has been so
epod since I have been acre he said;
ma 1 have enjoyed IL 20 much that
! have probably eaten more than l
should and II has brought out this
| little rash about my mouth Like
| the barber'a slip, that. too he said,
would be all right In few days"
ADD DuRANT a
is a ROMAN CATHOLIC.
win Durrant die Roman Cath
olic?' was the latest speculation OF the
small army grouped about tine prison
| walls. waiting for the tragic end which
they eagerly expected to witness.
Il am, may say. Il Catholic. 1 think
| shall send for Father Lagan," re-
marked Durrnnt unconcernedly. IL Is
not that care for creeds. but for faith
the faith that has sustained me In
my awful position"
Il am" he continued "extraordinar-
ily happy-'so much ut peace that DO
! not care to go over any of the old
ground, the long. long. story which
has been told 80 many times. The case
is ended and am satisfied that every
thing has been done for me that could
have been done by my lawyers. II
would be weak and childish for me to
gay at this time that have not had
n fair trial. If ! should make such
n plea the public would reply, THAT
Is what they nll say"
My only sorrow IL for those ! leave
behind. God has me In His keeping
| and lie makes no Mistakes"
With today's dawning II seems that
the end has come at last for Theodore
Durrant--the shameful end of the MUIR
derer. Yesterday his attorneys went
rs far AZ lawyers dare in the Federal
courts of the city and found no relief.
between their client and the galiows
they could interpose no more substan-
tnl ha rt.l hur nd nf
futile proceedings and an empty warn
ing to the warden of San Quentin
prison.
The governor finally and fatty re-
| fused TO interfere.
In the east Showed the faintest rays
of a faint hope. The young lawyer
who went to Washington with the last
plea for delay failed yesterday to get
hearing, but today he had the as
surance OF speedy determination by
the nations highest court of his .mat-
| tiers. 1t was faint hope, though.
The prisoner his parents and law
yers here have abandoned hope; the
| scaffold awaited for Its victim.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT ON 'HE
| CASE.
San Francisco, Jan. An extraor-
binary amount of interest in Durrants
execution was manifested all over the
state. In this city crowds of people as
where bulletins were displayed Ex-
ira editions of the papers were issued
and they were eagerly purchased by
the crowds on the streets.
Nor was the interest confined to Cal
| ifornia alone So widespread was the
demand for news of the execution. that
| bulletins were sent to all parts of the
| United States.
The prevailing sentiment in San
Francisco is that Durrant deserved his
fate. but there are many people who
still believN him innocent.
HISTORY OF HIS CRIMES.
William Henry Theodore Durrant.
who was hanged at the state prison at
San Quentin today, gave his life In
change for the lives OF two young wo-
men who were members of the church
to which he belonged. While Durrant
was convicted of but one murder under
the law, he was held responsible by
public opinion for the murder OF both
Blanche Lamont and Minnie Williams.
and 1t Is felt that his death expiates
one crime as much as the other.
Durrants crimes were peculiar in
| their atrocity, from any point of view.
He was reared In n Christian home,
and until the time of his arrest was
| regarded as a model young man OF
industrious habits, who was trying to
work his way through a medical col
| lege. He had been n prominent mem
for several years and for Al year pre-
| vious to his arrest had been assistant
superintendent of the Sunday school,
In this capacity he made the acquaint-
ance OF Blanche Lamont and Minnie
| Williams.
Blanche Lamont disappeared on April
., 1896 and was never seen alive after
wards She left the home of her aunt,
Mrs. c. q. Noble, on that day to go to
school, and for ten days no trace of
t,aaRs To-, saf
Emanuel church assisted In the search
for the missing girl. and among others
! Theodore Durrant, who had often act
ed as Miss Lamont's escort. He seemed
| greatly distressed on account of Miss
Lamont's disappearance, and at length
expressed the belief that she had joined
the ranks of fallen women.
! Ten days passed since Miss Lamont
disappeared and her friends had al
most given up hope of ever knowing
her fate. when discovery was made
which led to the finding of Miss La
mont's body,
The ladies OF Emanuel church were
engaged in decorating the edifice prep
aratory to the celebration of the Easter
sunday services, when the mangled
body of Minnie Williams was found al
most naked in the library. A number
| of ugly knife wounds and some rags
that had been forced down the young
womans throat told of the unequal
struggle she had made to protect her
1 honor.
Miss Williams's body was discovered
| in the afternoon and late the same
night the first clue to the murderer was
obtained. From some of the young
womans friends 1t was learned that
| she had been seen the evening before
| with Durrant The police decided to
| arrest him. Durrant's parents said
! that he had left at midnight with the
! signal corps OF the National Guard. to
| which ho belonged to make some hell
! ographing experiments on Mount Di-
| ablo The next train carried two de-
! teetlyos toward the mountain. where
| Durrant was found late in the after
noon and arrested.
While these events were taking place
on Mt, Diublo. sixty miles away,
| discovery had been made in this city
which filed the streets with men and
women crying for revenge. From the
| first the polloc associated the finding
| Of Miss Willams's body with the dis
| appearance Of Miss Lamont, and Il
/ search was at once begun in the
J church for her body. Men worked all
! night teniing OFF floors and breaking
| down partitions, and Mt 10 O'Clock sun
day morning the body OF Miss Lamont
| was found. broken door knob and
/ a turned bolt excited the suspicion Of
I the searchers and the door leading to
1 the helfry of the church was broken
| Gown. At the third landing. lying in
| the corner of the darkencd belfry, the
naked body Of the murdered girl was
! found "a lr,ifa had Lean ttcpa IN