The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-01-13
DURRANT, THE CRIMINAL
Of a Century, Died BrayeIy,
and Calmly.
Embraced Catholic Faith-Protested His In
nocence on the Gibbet and Forgave His
Prosecutors he Murdered Two


Prosecutors Murdered Two
Girls in a San francisco Church.
San Quentin, Cal, Jan. When
William Henry Theodore Durrant
died on the gallows this morning
for the murder of Blanche Lamont,
he gave such an exhibition of nerve
as has seldom been seen under SINH
lar circumstances. He walked to the
scaffold and made his little speech
protesting his innocence as calmly.
and with as distinct enuuciation, as
if he had been addressing an assem-.
blage of friends upon some ordinary
topic of the day. His face was pale,
his eyes were red, but his voice was
firm and he stood as solid as . rock
while he proclaimed his innocence
and professed forgiveness to those
who, he said, had bounded him to
death.
There was not hitch or accident
to mar the plans of Warden Hale in
carrying out the sentence of the law.
The moose was adjusted, the trap
Durrant's dead body danglsd at the
end. The neck was broken by the
fall of over 5 feet, and Is minutes
later the murderers body was cut
down and placed in the coffin.
Consistent to the last, Durrant
died processing religion. But he
died, accepting at the last moment,
the comforts af the Catholic church
instead of those of the Baptist faith,
in which he was reared. Rev Mr.
RAIDER, Protestant minister, had
arranged to ascend the scaffold with
Durrau', but the minister would
pot sly that he thought Durrant
innoceut, and the condemned man
declined to accept his services Then
it was that the once ardent Baptist
turned 10 the Catholic church for
consolation, and called upon Father
Lagap, a priest who had frequently
visited him in prison, to attend him.
Father Lsgan responded promptly
and performed the last solemn rites
of the church.
As the hour of the execution ap-
preached the prisoner became some
what restless. His father and mother |
were admitted to bid him a last |
farewell The elder Durrant grasped |
his son by the hand, and the young
man then turned to comfort his
mother, who cried by sterically.
Durrant embraced her tenderly and |
saying: The hour has come for US
to part. put her gently away. The
grief stricken mother was led to a
private room, where she remained
until after the execution. The father,
however, went to the execution room
aud, supported by two friends, saw
his son meet his death.
DURRANT's LAST WORDS
When word was flashed across the
continent that the Supreme Court
had declined to interfere, the War
den ordered the programme of the
day to be carried out. At 1924
o'clock Durrant, accompanied by
Father Lagan, appeared at the door
Of the execution room. He was fol
lowed by his father, a friend, Warden
Hale and the guards.
The father aud his friend walked
around the the gallows to the front,
while Durrant and his keepers
to the gallows platform.
Instantly on arriving at the gallows,
his legs and arms were pinioned and
the rope was placed upon his neck.
loa ho~ Oh 10 /
The black cap when Durrant an
bounced his desire to speak Per-
mission was given, and TIE doome |
murderer spoke as follows:
81 desire to say that although /
I'M an innocent msn-irnocent of
,very crime that has been charged
against mel bear no luminosity to-
ward those that have prosecuted me,
lot even the press of San Francisco,
which has bounded me to the grave.
Il any man thinks 1 am gong to
pring a sensat;on-1 am not, except I
t is a sensation that am AN limo
.ent man brought to the grave by
ny prosecutors, But l forgive them :
III. They will get their justice from
he Great God. who is master of US
II, and there l also expect to get :
Justice, that is the justice of an ,
innocent man. Whether or no the /
of the crime Of which | {
m charged are discovered, it will :
make no difference to me now, but I {
ay this day will be a shame to the t
,reat State of California / forgive /
vervbody who has prosecuted me,
n innocent man, whose hands have 7
lever been stained with blood, and I /
% to meet my God with forgiveness
or all msn !