Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-01-15
INGENIOUS LAWYERS WORK IN VAIN
Governor and Federal Courts Turn
Dear Ears TO the Final APP.
peals for Inter-
ference.
BLANCHE LAMONT IS AVENGED
Last Hours of the Noted Prisoner
and the Final Act So Long
Postponed While Justly
Mcrited.

San Quentin, Jan. s.-Theodore Dur
rant was executed at 1887 this morn
ing in tho state ~penitentiary. He as
cended the scafrold calmly, following
Father Laean, who administered 10
his spiritual wants. He made a brief
speech in quiet tones, asserting his IN
nocence, forgiving those who had per-
secuted him, mentioning especially
the press OF San Francisco. His last
words were: 81 am innocent" Death
appeared painless.
After the drop fell Durrant did not
struggle. his neck was broken, and In
fifteen minutes tho body was u
down. The ceremonies were very SIM
Pile. Durrant no sooner entered the
room than silence fell on the gather
ing. The door Of the condemned cell
opened and Warden Hale followed by
Father Lagan and the guards APP
peared. The priest stepped aside II
Durrant. in = voice emotionless and
apparently unaffected, made n hort
speech. The words were cold, and pas
sionless. There was no scene on the
gallows.
Mrs. Durrant did not witness the ex-
ecution. She remained in the room in
the lower part of the prison, n
showed unmistakable signs of grief,
tempered with a dogged desire to Gre
ate the impression that she was too
proud 10 weep.
Durrant's farewell words were spok-
In a very subdued, but clear, voice,
which. bv the calmness and freedom
from passion or emotion, caused many
heads to turn away and many eyes TO
All with tears. He forgave his enemies
with no trace of concealment OF resent
nent, and proclaimed his innocence
with q calmness Of n asserting an
indubitable truth. He was the least
affected of any gathered at the final
scene. Even after the drop he did
not CULVER or give other evidence OF
having suffered pain.
His Father Was There.
Durrant's father accompanied his
son on the final march TO the gallows.
and, when the street was reached,
walked around TO the front, while the
condemned man assembled the thirteen
-.-~- - 49, r,-+k- STANDING on
the trap, Durrant held his slight fig
ure as erect as though it had been his
wedding day, his fingers resting light
ly on the broad strap which bound his
arms, and still rested there n the
body swung at the end of the rope.
The moose was quickly knotted about
his neck, Durrant holding his chin
high to facilitate the work. His face
was pale, but not with the ashy pale
ness of fear. 1t was the face Of a man
who, knowing he had n momentous
thing to do, resolved to do it like a
man. Standing thus, with his feet on
the trap, the cord about his neck, holy
water OF baptism on his head, he said
these final words:
u desire to say, that, although ] nm
an innocent man, innocent of every
crime charged against me, | bear no
animosity towards those hat perse-
cuted me, not even the press of San
Francisco, which bounded me to the
grave. If any man thinks / am going
TO spring q sensation, j am not, eX-
cept it Is a sensation that / am an in
nocent man, brought TO the grave by
my prosecutors. But / forgive them
all. They will get their justice from
the great God who is master of us all,
and there j I also expect to get justice,
that is the justice of an innocent man.
Whether or not the perpetrators of
the crime Of which j am charged are
discovered, it will make no difference
to me now, but say that this day will
be q shame to the great state of Cali
~fornia, / forgive everybody who has
prosecuted me, innocent man, whose
hands never have been stained i'm
J1onI nnI I M 40 rnAax nav GA1 xpsth
the forgiveness for all men," During
this delivery his father stood red eyed
and fearless.
The spectators gave no Sign as Dur
rant concluded. The black cap was
quickly drawn over HIS calm face and
the trap sprung. The body dropped, the
rope swished taut and the majesty OF
the law had been vindicated. Then the
elder Durrant's head dropped on the
shoulder Of the man In front OF him.
burying his grief from those present. At
the end Of eleven minutes and twenty
eight seconds the doctors pronounced
him dead. The body was cut down and
placed in q black pine box. with the
black cap still covering the features.
Later the body was placed In a casket
by the family undertaken and at once
taken to San Francisco.
Hoping Against Hope.
San Quentin Prison, CAL, Jan. g.
With eyes riveted on Washington, fig
uratively speaking, the father and
mother of Theodore Durrant spent the
night In a little inn outside the prison
walls, while their son made n desper-
ate effort to calm his nerves that he
might spend in sleep most of his re-
naming hours. Hoping against hope,
demanding miracles from slight diff
ference in time between Washington
and California, expecting some phe-
nomenal action on the part of the JUS
itces OF the supreme court of the Unit
ed States when they should take their
seats at noon on the day set for the
execution of the "criminal of the CEN
tury." the unhappy trio spent the
night, alternately climbing the heights
OF sanguins hopes and then plunged
Into the deepest abysses of despair.
With the Consciousness that 1t would
indeed be an unexpected happening
which would again clog the wheels Of
retributivs justicc. the prison officials
also auxiously awaited the click OF the
wire trem Washington. Every other
avenue OF escape and delay had finally
and ehsctualiy been closed. All await
90 win nervsvs anticipation the 6nal
appeal ef Attorney poardman, coun-
~ o burrani Gsi0r5 the United
1tases 1usticss for q writ Of prohibit
uon1c % habsas corpus.