Phoenix weekly herald., 1898-01-13

co which has bounded me to the grave.
If any man thinks that 1 am going to
spring Il sensation [ am not, except it
| is a sensation that 1 am an innocent
! man brought to the grave by my per-
secutOrs. But l forgive them all They
will get their Justice from the great
God who is master of us all and there
[ also expect to get my justice; it is
the Justice of an innocent man
Whether or no the perpetrators of the
crimes of which 1 am charged are ever
discovered it will make no difference
to me now, but L say this-it will be a
great shame 10 the state of California
[ forgive every one y ho has persecut-
ed ne, al innocent 141sn whose hands
have I,e'sef been stained with blood,
ssad go 10 meet my God with for
siveness for all men,
Durrant was least affected of any of
the many people who witnessed the
death and even after the fatal drop
ne quivered not, nor gave other evil
denceof having suffered pain.
After the drop Durrant did not
struggle and in fifteen minutes he was
cut down. The neck was broken by
the fall.
The crowd. though breathIess and
curious, was not eXultant- 1t was not
a mob and no sound of approval or the
contrary disturbed the speaker nor dis
turbed the CHASTITY proceedings. Dur
tonation, and the guards, impatient
for their task, for the suspense was
harder on them than on the prisoner,
drew the sable hood over his head |
There was no change in the express
sion of the man. The trap sprung, the |
body dropped There was the sound of |
the Juggling of the rope as it drew !
tight under the weight of the body !
and that was all. A vibration or two |
and the body hung at the end of the |
hemp rope, quite motiOnless.. The ell
der Durrant. gazed steadily at the pro-
ceedings until that moment, then his
head fell forward upon the shoulders
IF young Smythe, Deuprey's clerk,
md he buried his face and the impress
sion of his grief from the sight of men.
Phe doctors gathered about the sus-
pended body listening for the resIira-
ion and watched the pulse. In just
.leven minutes and twenty-eight sec
'nds all action had ceased and the
)urrant case was ended.
William Henry Theodore Durrant,
Who was hanged at the state prison at ,
IAN Quentin today, gave his life in eX-
hange for the lives of two young wo
len, who were members of the church .
D which he belonged. While Durrant ,
vas convicted of but one murder I'M .
er the law, he was held responsible {
" public opinion for the murder of !.
9th Blanche Lamont and Minnie !
Williams, and it is felt that his death
XpiateS one crime as we'll as the 9th ,
Durrant's crimes were peculiar in Y
heir atrocity, from any point of view. I
lie was reared in Il Christian home, f
nd until the time of his arrest was :
agartled as Il model young man of in i
ustrious habits, who was trying to r
-Ork his way through Il medical col |
ege. The only characteristic that
aemed marked in his nature was his .
iety. He had been Il prominent mem .
Of of the Emmanuel Baptist church \
II several years and for Il year pre- \
ious to his arrest had been assistant p
aperintendent of the Sunday school. +
q this capacity he made the ac +
llaintance of Blanche Lamont and of h
[innie Williams, both of whom were +
estined to be murdered by him in the n
lurch where they worshipped to-
ether. u
Blanche Lamont disappeared on +
pril ;, 1895, and was never seen +
i've afterwards. She left the home. q