Norwich bulletin., 1914-08-07
FAMOUS TRIALS
TRIAL OF DURANT.

In 1895 Theodore Durant enticed two girls into the Emanuel Baptist church in San Francisco and murdered them. The mutilated body of Minnie Will Hams was discovered in the library or the church and the following day the body of Blanche Lamont was discover ed in the belfry of the church. It was evidently the work of the same mur- derous hand. and Durant, being at once suspected of both crimes, was placed under arrest.
 The girls were members of the Em- anuel church and were 21 years of age and pretty. Both had been receiving attentions from Durant, who was the ] librarian of the church. Miss Lamont had disappeared on April 32. and a diIigent search was being made for her. The last person seen in her company was Durant. Miss Williams was kill ed just ten days later. Both girls had been strangled. Durant was 23 years of age and resided in the neigh borhood. He was dental student Theodore Durant was formally charged with the murder of Minnie Williams on April 16. He at once made preparations to defend himself by appointing Gen. Dickinson as his counsel. On April 19 the coroner s jury Investigating the case returned a verdict charging Durant with the mut- der.
 The reason the coroner's jury first took up the Williams case was that it felt it had the best evidence against Durant as to her murder, for it had found a pocket book in his possession belonging to Minnie Williams. The preliminary trial of Durant began April 22 and was continued for several days, when murder was formally charged against him. The pastor of the church, the Rev. John George Gib- son, was a witness at the trial, and at one time the defendants lawyers tried to place the crime upon him.
 On April g Durant was arraigned for the murder of Blanche Lamont and 1t was for this crime that he was event ually found guilty, and the murder of the Williams girl was only incidentally brought into the trial. It was brought out that Durant had murdered the Williams girl in order to conceal the murder of Miss Lamont for he be- 1ieved she knew something of the dis appearance of her friend.
 The regular trial of the case was begun on July 22. 1895. and was ore of the most celebrated in the history of criminal Jurisprudence. It was continued without Interruption until Nov. l. Close to 1,200 talesmen wee examined before the required twelve jurymen could be obtained It was six weeks after July 22 before any evidence could be taken.
 The evidence throughout was cir
 
 formed a chain so strong as to admit of no reasonable doubt. The case was submitted to the jury on the afternoon of Nov. 1 and they were out only twenty minutes before they brought in a verdict of guilty. A few days later Judge Murphy sentenced the prisoner to be hanged on Feb. 21, 1Se6. Then began a fight for delay, viz orousiy maintained for almost twenty months, not even ceasing with the ex- ecution of the death sentence.
 The Supreme court affirmed the decision of the Superior court on March 8, 1897 and within ten days the prisoners attorneys filed a petition for a rehearing. On the following April 10 Durant was resentenced to be hang ed at San Quentin prison on Friday, June II.
 eEvery effort was then made to in- duce Gov. Budd to grant clemency, which he did to July g, when no at tempt was made to carry out the sen tenee. Thus the case dragged on ua- til the end of the year and no stone was left unturned; finally an appeal was sent to the Supreme court at Washington. This last effort was re- fused on Jan. '. 1898, by a declina- tion to interfere and Theodore Durant was executed at 10:37, in the San Quentin prison, which is the California state penitentiary.