Evening star., 1948-01-25
On to Paris
Fifty Years Ago

The Star for January 7, 1898, featured an
account Of the hanging Of Theodore Durrant
in San Quentin Prison, Calf.
Durront He had been convicted of the
Ex.-..;,, murder Of one young woman
of his acquaintance and may
have been responsible for the killing of Sec
ond sweetheart. Both girls were members of the
Emanuel Baptist Church in San Francisco
and the bodies of both were found concealed
on the premises Of that house of worship.
Evidence was circumstantial In character, and
Durrant died protesting that he was innocent.
But the national public believed him guilty
and that was enough. However, physician
who examined him few minutes before he
was led to the gallows found his pulse normal
The man himself did not act like murderer
even at the end of his tragic career. His
parents and friends staged in his behalf what
The Star called "the most stubborn fight for
life ever conducted in the history Of criminal
jurisprudence" The case was carried to the
Supreme Court A fatal point against Durrant
was that he had gone out" with both Of the
dead young women-and. so far as the record
went, nobody else had.
The Executive Committee Of the local
Women's Press Association met at Willard's
Hotel on January H. 1898, and
Women The Star for the next day re-
IournoIists ported that the members had
discussed at length number
of plans for the reception and entertainment
of delegates to the national convention Of the
organization which was to assemble at Colum-
bian University on February 49, 10 and 90.
Subjects chosen for consideration included:
Practical Journalistic Work." THE Gradua-
tion of the Newspaper Hack" "The Illustrators
Rank in journalism" "The Outcome of Press
Congresses" Moral and Educational Value of
Journalism" and Can Journalism Be Taught?"
Sounds like the modern press seminars at
Columbia University, New York, doesn't 1t?
An announcement on the front page OF The
Star of January IT, 1898, told of the illness OF
"the largest woman bicycle
'Boby' rider in the world" Her name
BicvcIe Girl was Margaret Claire. her home
was in Cincinnati and her
physical ailment were supposed to have been
caused or at any rate increased in severity ana
seriousness by "her addiction" to wheeling
Miss Claire" 1t was reported, weighs Az
pounds and for u seasons has Travelled with
the largest circuses in the country, giving
exhibitions of trick riding" to admiring throngs
Taken sick at Fort Scott, Kan, she was
regarded as probably beyond recovery" but
perhaps the doctors were mistaken and she did
regain her accustomed state Of robust health
r
meeting at the residence Of the Rev. DR..
Alexander Mackay- Smith, according to notice
in The Star Of January 70,
Monument for 1898, was called to plan
Ionofeiiow statue of Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow. 1t was appro-
pirate, the convener and chairman Of the gath
ering argued, "that there should be here some
enduring form tof) memorial of the poet who
had deep hold upon his countrymen" Among
those in attendance were: Chief Justice Fuller,
Bishop Hurst, Senator Hoar, Rev. Dr. Mcklm'
John A. Kasson, Gen. Adolphus w. Greedy.
John Joy Edison, DR.. Swan M. Burnett ana
Frank w. Hackett The Longfellow monument
modelled by william Couper eventually was set
up on Connecticut avenue Just north OF M
street In 1909 It now is dwarfed by the aoJa-
cent modernistic Lonsfegow Building.