The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 16, 1895, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1895. 3 WEAVING A WEB ROUND THEODORE DURRANT Was in the Church the ]2 radical variation from a large number of Day Miss Lamont Disappeared. CHARGED WITH MURDER. A Nightmare Disturbs Slumber Early This Morning. His IS HE BREAKING DOWN? Arrest of All Who Had Keys to the Church. The first shocked and amazed the w from this city last Saturd mutilated body of M 5 found in a closet in Emmas Baptist Church on Bartlett street. A double crime on fell upon rarian of the church, . Durrant had ts left at his in an inside s purse was found. as sent after the miss- ed him Sunday after- home we pocket the dead Detective Anthony nche Lamont, a young and romantic ared on April 3, and her boc belfry of the church on She was also one of and he w g killed her. t Durrant on the that he police have learned t} Minnie Will death, and in the loft of the chu d ted. day Durrant w: and came down du His sso extreme that he sent for a sedati Durrant w charged w the murder of Miss Williams vesterday afternoon, and broken he is res that r the arrest of ch. his sleep all who had keys to tk ANALYSIS OF THE CASE. W. C. Morrow Goes Behind the Scenes Bloody of the Church For present conve let us assume that only one man was concerned in the nurder of Blanche Lamont and Mi v In see his m methods the process of elimination must be employed, and in ap git to the case find that the crimes could not have been committed by a stranger, a burglar, a footpad ora highway The murderer must have been a man in whom the girls had great confi Jikely had a tender regard. He must haye been a member of Emmanuel Church, must have carried a key to the building, and must have been so much more close! related to the affairs of the church th: arv male members as to be inti- ma acquainted with the remotest parts of the house. This means, also, that he t have visited the building freely and ently. It is reasonable to assume that he was young and single. I search reveals such a man in the con- gregation—a man so prominent in the chureh, and same time, capable of €0 monstr ve shall find him to have stro ishing characterist- ics, accompanied with uncommon ability to conceal them. He will be steady and in- dustrious, but not genial and open. Hence he wili not be incl 1to dissipation. He will have no very intimate fr men, who, if they be impressionable, will have a feeling almost of repugmance for hi Still, he will court the society of men, and will have a number of acquaint- ances, snd some actual friends among those lacking in the finest discernment. He will be an agreeable companion, never rough, always somewhat reserved and in- variably cautious. He will be honest in Lis business relations—possibly overpunc- tilious. His dress will be neat, but never approaching that of a fop. He will probably have a strong frame, | though we should not expect him to be large, but of medium s or under. H eyes will probably be of a dark cold gray or light hazel, his hair coarse and abund- ant, his nal uncommonly thick and strong, his forehead retreating the back of his ull heavy, the facial angle lik acuter than the average, the jaw heavy massive and inclined to be prognathous, the mouth large and the lips and nostrils thick, high cheek bones and a heavy arch of bone over his eyes. His glance will be ady and fearless, and the expression of face will show great firmness and self- Likely his body will have a heavier growth of hair than common, and his feet and hands will be larger than the average. The fingers wili probably be square at the ends. A powerful and aggressive masculinity will be discovered in him. He will likely scorn trivial amusements, such as sociable card-playing, dancing and the like, but he will have a great fondness for rongh aud strong outdoor sports. The military would 1ly attract him, pnrticularly the cav- He will be fond of horses, but rather for their use than for any other purpose, and in selecting a horse he would probably prefer strength and sturdiness to grace, ness and speed. For women, especially girls, he will be found to have a peculiar fascination, but he will lack the skill to use it shrewdly. tead of proceeding artfully and pa- ently, he uncover his grossness and alarm the instinctive timidity of the inex- perienced. In all of these matters he will be extremely secretive. He will have the confidence and admira- tion of elderly men, particularly those who are religious, but among the younger men of his acquaintance there will be many who mistrust and some who positively dislike him. Some of them will discover that his outward appearance of upright- ness is a sham, and that below the surface something repugnant exists. T_Ins isa long list of special straits, and noitem of the enumeration, taken alone, has any more value than has any one of those terrifying *“‘symptoms” which makers of quack medicines set forth in their adyertisements. But there might be ence, and for whom they | nds, and | will not be generally attractive to other ; these items in the person of the actual murderer without impairing the value of the general scheme which is here pre- sented. This is written without any knowledge of the personal appearance of ‘tlm man charged with the crimes, and in singular lack of in- | quiry on the part of the reporters, up to the time of this w regarding it. Such a man is of necessity a monster; and being, for that reason, not subject to the feeling of normal men we may expect to find otherwise unaccountable things in | his conduct. In other words, one must ap- ply to the conduct of such a man, not the | reasoning belonging to a discussion of an { ordinary man’s behavior, but that applica- ble to a monster, and such a monster as this. Such creatures are fairly well under- stood by students of criminology, and it is upon that understanding and to the com- ignoring of an ordinary man’s con- uct that this inquiry is based. Let us take, first, the case of Blanche Lamont and apply to her murder the the- oretical conduct of her murderer. It was not within the mental grasp of [this man to understand that possibly | her romantic nature might have offered an opportunity which excluded violence, He could form no conception of the tremen- dous self-sacrifice that such a woman’s love might lead her to commit. It was im- for him to know, either thata man's devotion is a very strange, beau- 1l and sacred thing, or that there are | differences among women on the score both of their confidence and loyalty; on | the score, also, both of the intensity of | the tion and the extent of the sacri- it might lead them; and, | the absence of a ec | fices to which still further, differences based on experi- ence. To him a woman was merely a woman. Thus it was that in this case two gitls of so extraordinarily opposite tem- | peraments and degrees of wisdom hap- pened to be his victims. We can imagine what was the conduct of the man in produ the murder of | Blanche Lamont, and how he would pro- | ceed after the d First she would of necessity be overpowered by choking, and this wonld necessarily be continued until death ensued. There would Le no merey, no feeling of compassion, only a terrible and boundless ferocity. Next concealment was a necessity. For such a man—espe- | cially if he should happen to be a medical student finishing his studies and thoroughly familar with corpses — the presence of this poor corpse could have no terrors, and there could not have been in his nature a very sensible remorse on the score of affection, for affection of the | nobler kind had to be absent. To him the | corpse was above all things else a threat | of discovery. Supposing, as seems quite | natural, that the murder was committed | on the ground floor of the church, it would | be peri natural for the murderer, who | was intimately acquainted with the re- | motest recesses of the house, to select the | one place least or never visited. As there was no bell in the tower of this church, | the tower was clearly the safest place of | concealment. | To bear the body, which was heavy, to so great a height, up crooked stairs only | two" feet wide, was an heroic task. Yet it | was accomplished. It is not wise to say | that the ordinary strength of a man was inadequate, for in times of great peril or other ordinary mental stress a man | may perform incredible feats of strength. In view of our knowledge on these subjects we are aware that the murderer could have carried the body on his back to the tower unaided, but we should not ignore the pos- ibility that some one assisted him, for by doing so we might be putting an accom- | plice out of the case. In the tower other problems arose. If the body should be entirely deprived of | clothing, and the clothing taken away and | destroyed, decomposition in time would | render identification extremely uncertain. | | | So in this case the clothine was removed and concealed with wonderful skill in the various darker and more inaccessible nooks of the steeple, to be taken away | aiterward, one article at a time. In fact, | the hat, shoes and a glove of Blanche’s | had already disappeared when her body | was discovered. Atno time would there | be any fear or repugnance for the corpse | greater than the fear of discovery. The removal of the knobs of the door leading to the tower, and the injuries to the lock, have not been adequately ex- plained. We may pass that for the present, for in any event it is not important. After the murderer had done these things we might expect his boldness and daring to manifest itself. Having known Blanche, and having been with her on the day of her murder, he might naturally and shrewdly make a show of attempts to discover her whereabouts—he might even visit the police and the newspaper offices and hintat foul play and let out vague remarks that he had certain suspicions which he was trying to confirm. Such a course would be as much a part of his na- | ture as of his plan for securing safety. Thus matters rested for ten or eleven days. With such a man the repetition of the crime would be perfectly natural, if not | inevitable, not only because that deformity of his nature which made the first crime possible must have remained in full vi- tality, brt also because the abnormal, dis- eased exhilaration of the first adventure, especially as its successful conduct had flattered his own estimate of his shrewd- ness, cunning and boldness, served as an | almost irresistible temptation to its repeti- tion. Remember that we are dealing with a monster and are judging his conduct by | the standard of a monster’s. The second crime was far more involved indetail, and this doubtless filled it with all the more zest. Its consideration compels us to abandon the inductive method and | bring Theodore Durrant into the case. On | Monday he called on Minnie Williams at Alameda and asked to speak to ber alone. She declined a private interview. Then he asked her to accompany him to some entertainment in San Francisco on the following (last) Fri- evening. She declined, explaining that she was going to Mrs. Voy’s, in San Francisco, on that evening, and from there would go to a social of the young members of Emmanuel Church at Dr. Vogel’'s. He went away. On Friday afternoon he was seen hanging about the ferry at the foot of Market street, and is said to have ex- plained to an acquaintance that he was watching to see if Blanche Lamont would leave the Ci But most likely he was waiting to meet Minnie Williams, as Blanche was then dead some days. It has been assumed that he failed to see Minnie, but there is every reason to believe that he did see her and that he made an appointment with herto meet him thateven- ing in the vicinity of Emmanuel Church, and that it was agreed between them to go to Dr. Vogel’s together. Minnie went to Mrs. Voy’s and at in the evening she left the house, saying that she was go- ing to Dr. Vogel’s. She reluctantly ac- cepted a passkey from Mrs. Voy, saying that she would return before Mrs, Voy had gone to bed. Evidently this was her inten- tion. At 7:15she disappeared for a time, and she never arrived at Vogel’s. Durrant has accounted for his move- ments that evening from the time he left home till he arrived at Dr. Vogel’s at 9:30, but in accounting for about an hour and a half of that time he has failed to name a witness. In his statement he ignores the declaration of witnesses, who say that a man and a girl resembling him and Min- nie were seen about8 o’clock in the vicinity of the church, and of another witness who declares that he saw Durrant opening the rear door of the church and escorting Min- nie within. When he arrived at Dr. Vogel’s 30 he was ina disordered state; he hed himself and spent the evening pleasantly with the guests. He was seen in the vicinity of the church some time after he had left Dr. Vogel’s, and after he had started directly for home. Unless it be shown that the witness mistook the man seen at the church with Minnie, these facts require no analy The church was dark and deserted and Minnie would not have entered it with any man whom she suspected of a past crime or of contemplation of a new one. 1t is as- serted that she hesitated and yielded to persuasion. It would be idle to speculate on the numerous worthy reasons that she might have had for entering the house: that she had any but the best motives is wholly out of the question. Itis profitless also to speculate on the circumstances attending the murder. The only valuable feature of them is the fact and manner of the use of the caseknife to kill her, unless we may tind in the direc- tion of the heart cutsa hint, which must be vague and possibly valueless, as to whether the murderer was lefthanded or righthanded. Durrant is said to be left- handed, or rather “ambidextrous” (which is practically a meaningless word). The question is, Which of his arms was the stronger? For under great excitement, where strength is required, a man will give preference to his stronger arm. If we as- sume that he stood over or in front of her and plied the broken knife on her breast, then, as he is lefthanded, we should ex- pect the cuts to have been made from the side toward the front. As a matter of fact, there are vague indications that they were so made. But they would have taken that course if a righthanded man, standing at her right side, had made them. Itisvery difficult to believe that the hard tendons of the wrist were severed by a dull caseknife in the work of opening the wrist arteries. This could have been done far more easily with a penknife, and for that matter, the heart puncture appears to have been made with a knife having a much sharper and narrower blade than a case- knife. It is conceivable that the introduc- tion of the caseknife into the tragedy and the unnecessary bungling and ferocity with which it was used were part of a shrewd design to create the impression of a foot- pad’s handiwork. There is some further evidence of sucha design, as we shall see later. In a case of thiskind the testimony of witnesses should be regarded with the greatest caution, for the simple reason that the prevailing excitement naturally con- duces to the production of evidence of the kind most desired. Already some contra- dictory and incongruous assertions by eye- witnesses have been reported. Thus, one witness has appearea who is said to have seen Durrant and Minnie near the church about midnight. This may be true, but if so it invests the case with interminable perplexities. Again, we should not take it absolutely for granted that the witnesses who think they saw Durrant and Minnie at the church are incapable of making a mistake. Let us return to the proposition of a left- handed murderer. As a man undoubtedly would use his strongest hand in choking a woman to death, the finger marks on the nght side of her throat would be deepest if the strangler was lefthanded. This is ex- actly what appeared on the neck of Blanche Lamont. And the grip was so hard that the murderer’s nails cut through the skin. Again, the undergarment of Minnie Will- iams, which was used to strangle her, was torn from her right side, and that seems to indicate a lefthanded man. A murderer of the character here as- sumed would have an uncommon amount of craftiness, and in its exercise he would experience a glowing satisfaction. Assum- ing that the caseknife was used, and was used in the most brutal and unscientific way, and that the main purpose of its use was to create the impression of a footpad’s presence, we would naturally look for further craftiness of this order and for this purpose. There appears to be three more instances of it in thiscase. The first is dis- closed by the pastor's declaration that when he visited the church Saturday morn- ing he found the rear door unlocked, and would haye been surprised thereat had he not assumed that the janitor had arrived. Now, a footpad would have left the door unlocked upon leaving. Again, when the officers searched Dur- rant’s rooms they found Minnie's pocket- book in the pocket of his overcoat, Its contents had been removed. Durrant ex- plains its presence in his pocket by saying that on his way home from Dr. Vogel's he saw the purse on the sidewalk near Em- manuel Church. Naturally he picked it up and put it into his pocket, suspecting nothing. Thus he was able to leave the impression that a footpad had committed the murder in the act of robbing the girl, that he had taken it out to the sidewalk, where there was presumably a gaslight, and that he had rifled it there and thrown it away. Further, the breaking of the library lock may be regarded as another, for Durrant’s natural reasoning would have been (as- suming him for convenience) that as he had a key to the door the breaking of the lock would indicate that he was not present. This lock may have been broken at any time after the murder, or even before. These are the precautions to mislead that we might have expected from a mur- derer of this order of intellect, and taken all four together they make an interesting and ingenious array. It may be asked why the murderer re- sorted to such a method of killing Minnie as would prohibit his secreting the body, as in Blanche's case. Many reasons might be presented, but this phase of the case is not very important. It might be assumed that the murderer, remembering the dan- ger and wearisome pains which he had taken to conceal Blanche, hit upon the simpler plan of doing the deed in the most brutal manner and leaving all reasonable indications of its having been done by a footpad. There has been some concern over a missing hatchet. It was seen last on the day before Blanche disappeared, and on that occasion was used by Durrant and the organist, King, in repairing the library lock. The hatchet always rested on the cutting-block in the church kitchen. On the day following Blanche’s disappearance the janitor's son made a search for the hatchet, but could not find it. He inquired in Durrant’s presence. There is no good evidence that the hatchet figured in either. of the murders, though it may have been used on the lock of the door leading to the tower. If so, that was no reason for its secretion. But if it was used to make some of the cuts on Minnie, then there was & reason for its secretion; but if so, why was it kept concealed for ten days after Blanche'’s death, and what was the occa- sion for its use in Minnie’s case? Boldness and daring have been very con- spicuous elements of these two crimes. But these qualities are far removed from true courage. So long as the murderer was congratulating himself upon the suc- cess of his daring and ingenuity he could not realize how formidable a thing is the law, or how terrible its vengeance. It would be logical to expect that when such a man is finally overhauled and is made to face the gallows, his vanity, the one thing which had sustained him, will be crushed, and nothing will remain upon which his fictitious courage can depend. 1If Durrant is the murderer he must have the charac- teristics of a man capable of such atrocious crimes, and hence will possibly, sooner or later, break down, lighten his awful bur- den—not of conscience but of fear—by a complete confession and depend upon the very atrocity of his deeds to furnish a de- fense of insanity: That the real murderer is a monster is beyond question; that he is or ought to be held accountable is another matter. Last evening King, the organist, made a statement, declaring that in the afternoon of the day on which Blanche disappeared Durrant descended from the upper part of the church in a state of great perturbation. As this same declaration has been already made by Durrant himself, Mr. King's corroboration is not news, and has little value. Durrant explained that he had been aloft arranging the electric light, and that the gas had affected him. If it was not he who killed Blanche, and took her body to the tower, his failure to see the man who did seems wonderful. The return of Blanche’s finger-rings to heraunt is an interesting feature of the case. Undoubtedly they had been re- moved from her hand for the same reason that the clothing had been—to prevent iaentification. Their return, after a lapse of more than a week, would appear mys- terious were it not for the fact that on the slip of paper accompanying them appeared scrawled the names of Professor Schoen- stein, Blanche’s music-teacher, and George R. King, organist of the Emmanuel Church. If this was not an attempt to divert suspicion from the real murderer to two innocent men, the act seems to have no meaning at all. Like all the other craftiness displayed in these murders, it was stupid, transparent and futile, Such are the main features of thisex- traordinary case. The discussion of many minor features of it has been omitted. One of the general conclusions to be drawn is that the murders bear not the slightest resemblance to the Whitechapel outrages in the method or purpose of their execu- tion. Another is that murder was merely an accident. W. C. Morzrow. DURRANT IDENTIFIED. Three Normal 8chool Girls Recognize Him as Miss Lamont's Companion, There is no longer the shadow of a doubt that Durrant was the man who met Blanche Lamont when she left the Normal School on Powell street about 3 o’clock on the fatal Wednesday afternoon, and with her boarded a Powell-street car bound for Market street. Three of the dead girl's classmates who saw him on that occasion confronted him in Chief Crowley’s office vesterday afternoon and positively identi- fied him. Durrant, with almost brazen coolness, denied that he was the man, but the testimony of the three girls can scarcely be shaken. At 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon Detec- tive Anthony visited the Normal School and had an interview with Principal Albert H. Yoder. Soon three young ladies, whose ages might be any and 20 years, were called in. They were Miss Minnie B. Edwards of San Mateo, whose brother, Thomas M. Edwards Jr., is a draftsman for Polk & Polk; Miss Alice E. Pleasant of 323 Twelfth street, and Miss M. Lanigan of 2321} Larkin street, who has a brother in the Internal Revenue De- partment. Detective Anthony announced that the Chief required their presence at his office to id!‘nti&y Durrant, but the girls, while anxious to do their duty, were some- what timid and wished to be accompanied by relatives during the, to them, trying ordeal. Finally it was arranged that Pro- fessor Yoder should accompany them. Upon arrival at _the Chief’s office Detec- tive Ben Bohen instructed the girls: “If you recognize the prisoner as the man who “was with Miss Lamont say so; if not, keep silence.” Detectives Seymour and Anthony then marched in with Durrant between them. The accused was neatly dressed in a long cutaway coat and vest of black cheviot and striped trousers fashionably creased. His linen was irreproachable, his neck scarf neat, and on his head he wore a Fe- dora hat, which he removed on entering. His face, pale and thin, bore an expression of mingled anxiety and defiance. As he entered he glanced sharply at Miss Ed- wards and casually at the other two girls, and then his gaze rested again on Miss Edwards. She is the girl who left Miss Lamont just before the latter joined Dur- rant, and it seemed as if he recollected her ce. For fully five mintes silence reigned. Then the Chief thinking that Durrant had not been recognized said, *'That is all.” The prisoner turned to leave the room and as he did so the girls gasped, “That is he.”’ ““What, do you know him?”’ ejaculated Bowen. “Why didn’t you say so? Here, Durrant, come back.” Then inturn the girls were questioned and each one positively affirmed his identity, “What have you to say to that?” asked the Chief of Durrant. “I have simply to say that I was not there,” was the replf', and a horrified “Oh”’ escaped the young Jadies at this denial. “I don’t see how he can say that,”” said one of them afterward, ‘‘for he was surely there. Idon’t want to dohim an injustice, but there can be no mistake.”” The clothing found in the tower was shown and identified by the three girls as that worn by Blanche Lamont when they last saw her. They recognized it by the material, by the cut of the basque and by the rosettes. A visit to the Morgue was next in order, and the'girlsand their escorts were bundled into a hack and taken to Dunbar alley. The Coroner’s realm was even more horri- fyinfi than usdal, and the delicately nur- tured girls will not soon forget their visit. The corpses of Blanche Lamont and Min- nie Williams, lying side by side, presented a terrible sight, and the odor of the dead was overpowering. The young women gazed in silence on the sadly altered fea- tures of the dead and sighed as they recog- nized their late companion. Once outside they drew deep breaths of relief and com- pleted their identification. The three girls tell very straight stories. They give a good reason for the particular notice they took of Dnrrant when they saw him with Miss Lamont, and each of ‘them recognized his Sm“n in the Chronicle of Sunday and told relatives or friends of it before they met again at school to talk the case over. “On the afternoon of April 3,” said Miss Edwards yesterday, “I walked down the steps of the Normal School on Powell street, with Miss Lamont. We went to the corner of Clay street and started to board a car escuing south. I got inside, but she walked to the front of the car and boarded the dummy with 8 young man she met just as I said ‘Good by.’ r. Yoder has a rule that we must not be escorted by young men to or from the school, and tor that reason I took particular notice of this one. - I rode on the car to Market_street, but did not notice where they got off. *I saw Durrant’s picture in the Chronicle last nifhf. and I recognized it at once, par- ticularly by the mouth. I told my mother then that he was the man I saw with Miss Lamont. I had not seen Miss Pleasant or Miss Lanigan then since last week.” Miss Pleasant’s testimony is equally strong. “Miss Lanigan and I walked south from the school that afternoon. Just before we reached California street a Powell-street car passed us. On the dummy sat Blanche Lamont with a young man who was looking ai her books. As the car passed he raised his head and glanced 1n our direction. Because of the rule about escorts I called Miss Lanigan’s attention to the couple and remarked that ‘the new girl was bringing around her young men pretty early.’ ‘“When I saw Durrant’s picture in the quer I recognized him as Miss Lamont’s wend and spoke of that fact to my mother.” Miss Lanigan adds the information that Durrant wore a dark suit and a Fedora hat pulled low down on his forehead. She also recognized Durrant’s picture in the nawspipers and spoke of her knowledge to friends. A CONDUCTOR'S STATEMENT. He Saw Durrant and Miss Lamont Together on April 1 or 3. Henry J. Shalmount, 1839 Polk street, is a conductor on the Sntter-street line. He called at police headquarters yesterday afternoon and was taken by Detective Bohen to the City Prison, where he had a look at Durrant, after which he wrote the following statement: “On April 1 or3, I am not sure which, a young lady, answer- ing the description of Miss Lamont, and a young man, answering the description of Durrant, whom I now positively identify as the young man, got on the dummy car ‘at the_ corner of Ninth and Mi streets and rode along Larkin street. They chatted )IeasantFy with each other till the car reached Polk and Sutter streets when they got off the car. They stood in a hesitating sort of way for a little while, and then they got on a Sutter-street car go- ing west toward Octavia street.” LINKS IN THE CHAIN. George R, King Makes an Important State- ment. George R. King, 521 Capp street, called at police headquarters yesterday afternoon and voluntarily made the following state- ment fo Detective Bohen: “On April 3 last, the day that Miss La- mont was first missed, I strolled into the church by the front door at about 5 o’clock that afternoon, and the first thing I no- ticed was that the library door was open and a strong smell of gas impregnated the air through the building. I then closed the library door and locked it and then played the piano. This was in the lecture-room. I had been playing, I should judge, some five or ten minutes when Durrant came down through the back folding-doors. He came into the room with his coat off in his shirtsleeves. His hair was mussed about and he looked quite ale and was somewhat nervous. I imagined that he might have been startled at my appearance there in the church. “He said that he had been overcome by the gas, and that he had been upstairs fi ing the gas fixtures, and he said he was s overcome that he could barely come do: the ladder. At this time he asked me to g0 out and get him some bromo-seltzer, and I went to the drugstore to get him some. What he did during the time I went to the drugstore I do not know. When [ returned from the drugstore I brought him a bottle of bromo-seltzer. Then he drank a dose of it, and it seemed to nauseate him. “He then went into the other room, and heasked me how he looked, and I told him he was somewhat pale, and that his eyes were a little congested, so he went into the ladies’ parlor, where there is a mirror, to look at his face, and I afterward found on a little shelf underneath the mirror a little clot of blood, as though he wiped his finger on it. “I spoke of the gas and he said he hoped it would not be noticed at night at the prayer meeting. We then carried a little organ from upstairs down inta the lecture- room and he appeared quite weak. He had to stop and rest several times, making the remark that he was overcome with gas, ‘At about 6 o’clock we left the place and he walked a little way down Capp street with me. Ido not remember whether he went back to the church or not when he left me.” Subsequent to his statement to Chief Crowley George R. King was interviewed at his home. He said: “T left the corner of Army streetand San Jose avenue at about 5 o’clock and walked down td the church on Bartlett street. I entered the church by the front door, to which T bhad a key. I noticed the library door open, which was unusual. “Toreach the loft where Durrant said he was working one must go to the gallery where the dooris to the tower and then climb up a ladder and pass through a trap- door in the ceiling. From the gallery one comes down into the front hall on the auditorium floor. Durrant, to come down the rear steps, must have walked through the "auditorium, and through either the pastor’s study or the choir space. It is possible to get down in the rear part of the church, but it is a hard climb, full of ups and downs, and a dirty one. The loft can also be reached from the tower stairway leading to the belfry. i +*“The day this occurred was Wednesday, April 3. 1 locate the date by the fact that we brought down that organ; also because I asked Theodore if he would be well enough to come to prayer-meeting that night. He said he would be there, and he was. I never denied that I was in the church with Theo that afternoon.” Young King accounts for his time be- tween 3 o'clock and 5 o'clock that after- noon. He says that he called on Miss Marion Macintosh of 1023 Fair Oaks street, remaining at her house till 4:30 o’clock. Then he says he called on Mrs. J. P. Chamberlin of 712 Army street, leaving her house for the church about 5 o’clock. At the Mackintosh residence last night the father of the girl declined to allow his daughter or her mother to be interviewed and said they were not at home. He him- self knew nothing of young King's move- ments. Mrs. Chamberlin. remembered King’s visit, but could not remember what day it occurred or at what hour he de- parted, other than that it was late in the afternoon. DURRANT IN HIS OELL. Ho is Charged with Murder, but Keeps Up is Nerve. Durrant’s horrible position did not ap- pear to affect his night's rest. He slept soundly in his cell and was awake bright and early in the morning. His first visitor was his father, who called about 9 o’clock. They were in earnest conversation for about an hour. After his father left Durrant sent word that he wanted to see Detective Ed Gibson. ‘When Gibson got to his cell the prisoner told him he wanted, to speak to him pri- vately. Gibson imagined tbat Durrant was to unburden himself, but found that he only wanted to show him a letter he had received from a _young lady in ¥'resno in which she referred to the disappearance of Blanche Lamont and the man on the bicycle, which was nothing new to the de- tective. Durrant was taken from his cell between 12 and 1 o’clock Y!slerduy to the desk ser- fiennt by Detective Anthony, who served im with a warrant charging him with the murder of Minnie Williams. The warrant had been sworn out by Anthony in Judge Conlan’s court. Durrant accepted the service of the war- rant in a cool and unconcerned manner. When asked the usual questions as to his name, age and occupation he answered as promptly and in as easy a way as if he were being” booked for some g:ctg offense. Drs. Somers and Berry, of the Receiving Hospital, called at the prison to examine an abrasion on Durrant’s chin, which he said he got while going through the brush at Mount Diablo. They thought it was at least three aays old. > When Durrant was taken to the Chief’s office in the afternoon to face the three oung ladies from the Normal School his lvaoa was set and he seemed to realize the fact that he was about to go througha trying ordeal. After it was over his cools ness and nerve returned and he chatted plmsantll\; to Detectives Anthony and Sey- mour on his way back to prison. His father paid him another long visit in the afternoon and at night his mother called to see him. The greeting between them was affectionate and touching. No word was ssmken as he clasped her in his arms and led her to a seat. They talked for about haif an hour. After she left he seemed to be more deeply moved than he had been since his arrest. He was asked after she left if he cared to say anything in regard to his identification hf the Normal School pupils, and he re- plied: “My attorneys have instructed me not to make any more statements. I would like to do so, but perhaps it is as well to follow the advice of my attorneys. I have implicit faith in the assurance that my innocence will be established at the proper time.” K3 b suspose you know that George King has made a statement to the police?”” ‘“Yes, I believe so,” he said, but he de- clined to discuss it. Durrant complained bitterly last night to Detective Gi{;son that Dr. Gibson, the pastor, and some of the leading members of the church, had not called to see him. He had hoped they would be among the first to do so, but they had apparently abandoned him. His eyes filled and his lower lip quivered as he'spoke. He was asked if he would have any ob- jection to be present at the inquest this morning and he said his attorneys had in- structed him not to go. The police will not force him to go, in view of the popular feelings against him at present. DURRANT TALKS AGAIN. He Gives Details of His Whereabouts at Dif- forent Times. Durrant has been acting under the close instructions of his attorneys not to make any statement of his case, but late last night he consented to a long conversation on general topics. He said: I know I am charged with some terrible crimes,but I am sure that I will be able to prove that I am innocent. Icannot under- stand how so mueh circumstantial evidence could be gathered against me, asIam inno- cent. I fully realize that the case 100ks strong against me. I wo i ry much to tell the whole sto defense, but I must continue toact under the directions of my attorneys. My connections with Blanche Lamont have been grossly misrepresented. Itis true that T met her on Friday, April 3, early in the morn- ing. We went from the Mission to our re- spective schools. We went ona Mission-street car, transferred to the Polk-street line a nth and Mission streets, and at the corner of Sutter and Polk streets we again transferred, this time to the Sutter-street line. Miss Blanche asked me to go with her, and as I conld go by way of the Sut- ter-street cars near to ~ the Cooper Medical College, I accompanied her. This was before 9 o’clock in the morning. When I left her at the Lowell School it was the last time I saw her. Idia not meet her on Powell street as has been stated. Icannot understand why the three young ladies claim that they saw me with her.” I was brought into Chief Crowley’s Office this aftornoon and saw three young la- dies there. I never saw them before and I am sure they never saw me. It isa case of mis- taken identity. When I got through with my studies at the Cooper Medical College I went directly to the church. The janitor had often complained that the gas jets in the ceiling of the church did not burn well. I promised him that I would fix them. AsIhad watched the building of the church all the time it was going on, I was conversant with all the detalls of its construction. I went to the church and went up into a loft- like place above the ceiling. Iclimbed around among the rafters until I got over the openings below which the gasjects are placed. As I had toturn_on the gas I was nearly sutfocated. When I got through with my work I went down and talked with King, who was playing the organ. His statement is true to a considerable ex- tent. When I came down I did feel faint. I asked him to get me & bromo seltzer and laid down on the piatform while he ran to the cor- ner for the selizer. When I felt better we car- ried the organ downstairs. I was weak, as he says, on account of what work I had been doing. After we got the organ downstairs we left the place together. I have not seen Minnie Williams for a long time. Idid not meet her at the ferry. I saw Peie Chappelle, the detective, at the ferry Friday aiternoon, but he did not see me meet Miss Williams there. I was there on other business. 1 did not see Minnie Williams there, I went home. Afterward I met Dr. Perkins and talked with him for some time t 8 o'ciock. Ireached Dr. Vogel’s house at P. M. instead of 9:30 or 10 o’clock as that guy states. Where I was after Ileft Dr. Per- kins until I got to Vogel’s house will beall told at the proper time. I went home after house. I did not night as Clarence leaving Dr. Vogel's et my horse shod at mid- Wolfe says. Ikeptmy ap- pointment, and got the horse at7 o’clock. then Jeft on the heliographing trip. Yes, it is true the news that I would be arrested was flashed by thé heliograph on Telegraph Hill, Mount Diablo, where I was. When Lieutenant Borden read the message to me I supposed it was a joke. Had I desired to escape I could have done so. The scratch on my chin was received while on the mountain. It certainly was never placed there by any woman. The scratch on the left side of Durrant’s chin is believed by the detectives to be a valuable point of circumstantial evidence. HAS THE NIGHTMARE. Durrant Covers His Face and Ories Ont in His Sleep. Durrant retired last night about 11 o’clock. At1o’clock this morning Ser- geant Shields, who was in charge of the prison, was startied by loud cries of “Oh! Oh!” from Durrant’s cell. Running to the door he saw his prisoner apparently suffer- ing from a hideous nightmare. Both of his hands covered his face as if protecting it from some enemy. After a time he be- came calmer and went off into a sound sleep. It is thought the man is breaking down. Last night, when he parted from his mother, he kissed her five or six times, and was so affected that for several minutes he could not speak to anyone. When spoken to later there were traces of tears in his eyes. DR. GIBSCON'S MOVEMENTS,. He Finds a Blood Stains in the Belfry of the Churoh, ‘The whereabouts of Dr. Gibson the night of the Minnie Williams murder was told in yesterday’s Cari, but the Chronicle stated that the reverend gentleman did not reach Dr. Vogel's house until 9:30 o’clock. Dr. Gibson was asked about the discrepancy yesterday and said: “I left the study and went directly to Dr. Vogel's house, reaching it before 8 o’clock. ‘When I entered Mrs. Vogel was standing at the head of the stairs. [ remarked that 1 did not know whether T was late or early. Mrs. Vogel said,*You arein plenty of time; you are one of thefirst.’ ”’ [Mrs. Vogel substantiates Dr. Gibson’s statement.] ‘“Some of the papers have said Durrant and myself were inseparable friends. That isnot so. We were friendly, but not inti- mate. George King and myself were mors triendly, as we came in contact more fre- quently, as it was necessary for him to consult me regarding music. *‘Now, as to the similarity of the hand- writing of Durrant and myself I will say I saw Durrunt writing a part of the catalogue in the library, and while looking over his shoulder remarked, ‘My! oh, Theo, but we do write alike.” ‘‘Could you identify that part of the cat- alogue you saw Durrant writing?” was asked. “Ido not know whether I could or not. I believe the time I spoke of the writin, was in the morning, but am not certain. never wrote a line in the catalogue. I do not know who did, but think it was pre- %ared by Durrant, George King and Miss urner, but am not certain.” “Did you ever take a trip with Durrant ?”’ “No, but George King and I went to Napa the last Monday in March. I wasto lecture and King to play on the piano. ‘We appeared in the ann Baptist church that evening, when I delivered my lecture. The following night I preached a_sermon. We returned from Napa Wednesday after- noon. We came up from the ferry on a Mission-street car. King went on home and I Izroceeded to the church with my satchel. I was late arriving, but went to my study at once and changed my shoes, as those I had on were muddy. It was prayer-meeting night, and when I came downstairs the service had begun. George King came in shortly afterward and re- mained through the evening. “I have been going over the past few weeks and trying to locate my movements, but have not completed them as yet. I knew full well that I would be suspected of having a hand in the affair as soon as I heard of the discovery. I do not keeg a diary. I do not even keep a record of the calls I make. If [ had done so I could have no difficulty in tracing my move- ments.” “Do you remember where you were on Tuesday of last week ?" “No, 1 cannot recollect just at this mo- ment, but will fry and think it out. As far as I can recall I was in my study in the morning up to T am there every day until noon, tinl;.:.)i'onda_VS. In g atternoon I viritan ‘Mos Tida Herris 512 Twenty-second street; also Mrs. Magee, 1106 Potrero avenue. I left my cards at both the addresses as the parties were out. I then visited Mrs. Fales, 1332 Florida street, and gave her a church card, I do not know what I did in the evening, but presume I was. at home. I preached in Grace M. E. Church Tuesday evening. See their printed programme. I went to my room from the church and went to bed. y landlady confirms my statement that I s in my room Monday evening after supper. ¢l believe I was in my study as usual ‘Wednesday morning. In’ the afternoon I visited Mr. Marshall’s family on Vulcan street, leaving here about 2 o’clock. vas a long time finding the house, which is among the hills. I took a walk up the hill to the top, and had a view of the fair grounds. Isaw the people I intended to t. They invited me to remain for supper, but I declined. I returned home about 5 or 6 o’clock, had supper, and then attended prayer-meeting “I bad intended to something about Blanche Lamont’s disappearance, but on my way to the church heard a repgrt that she had been found. I said to myself, ‘If this report is true I will drop the subject.” While the congregation was singing I saw Theo sitting in the back part of the room. The thought struck me, ‘Might I not ascer- tain if the report is true before I begin to talk?’ I went to Theo and said, ‘Have you heard anything; any new developments in the case?’” He replied, ‘None except the rumor.’ Either he or I suggested that he should find out and bring back word be- fore we separated. “Durrant then went ont. When he re- turned I addressed him in the presence of all the friends, ‘Have you any news?® or something to that effect. He said ‘No.”’? Dr. King in this connection asked Dur- rant where he bad been, and he said to Dr. Vogel's as he thought he would know if any one would. Dr. Vogel verifies Dur- rant’s statement to Dr. King. He, Dur- rant, called there and inquired about the missing girl. movements since Thursday were fully outlined in the Cary,” continued Dr. night. Tha I have a. made it a practice never to take a lady home from a party or enter- tainment. I always dodge out of it some~ how. We were all preraring to leave Dr. Vogel’s, when I passed through the door in a hurry, said good-night and started up Howard street on a brisk walk. Right behind me were ung Charles Mar- shall and his sister, Miss Lizzie, the family whom I had visited on Wednes- day, and Miss Gertie Taber of 64614 V. cia street and Miss Fall of 447 El street. I bad wal perbaps half a block when I heard them whistling ana calling. Miss Fal! was running toward me to catch the electric car. I assisted her aboard and then waited for the rest of the party to come up. We all walked down Valencia street until we reached my door. Miss Taber remarked, ‘Wehave at least seen you Mr. Gibson, and waited until I pass As I came upstairs Mrs, ‘:nderhill, who was busy at work in her room, heard me pass into my bedroom. “The next morning about 7 o’clock Mr. Moore, who is the landlord, met me at the top of the stairsand said, ‘You are up early this morning.’ I then had breakfast and went directly to the church.” “Was it not unusual for youtoleave your study at 10:30?" “Yes; but I could not stand the tuning of the piano.” “Have you made any search of the church on'your own account?” “Not exactly asearch. Dr. Vogel, George King and I went up into the tower this afternoon to look around. had never been up there before, and in fact did not know there was such a place i the build- ing.” Did you find anything?”* Dr. Gibson hesitated for a time. Then he said: ‘Yes, onelittlething. We found a stain upon the shelf in the ladies’ room, just in front of the mirror. It looked as though some one had been standing there in front of the glass and dashed their finger on the shelf. Dr. Vogel pronouced it a blood stain. Of course I do not know that it is blood, but Dr. Vogel seemed to think so.” Dr. Vogel was seen at his home, 2602 Howard street, and asked if he had dis- covered anything in the room. At first he dodged the question, but finally admitted finding the stain, but would not say it was blood. He was asked if he had made any other discovery, but replied in the nega- tive. When asked how he came to visit the church he said: “This afternoon Mr. Wolff came here and said Dr. Gibson wanted to see me. I went up to the house, and then Mr, Gibson said he would like me to go to the church with him. I said I would, but left him and rode down with Wolff in his bng‘iy, and waited in front of the church until Mr. Gibson came down. Wolff drove off, and then Mr. Gibson and myself met George King in front of the church and went in.” “Had there been any previous arrange- ment for the meeting of the three?”’ “No more than that Mr. Gibson asked me to go with him, and we hap}:ened to meet King in front of the church.” “Did Durrant ever express any feelin regarding the ladies of the congregation?’ “We were never intimate enough to talk upon such a subject. He never expressed himself in any manner upon such a sub- ject.” ; “Did he ever say anything about getting married ?" “Not a word. We never talked about anvthing of that character. I have noidea of his passions or ideas. He always ap- peared to be a nice young man, but beyond what I have been told I know nothing concerning him.” THE MARKS ON HER NECK. A Plaster Cast of Durrant's Hand Taken for Comparison. The police are leaving no stone unturned in their endeavor to trace the murderer of Blanche Lamont. The marks of the fin- gers that strangled her were plainly visible on the neck. Careful measurements were made by a physician, and a plaster cast of Durrant’s hand has been made. If it can be shown that the marks on the neck cor- respond with and were made by a hand similar to Durrant’s the police think they will have gone a considerable length govga_rld proving the guilt of the man now in jail. 'llhe men who made the examination say that the imprints on the left side of the neck were deeper than on the right and reason from that fact that a lefthanded man committed the crime. Durrant is said to have that peculiarity, and in that respect he fills the bill. In making their measurements the police had considerable trouble to overcome. The body was decomposing and swollen so that it was hard to tell just exactly how far apart the imprints are and the Iength of the fingers and hand that performed the deed. Sufficient data was obtained how- ever to enable them to tell pretty accu- {xa"lliy the size and shape of the murderer's and. A MATERIAL WITNESS. The Couple That E. F. Somps Saw on Friday Evening, There is another witness whose testi« mony will tend materially to assist in the ultimate conviction of Durrant. This is