The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 17, 1895, Page 5

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1895 5 1 young ladies come fternoon with flowers to he rear door was prob- in that wa r door ope member. inofa I “frequently fc When that happened I always supposed | the pastor in the churc | Q.—Whe ou see Dur: n there 1 th e had a clew to Miss Blanche Lamont. imored that she would 8 oon to the country the detec Noble did not seem very ace he would not do $50 was paid him. 5 air because the the old me that when v he asked a few ow old was Mi: bother about her. of herself.” The detec- o Durrant, called upon Dr. ked him to make inquiries nd if he heard any virl to report to him rting Du aid to me: nd I'm help- g out for some one e not swear whether and Blanche had ever seen Dur mont in the church Dr. J. Geo otist He uel B: called. him res over q e Williams alive when | a reception. She | was appointed to f Who v to my house, 1 Miss Taber u home, Mr. Durrant in A—1 never with Blanche d then | he came | s in the rinking | » | recited the fact that on or about the 12th lownstairs I 5 saw ken” open. ent into the but as everythi id not stri ! that you were | ant from 7 to 9 on er made any | , and I was not in his com- | 1d you that Miss Williams | d in the church? A.—Mrs, d told me. 1 | nd together we K om the church. - I go along because I wanted a w I only saw Dr once. the books in the th the conclusi yony the Coroner this mor; The w: Mrs. Nolte, 910 Snook, Golden G James Sademan, 2 Vogel, 2602 Howarc and Serge Twenty-th lett 6 First; C. T. Hills, 303} Marston, 55 Stevenson; M Voy, 1707 Howard Snook, 2429 Mission; jamitor, armory, corner Page and Gough. DURRANT ARRAIGNED rant alone He was then arrang- of Dr. Gibson’s tes- urned court until He Listens to the Reading of the Complaint Without a Tremor. An angement had been made to have t arraigned before Judge Conlan immediately after the inquest had ad- i he da; o’clock when a hack drove up to the City Prison. The few peo- ple around expected to see Durrant step out of the hack, but they were disap- pointed. Itw ruse of Captain Doug- lass, who ordered the hack containing the prisoner to be driven round to the Larkin- street entrance to the Central police sta- tion. )'_uuy]fl on Larkin and MeAllister streets seeing a hack driven furiously up to the (‘uvy Prison and another hack driven as furiously round to the Larkin-street en- trance fancied that Some dreadful tragedy l,md taken place, the more so when abouta zen policemen came pouring ont of the and lined the entrance. They im- % ¥ ran in all directions to the City Prison and by the time Captain Douglass rusned Durrant out of the hack, followed by detectives and policemen, through the hall to prison there was a fair-sized crowd. The ruse had exactly the i effect to what was intended. oAt e Durrant had just got into his cell when | charge of | your disposal and § | pec | pointed. | T wish to consult with my client and | time to prepare for trial. | ifornia. he was taken out agnin and escorted by Captain_Douglass and a squad of police- | men to Judge Conlan’s court. There were | few people in the corridor, as court had been adjourned at 12 o’clock and all in- quirers were told that Durrant was not to | appear. The court began to fill and before | the proceedings were over every seat was oceupied. ! Durrant had completely regained his composure. He was as cool and uncon- | cerned as if he had merely been one of the | spectators. He sat between nis counsel, | General Dickinson, and Captain Douglass. | | Detective Gibson was immediately behind | him and half a dozen policemen were be- | hind Gibson. { The case was called and the Judge or- dered Durrant to stand u}x. He did so promptly and after glancing furtively from | mi (PSR sTOEY 4 | 11 | U i | THE FADING EASTER FLOWERS ng about half-past o’clock, showed signs of having passed a restless night. His hideous nightmare made him haggard and wan. He quickly dressed himself and sat on his bench reading a magazine which h}s}x]nother had left witE him the previous | night. About 9 o’clock he was disturbed in his reading by people staring at him and ask- ing him how he felt aud other trivial questions. Half an hour afterward Cap- tain Douglass and Detectiye Gibson called upon him and notitied him that it was time for him to go to the Morgue to be present at the inquest. When he returned from the Police Court after being arraigned he started in to read the magazine. \’Ghen asked to step forward for a brief interview he looked up resentfully and replied that he declined to speak to any one on the advice of his at- torneys. There was a regular stream of callers at the prison, but the doorkeeper was firm in his refusal to open the door unless they had business in the prison. Two old ladies who have regularly visited the prison whenever a murderer was locked up made desperate efforts to get admit- tance, and went away in a very angry mood when they signaily failed. Early in the evening his father called to see him. They remamed in earnest con- versation for about half an hour. Some of his fellow-students also called to see him and he chatted pleasantly with them. About half-past 9 o’clock his mother. s gentle little woman, called with George F. Malme, a friend. She was permitted to enter | the cell, but Malme had to stand outside. | Mother and son greeted each other affec- tionately. She remained with him till | after 10 o’clock, and when she stepped into the light it was seen that her eyes were red with weeping. Durrant kept in the back part of the cell. He sat down on the beneh and covered his face with his hands. Durrant was asked last night if he cared | to make any further statement in explana- | tion of several points at variance witn what he said on Sunday night. He replied that he did not care to do so, as he ha yet been able to fully talk over matters with his attorney. It was possible thatin not | | the fair thing to do. | on thedoor is a common, cheap lock which first time Monday night. His groans rang out through the prison. The incident was passed over as curious, but not unac- c?untable, and nothing more was thought of it. The cries broke out again last night, and Smith, rushing to Durrant’s cell, saw him writhin§ in the clutches of a terrible night- mare. While he was silent the struggle continued, but when the spell was broken and he succeeded in emitting a series of shrieks the paroxysm subsided, and in a few seconds all was over. *‘Is Durrant liv- ing over again his struggle in the Em- manuel Baptist Church, or is it only the result of indigestion”? is the question that is troubling the prison officials. A MOTHER’S PRAYER. Mrs. Durrant Appeals to the| Public to Suspend Its Judgment. Mrs. Durrant made the following state- ment and appeal last night: “To the public: I want to appeal to you hrough the columns of this paper to hold your decision as to the guilt or inno- cence of my boy till you have the sworn testimony of both sides with which to judge. The newspaper reports have been somewhat inaccurate, and certain of them apvear to have espoused the side of the prosecution. “I realize that there is considerable evi- dence which appears to point to Theo, but it is wholly circumstantial. He was familiar with the interior of the church— so were many others. He had a key to the church. So had many more. Why do they not arrest them all and make them show where they were at the times of the murders? It seems to me that would be And besides the lock almost anybody could open. IN EMMANUEL CHURCH. that the assassin had to break his way into the room. “Theo did not meet the girl at the ferry, for he and a member of the Signal Corps rode up from the ferry together, leaving the foot of Market street at five minutes to 4 o’clock. They went to the armory to- gether and, were there at 4:30- o’clock. Theo was home to dinner and left about 8 o’clock. Hesaw Dr. Perkins at his home and then started to go to the armory. He changed his mind when near Fourteenth street and started for the party. When he got there he shook hands with some of the ladies before he washed. His hair was rumpled, but every man who wears his hair long in the present style knows how easy it gets mussed. There was nothing strange about his washing at Dr. Vogel’s, for the young men when they come here to spend the evening almost always went to rinse their hands and brush their clothes. “‘They talk a great deal about men who saw him Friday night with Miss Williams but the papers did not publish the fact that two of the men did not identify Theo when they went to the City Prison to do so. Idonot wonder that they could not recognize him, for he was not there. They saw a short, slender man, who wore a long overcoat and a slouch hat. There must be 10,000 man in this city who would answer that description. “Another thing. What motive could Theo bave had for doing such athing? Absolutely none. He has lived in San Francisco fifteen years, and no one ever could say a thing against him. He has hundreds of friends here, too, and all the young ladies of the church respect ard be- lieve in him. «I pelieve all these things which look so bad against my boy are the result of a con- spiracy. Either some enemy of mine wants to injure my son, or the guilty man is shielding himself by throwing suspicion on Theo. “There are some questions in the case which have never been satisfactorily an- swered. Why did Mr. Gibson want to hush the matter up at first, and why did he refuse to let the police have the keys to the church? Why did Mr. Gibson refuse himself to the reporters on Saturday? Did not Minnie Williams say something once about a man about 40 years old? Towhom did that gray hair belong which was found yesterday in the clotted blood on the floor of the book closet? Theodore has not a gray hair in his head, “They talk about scratches on Theo's face. They were not there when he kissed me good-by at 6:30 o’clock Saturday morn- ing, that I can swear. He had, however, a little pimple on one side of his chin. They found horsehair to-day on the waist of Miss Williams. Who that attended that party had been riding a horse? “I only ask, however, that my son be N POLICEMEN’S WEAPONS.—TEE HALL WHERE THE SPOTS WERE FOUND. side to side he fixed his eyes upon the | Judge. | “W. H. Theodore Durrant,” said the | dge., “You have been arrested on a| felony. You are entitled to counsel to defend you, the processes of the | court for the obtaining of witnesses are at | u are entitled to time . Have youanattorney ?” replied Durrant. *‘General son is my counsel.”” “Mr. Clerk, arraign the defendant,” said to proceed to t atson read the complaint to him. | It was sworn to by Detective Anthony and | day of April “the crime of felony, to wit, murder, was committed, to wit, by W. Theod >re Durrant, who then and thy willfully and unlawfully, feloniously and | with malice aforethought kill and murder ain human being, to wit, one Minnie Williams, and t! mplainant upon oath accuses the said W. H. Theodore Durrant of having committed said crime.” Clerk Watson read the words containin, the charge slowly and deliberately, anc when he reached the word ‘‘murder” he ooked Durrant straight in the eyes, ex- ing to see a tremor of some kind or a hing at the throat, but he was disap- Durrant bore it all with the ut- most coolness and nerve. “What is your trne name?” asked Clerk Watson, after finishing the reading of the complaint. “William Henry Theodore Durrant,” calmly replied the prisoner. Prosecuting Attorney Wakeman made a motion to postpone further proceedings till after the conclusion of the Coroner’s inquest. General Dickinson protested against what he termed the outra<e upon his client in dragging him to the Morgue without con- sulting him about it. “I would like to. now by what authority he was taken to the Morgue,” he said. “I ask for delay, a: ave This young man has been charged with one of the most heinous crimes that haye happened in Cal- Popular sentiment against him is very strong,and as he isentitled toa fair and impartial trial I think it isonly right that the trial should be deferred until the popular sentiment tones down.” Judge Conlan said he was opposed to a long adjournment. The prisoner would have a fair and impartial trial. He fixed Monday next at 11 A. M. for the prelimin- ary examination. General Dickinson said he would reserve his rights to ask for a_continuance at that time. Court then adjourned and Durrant was taken back to his'cell in the prison. DURRANT’S CALLERS. They Will Be Fewer in Future, as He Resents Being Stared At. cate! Durrant bitterly resents being gazed at and spoken to by men actuated simply by the morbid desire to see a man charged with two atrocious murders. In future no one will be permitted to speak to him until hisname and business are mentioned to him by the prison-keeperand he acquiesces in the request for an interview. The prison officials are pleased that he has made this request, because they are taking every precaution against any one passing him anything in the shape of poison or other article which he might, in his 8esperation, use to end his life. His mother brought a small mirror with her last night for his use while dressing in the mornings, but Captain Stone gently but firmly declined to allow him to have4t. Durrant, when he awoke yesterday morn- a day or two he might make another state- I ment. { Durrant Suffering From An-; other Apparently Horri- } ble Nightmare. | | If there is any truth in the theory that | the impressions of a man’s evil deeds are | indelible and keep flashing on and off his mental vision both when sleeping and | waking then W. H. Theodore Durrant, the | man accused of murdering Minnie Wil-‘ “The body of Blanche Lamont was car- ried up into the beliry, and Theo is not strong enough to have done that, She was a well-made girl, and she was choked to | death. Theodore isnot large and strong | enough to have killed her that way. “Besides, the person who carried that | bleeding body up those stairs must have got blood on his clothes. Theo wore on the afternoon of April 3 a double-breasted sack suit of blue cheviot—his ordinary every day clothes, Tt is here in the house. The detectives came here and searched over his clothing for three days. They found nothing wrong, however, and tool nothing away with them except that purse from hisovercoat pocket. They took MRS. DURRANT. liams in the Emmanuel Baptist Church, has an evil conscience. As the hour of midnight approaches he writhes and struggles in his sleep, and finally breaks out into heart-rending shrieks that bring the police officer on watch hurrying to his place of confinement to ascertain what is the matter. The con- vulsions only last about a minute, and then the look of agony and horror fades out of the prisoner’s face, he turns over on his side, and in a few seconds is again sleeping as peacefully as a child. Durrant had his strange seizure for the the coat and hat, too, but that was so he could put them on when those girls went to identify him. “In the Williams case, too, the murderer must have got blood upon his clothes. Theo that night wore the same suit he is is now wearing in person, and there is not the slightest spot of blood on them. If there had been, you can be sure the de- tectives would have found it long ago. “Theo had a key to the library where the Williams girl was murdered. The con- dition of the doorand the broken lock show T | given a fair chance for his life and not condemned beforehand by the public. The | detectives are not working on any other | clews, but are bending all their energies against Theo. When they arrested him they kept him for an hour in. the City son before they would admit his attor- ney. They took him before those girls yesterday alone hoping he would say | something. To-day they took him to the Morgue without any right at all. They have got to have a victim for those crimes, but instead of following up every possible clew they are werking against my boy and against nim alone. “Mrs. W. A. DURRAST.” A VAIN SEARCH. No Bloodstains Found on Any of Durrant’s Cloth- ing. The weakest point in the theory that Durrant killed the two girls whose bodies were found in Emmanuel Church is that a most thorough search fails to reveal on his clothing a.single spot of blood. The de- tectives have examined all his garments bit by bit and inch by inch. They occu- pied three days in the search, but have found not the least discoloration. Mrs. Durrant, the mother of the accused, sends her washing toa Chinaman every two weeks. It was returned on Monday of last week, so that since the disappearance of Blanche Lamont not a garment has been sent from the Durrant home on Fair Oaks_street. The regular two weeks’ washing should have gone to the laundr: ggscerday, but it was not ready and it will sent to-day. It includes fifteen collars, five or six shirts and two or three suits of underclothes belonging to her son Theo- dore. The detectives i\mted all through the big “wash,”” but without result. s Young Durrant has only one pair of shoes—those he is now wearing. Bl;ahuys his shoes a pair at a time and wears them until they are worn out. His mother gave away all his old footwear over a month ago. DURRANT TALKS. He Declares That Morgan’s Story Was False—Did Not Know Ware. Durrant spent 8 quiet afternoon yester- day. He received a large number of friends, who are members of the signal corps or students at Cooper Medical Col- lege. They all shook him by the hand warmly and assured him of their belief of his innocence. This was very comforting to Durrant after his trial at the Coroner’s inquest. He got into better spirits and by the middle of the afternoon was more composed than he has been at any time since his arrest. His bearing toward visitors and members of the press was gentlemanly. He showed no signs whatever of breaking down. He refused to speak on the details of the crimes with which he is charged, but made a few statements, . » He said: he story that I was friendly with Eugene Ware is afake. Inever knew him, don’t think I ever saw him, and never heard of him till the news of his murder was published. I don’t think he ever belongeg to the :‘i‘gnal corps. “The statement made by Morgan at the Coroner’s inquest that I attempted to as- sault Minnie' Williams is _absurd.” There are plenty of girls in San Francisco for me to call on without having to go to Ala- meda. It is nonsense to ‘even think I would be so greatly attracted by a thin, sickly little girl like Minnie Williams. I have always thought she was a good, kind little girl, but she never attracted me in the way alleged in the least. “T realize that the circumstances look bad at present for me, but I feel confident that I will be able to establish my inno- cence. Itis a case of mistaken identity on the part of three young ladies who think they saw me board a Powell-street car with Blanche Lamont the day she dis- appeared. I will be able to explain away at the proper time the other pieces of cir- cumstantial evidence which lead people to unjustly accuse me. 3 “No, I have not the sligtest idea who could have killed the two girls. I cannot believe that any one of my acquaintances could have ommitted the awful deeds. I haye no reason to believe that a conspiracy exists to prove me guilty in order to pro- tect some other person. I am surprised at some of the reported actions taken by Dr. Gibson, George King, Clarence Wolfe and Dr. Vogel, but I am sure that none of them could have been connected in any way with the horrible crim We were all young men together in the church and I would be sorry to hear anything against them.” SAYS IT IS FALSE. The Janitor Did Not Tell Dur- rant to Repair the Gas Fixtures. F. A. Sademan, the janitor of the church, contradicts the statement of Dur- rant in regard to the gas fixtures being out of order. They had been out of order, but had' been repaired long before the day on which Blanche Lamont disappeared. Dusrant in a statement made Monday evening said the janitor had told him that the gas jets did not burn well and that he would like Durrant to fix them. Durrant in his statement said that on Wednesday. two weeks ago to-day, he went directly from Cooper Medical College to' the church. He went into the loft above the church and fixed the gas jets so that they would burn properly. S0 as to save him- self the trouble of running up and down from the loft he turned on the gas before he went into the loft. When he reached the loft he leaned down over the gas jets while fixing them, and could not avoid in- haling some gas. ' This, he claims, is what rade him so sick when he left the loft and met George King in the church. Janitor Sademan was strong in his belief that Durrant was not in the %uft fixing the’ gas jetson the day Blanche Lamont dis- appeared. Hesaid: “One week ago Satur- day some men put a new style of burners on the gas fixtures. They were in the loft at the time. The old gas jets were re- moved, but they were in good condition. We never had any trouble with them. The new ones were put in only because they were of a new patent. I did speak to Durrant about the gas-lighting appa- ratus, but that took place over a month ago I feel sure. About this time the battery used in supplying the current which lights the gas in the three rings of jets in the ceiling ran out and I asked Durrant to attend to it, as he is an_electrician. The connection with ane of the rings of jets gets ot of order at times. I spoke to_Durrant about it. He may have gone into the loft to fix the wires at that time, but not two week# ago, as there has been no trouble in lighting the gas for a month or so. I suppose Durrant cleverly thought of the incident and made it up as an_excuse for his condi- tion and the fact of his' being up in the building.” HE KEPT CLOSE VIGIL. Durrant’s Patience Was Re- warded and He Met Miss Williams. As the visit of Durrant on that fateful Friday afternoon to the ferry depot, pre- sumably to meet Miss Williams, will have a strong bearing upon the case, everything that can be .learned of his movements there is of special interest. Durrant waited at the ferries until the arrival of the 4:45 P. M. boat with the Ala- meda passengers. Miss Minnie Williams, the murdered girl, left Versailles on the five minutes past four train,and would therefore have been due in San Francisco on the ferry steamer. As the passengers were coming off the boat ‘Durrant was ac- costed by Mrs. 8. C. Wilmans, nee Par- tridge, of Newmans, but formerly of 727 Shotwell street. Durrant and his sister and Mrs. Wilmans were classmates at the Cogswell College. The latter therefore stopped a few mo- ments to ask after Miss Durrant. The voung man said his sister was in Berlin pursuing her musical studies and was do- ing remarkably well. Mrs. Williams was in no hurry as her boat did not leave until 5 P. M., but Durrant seemed anxious and kept a careful watch on every one who came out of the ferry gates. She finally bade him good-by fln(fenter»d the wait- ing-room, leaving Durrant still keeping up a vigilant watch. Inregard to Durrant’s peculiarities, Karl C. Partridge of the railway mail service tells an interesting story. A week or so ago the two young men were downtown together. In a public thoroughfare a couple of girls accosted Durrant in a fa- miliar way and asked him if he was not ‘“‘going to treat.” Durrant acquiesced and took them through a rear entrance into the back parlor of a saloon. The girls drank beer and Durrant a Queen Charlotte. After the men and women parted com- any Durrant expressed his surprise at the act of the two girls drinking beer with such apparent relish. A little later he grew confidential, and told Partridge in so many words that he had succeeded in becoming quite intimate with a girl whom he had long had a great desire to_be friendly with. The.girl in uestion is supposed to have been Blanche amont. AGAIN CONTRADICTS. Durrant Was Absent From His Class on That Fatal Wednesday. One by one the links in the chain of evi- dence that is being wound slowly and surely around Theodore Durrant comes in place and the young medical student is either the demon of lust and blood or the victim of ‘circumstances that are crushing him in their deadly folds. In all his state- ments regarding his movements on April 3, the opening day of the double tragedy, he insists that he attended his class lecture at Cooper’s Medical College in the afternoon. Miss Minnie Edwards, Miss Alice Pleasant and Miss M. Lanigan told Chief Crowley that they identified Durrant as the young man they saw with Blanche Lamont on the car at the corner of Clay and Powell streets at 3 o'clock that day. Durrant denied their statement in the following words: My connections with Blanche Lamont haye Dbeen grossly misrepresented. It is true that I met her on Friday, April 3, early in the morn- ing. We went from the Mission to our re- spective schools. We wenton a Mission-street car, transferred to the Polk-street line at Ninth and Mission streets, and at the corner of Sutter and Polk streets we again transfered, this time to the Sutter-street line. Miss Blanche asked me to go with her, and as I could go by way of the Sutter-street cars near {fe :he Cooper Medical College, I accompanied From thesenior class attendance book of the medical college kept by G. A. Hall, one of the students, it is learned that Dur- rant did not appear at the lectures that day and he is marked absent. He did not show up at the college until April 10. Med- ical Student Hall is positive that Durrant “cut’” the lectures, as the latter’s seat is near his and there was no possibility of his being present at the time when the three Normal School girls allege they saw him at Clay and Powell streets. ONE MORE WITNESS. Attorney A. Friedlander Saw Durrant Last Friday Evening. A. Friedlander, attorney-at-law, called at police headquarters yesterday. He ob- tained a permit to see Durrant and saw him last evening, whereupon he called at the Chief’s office and made the following statement: I saw a young man last Friday evening on the corner of Twenty-third and Bartlett streets between 8 and 8:15 o’clock. He was alone at the corner. I have identified the prisoner, Durrant, this evening as the same party I saw that night, only he had an overcoat on at that time.” DETECTIVES’ VIEWS. Morse, Stilwell, McFarlane and Lucas Discuss the Evidence in Hand. Those who are in charge of the several detective agencies in this city, though not working on the church tragedies, have kept themselves advised of the facts as they developed. Harry N. Morse of Morse’s Patrol, speak- ing of the terrible crimes, said: 1 have, of course, not had anything to do with thse cases, and I only know what I have read in the pape To me it looks like a very strong case against the young man Durrant, but so far it is purely cir- cumstantial. Still, I have an intuitive feeling that he is not guilty. Why I have that feeling I cannot explain, and can only say that the evidence looks very strong against him. I have that feeling that he is not the man. Circumstantial eyvidence is always looked upon as very strong evi- dence, but it is not always the safest. F. W. McFarlane, who has an office on Montgomery street, said: ‘“The testimony that is being adduced against the prisoner Durrant appears to connect him very closely with the two murders, the most horrible ever known; yet it is only circum- stantial, and I should want it corroborated before 1 would believe the young man guilty. Some how or other I am not fully satisfied that he is the guilty man, and [ have an idea from what 1 have read that there is some one else in the crime; but as I have not had anything to do with the case I am not in & position to express an opinion.” C. J. Stilwell of the Stilwell agency said: “This is a very singular case, and from what I have read come to the conclu- sion that it looks black for Durrant,but I am not sufficiently conversant with the facts to form a theory. From the published ac- coun ts there appears to be a great many circumstances that point to Durrant as the perpetrator of both murders. There is one thing, however, that I believe and that is it hioiHas! Baats lying in regard to the finding of the purse that belonged to the Williams girl. Iam of the opinion that he obtained the purse from the girl at some Continued on Ninth Page. NEW TO-DAY. JUST 15 DAYS MORE. GREATER VALUES THAN EVER! | Chicago Clothing Company 34, 36, 38 and 40 Kearny Street, Posively Retiring From Business ! STORE to BE VACATED HAY 1, 1835, UNHEARD OF VALUES —FOR— Man, Boy or Child CHICAGO CLOTHING COMPANY, 34, 36, 38 and 40 Kearny Street. PALESTINE CORN Is hard_ to beat. Can be planted till fim:v Yields about 2,000 Ibs, corn and tons excellent fodder peracre on dry land. Canbe harvested with combined harvester. Send $1 peracre for seed desired. Address: fiuu-um River NURSERY 0., WALNUT GROVE, CALIF.