William Henry Theodore Durrant was born 24 Apr 1871 in York, Ontario, Canada to William Allen Durrant (1851-1917) and Isabella Matilda Hutchinson (1853-1930).
This was a sensational story back then. A journalist for the San Francisco Call, named Alice Rix was the last to interview him before he was hung and she wrote several pages with illustrations for the newspaper, I have posted them below.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31418514/theodore_durrant/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31418488/theodore_durrant/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31417953/theodore_durrant_execution/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31418117/theodore_durrant/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31417320/theodore_durrant/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31417473/theodore_durrant_trail/
The victims:
She was a school teacher in Montana before moving with her family to California.
William's Family:
There was another son Edward Thomas Durrant born in 1876 and died 1877.
He also had a sister Beulah Maud Darrant 1873-1956. She left for Germany shortly after her brother's execution to learn her art. She returned to America and started dancing. She was a pianist-turned-actress, dancer and choreographer who is remembered for her "impressionistic mood settings". Here are just a few of many photos I found. She changed her name to Maud Allen.
She was beautiful. The ordeal with her brother was a pain she never got over.
William's Crime:
https://archive.org/details/reportoftrialofw00durr/page1
I think the main reason for the press frenzy is that they were found and murdered in a church.
Inmate #17260 San Quentin Prison (California)
Rec: 10 Apr 1897
Crime: Murder 1st Degree
Term: Death
Executed: Hung on 7 Jan 1898
This was a sensational story back then. A journalist for the San Francisco Call, named Alice Rix was the last to interview him before he was hung and she wrote several pages with illustrations for the newspaper, I have posted them below.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31418514/theodore_durrant/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31418488/theodore_durrant/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31417953/theodore_durrant_execution/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31418117/theodore_durrant/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31417320/theodore_durrant/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31417473/theodore_durrant_trail/
The victims:
William's Family:
He was a shoemaker and then by the 1910 census he was a Optometrist, He was with his son until he died. A promise he kept to him.
There was another son Edward Thomas Durrant born in 1876 and died 1877.
He also had a sister Beulah Maud Darrant 1873-1956. She left for Germany shortly after her brother's execution to learn her art. She returned to America and started dancing. She was a pianist-turned-actress, dancer and choreographer who is remembered for her "impressionistic mood settings". Here are just a few of many photos I found. She changed her name to Maud Allen.
She was beautiful. The ordeal with her brother was a pain she never got over.
William's Crime:
https://archive.org/details/reportoftrialofw00durr/page1
I think the main reason for the press frenzy is that they were found and murdered in a church.
I was really surprised to see only 2 trees for this family and only one made this connection. I made a tree for him and attached all the newspaper clippings and documents to it.
There is one wrong documented item I found, he is not buried in San Quentin Prison Cemetery and Find A Grave has him buried there. In the newspaper article his father stated which undertaker the body was to go and that he would be cremated. I did message that person to let them know.
William Henry Theodore Durrant was 23 years old.
If you want to know more about this case use goggle to search. I posted the best links I felt were most accurate.
Here's is the last one I found, I just love his blog.
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