The herald., 1895-09-27
THE KEYSTONE CRUMBLED
The Arch of The Durrsnt Alibi
TOtterS
THE DEFENSE DISAPPOINTED
10 1.-THE Testimony OF Witnesses as To
Durrant's Whereabouts
Men and Women Fight for Admission, Inter-
ruptlng Proceedings. The Court Orders
The Corridors Cleared

Associated Press Special Wire
SAN FRANCISCO. Sept. 26. The key
stone in the arch of ths Durrant alibi
crumbled AMI fell today I lie witnesses
upon whom the attorneys for the defense
depended most to sustain their conten-
tion that Durrant was attending u lecture
at Cooper Medical college at the honr
when Blanche Lamont was murdered.
gave Disappointing testimony. Instead
o: testifying that Durrant was present at
the lecture as Attorney Deuprey said DR..
Cheney would do, the doctor said he had
no recollection of seeing the young med
ical student. To Offset this reverse the
defense gained only one poinr-the adj
mission as an exhibit of the roll call
book at the college in which DurEant
was recorded as present at the lecture
given on the afternoon OF April Sd. The
prosecution hol3s the roll call book in
little esteem from the fact that it will
place witnesses on the stand TO prove
that Durrant frequently asked his class
mates to answer to his name when he
was absent and that they com piled with
mis- request.
The crush in the corridors at the en-
trance to the court room was greater to-
day than upon any other day since the
trial bsgan. Men and women fought for
admission while the sheriff and a score
Of deputies struggled most desperately to
keep the crowd back. At times the con-
fusion outside was SO great that the pro-
ceedings OF the court were interrupted.
At length Judge Murphy sum moned the
sheriff and ordered him to clear the cor
Iidors. If the shsriffs force was INSULT
cient the judge said he woaid call upon
the chief of police for a squad of men to
exeoute the order.
Sergeant Reynolds, the police officer
who conducted the search of Emanuel
chuycn after the dicovery CT the bodies of
Blanche Lamont and Minnie Williams,
was the first witness called to the stand.
After describing the furniture and other
articles found in the parlors of the study
he was asked about the chisel marks found
on the door leading. TO the bslfry. The
uoor and casing through which the m dr-
defe- passed with the body of his victi m
we're brought into court and formed one
of the most interesting exhibits produced.
The witness testified that the marks cor
responded in size to a chisel found in
the tool box in Rev. John G.. Gibsons
study. The witness was also asked to
identify shoe supposed to have been
stained with blood which was found in
the pastors study. As Sergeant Rey-
nolds did not know to whom the snoe be-
lionged, Sergeant Burke was called, but
he was also in ignorance with regard to
the ownership of the shoe.
DR.. w. F. Cheney OF Cooper Medical
college, who was supposed to be the main
stay of the defense, was the next with ess.
He SAID the lecture on April Sd began at
3 80 o'clock and Lasted until AIS. at the
close of which the roll was called. The
witness did not know whether Durrant
was preseit or not as the roll was called
by DR.. f. P. Cray. DR.. Cheney was tenn
porarily excused and DR.. Gray summo ned.
DR.. Gray did not know whether Durrant
was present or not. but assumed that he
was from the fact that he was not marked
absent on the roll call. Questioned with
regard to the roll call book, the witness
admitted that the entry of April Sd was
not an original record, as it had been
transferred from another page subsequent
to that date for the purpose OF rectifying
an error. Oh this ground the district at
torney moved that the book be not adj
mitted as an ehxibit, but the objection
was overruled.
DR.. Cheoey was then recalled and re-
iterated his statement TO the effect that
he had no recollection of seeing Durrant
at the lecture given on the afternoon of
April Sd. Attorney Deuprey was plainly
defense had promised DR.. Cheney would
testify to and what he really did say, so
another effort was made to obtain sat
isfactory answer. The witness was asked
if in a conversation with one of the at
torneys for the defense he (the witness)
l.. fno hn hnlt hot htrr
rant was present at the lecture. The court
asked Attorney Deuprey if he was trying
to lmpeach his own witness, and then
sustained an objection interposed by the
prosecution.
On cross examination District Attorney
Barnes tried to show that students at the
college frequently had their classmates
answer to their names at roll call when
they were absent. The witness was asked
if in his experience as an instructor at
the college he had not become aware of
the existence of such practice. The
defense objected to the question on ac-
count of its sweeping nature. The court
sustained the objection, but intimated
that the question might be asked if made
in proper form. Two or three more Ques-
tions of similar import were asked, but
objections were sustained IN each case.
Court then adjourned until tomorrow
morning with the cross-examination of
DR.. Cheney still incomplete.
The report that the defense in the Dur
rant case would produce a witness who
would testify that she saw the accused
medical student enter the Emmanuel
Baptist church alone on the afternoon of
April Sd between 4:30 and 5 n'clock,
within which time Blanche Lamont is
supposed to have been murdered. has
been confirmed but the few people to
whom this witness has conided the
story guard her name sedulously. Will
lam A. poud, IL stock broker, knows the
woman who may thus testify, and is in
possession of the nature of the evidence
She will give.
Mr. Doud said: II know of this wit
ness because the story was told to me.
Several others know OF it. All are
pledged to secrecy. When the proper
time comes and to the proper authorities
the evidence will be given.
The story as told in police headquarters
is that this woman met young man
walking 10 ward the church on that after
noon at the time mentioned and accosted
him. mistaking him for Il friend. She
apologized, PASSED on, and then, curious
about her mistake. turned and saw the
stranger entering the church. Recently
she is said to have identified Durrant as
the young man she spoke TO that after
noon. Mr.. Doud would neither deny nor