Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-10
MAY TURN ON THE BLOCKS
DISPUTED POINT IN THE DURANT CASE
Their Use Would Indicate a Knowledge Cf Dissecting Room Customs-Some
 Silly Stories Ahoat

San Francisco, Cal, Sept. 9-The last few days have been prolific of rumors in connection with the Durant case, per haps more so than in any corresponding period since the bodies of Minnie Will Hams and Blanche Lamont were found in Emanuel church and Durant was ar rested for their murder. All sorts of stories emanating from the most vague sources have been circulated and pub lished, only to be f1atly contradicted when traced to the fountain of the in formation.
 Such tales as the ones Clarence Wolf would testify to Durants having toid him of his intention to betray Blanche Lamont; that Mayor Sutro was supply ing the funds to conduct the defense; that the defense would undertake in the Minnie Williams case to show that the girl was not murdered on the night when she is supposed to have lost her llte put on the following morning, and that she was not in Durant'S company that 1atal night but in the company of an ased suitor-these are only few of the sto- ries that have been given publicity ana have been pronounced false by persons most interested.
 The latest of these startling stories is that wired from Los Angeles Saturday to the effect that Miss Ida M. Clayton, a teacher in the Bedding primary schooI, is either the person, or knows WHO WAS the one, rnat Durant is supposed to nave frightened in the church by sudden appearance he made before her one day.
 Captain Lees took up the work per sonally yesterday of investigating the story, but up to last evening he had failed to find the whereabouts of Miss Clayton, who had gone out of the city over Sunday. He was compelled to give up last evening without having Satlsneu i,,ca a c n the truth of the report.
 John T. Dare, prosecuting attorney In police court No. ?, will be one of the Wit nesses on Wednesday. His son, Starr Dare states that he is ready to testify 10 the finding of the wearing apparel or Blanche Lamont slowed away Tn the rafters and under the floor in the belfry But Starr Dare did not notice the two blocks under the head of the body as II lay with its arms folded on the floor. So far only one of the peoples witnesses, De- tective Gibson, has bee nable to testity concerning those blocks, though several other witnesses who saw the body in the belfry before 1t was removed by Deputy Coroners Smith and Hallet have been examined. Detective Gibson noticed these blocks and went there few days afterward and secured them. Now these blocks. if properly identified and proved are of considerable importance Tn the case for they tend to show that Who- ever it was placed tke body or the mur-
  edge of the customs in vogue in the dis secting room. The head rested on these blocks just as the head of a corpse in dissecting room would have done Du- rant is a medical student. There Is noth- ing direct about the evidence, but 1t IS considered a good link in the long chain of circumstantial evidence upon which the state expects to make out Its case against Durant.
 Attorney Dare saw those blocks under the head of the body. He was in the belfry before the body was removed. His evidence is valued highly by the peo- pie.
 Heretofore Dickinson (of counsel for the defendant) has questioned each wit ness who was in the belfry about those blocks. with the result that no one else besides Detective Gibson seems to have noticed them.
 There is Q good deal of preliminary tes- timony yet to be adduced before the Wit nesses who connect Durant with the case can be put upon the stand.