Evening journal., 1895-10-22
LOOKS BAD FOR DURANT
The Case For the Defense Con-
sidered Weak.
THE FAILURE TO PROVE AN AL1BI

Was Durant In blanche Lamont's Com.
pany the Time Of Her Murder9-Thc Evil
denoe Of tho Defcnse Now All submit.
tod and Prosecution Resumes.
SAN FRANcIsco, Oct 22.-The defense
IN the Durant trial is now practically
slosed. Another witness may be examined,
and then the prosecution will begin the
Introduction OF their testimony in rebut.
tai. Although much important evidence
Tor the prosecution is yet to be submitted,
the case will probably go to the jury at
the close OF noxt week.
The impression now prevails that the
defense has materially strengthened the
prosecutions case by failing 60 establish
q single fact that Attorney Duproy in
his opening statements, said he would
show. Although he announced that an
alibi would be proved, no witness appear
ed TO swear that Durant was elsewhere
than at Emanuel Baptist church when
Blanche Lamont was murdered. Failing
10 show that Durant was not in tho
church, the defense has attacked tho wit
nosses who testified that they saw him in
that vicinity in company with Miss La
mont
DR. r. G. Mcdonald was called to give
expert testimony ON the hallucinations of
The elderly women He admitted that In
time of great excitement over an OK
traordinary crime elderly women often be-
came possessed with the dclusion that
they had knowledge OF the existence OF
alleged facts. He denied, however that
elderly women were moro likely 70 have
such halluoinations than anybody else.
The question was plainly for the purpose
Of throwing discredit on the testimony OF
Mrs. Leak and Mrs. Nogel, two of the
strongest witnesses for the prosecution.
Lenelan Proves disappointment.
Charles T. Lenehan, who, it is asserted
by the defense, was mistaken for Durant
by Pawnbroker Oppenheim, proved dis
appointing witness. He made several con-
iicting statements, among which the as
sertion that it was in the afternoon in
stead of in the morning that he tried TO
pawn a ringat Oppenheim's. The defense
sought to show by r. II. Lynch, Rov.
George Gibson's private secretary, that he
gave Miss Cunningham, a newspaper re-
porter the first clow Of the fact that Mrs
Leak had seen Durant and Miss Lamont
enter the church on the afternoon of April
B. The object Of the question was to i'm
peach one feature of Mrs Leaks testi-
mony and 20 show that Rev. Gibson, in
his zeal to convict Durant, had been in
strumental in making public damaging
evidence against him. Lynch said he did
not tell Miss Cunningham Of what MRS.
Leak had seen, as at that time he did not
know that Mrs. Leak had any informa-
ton on the case.
Attorney Dickinson was sworn and
took the stand himself for the purpose Of
Identifying a leather strap bearing
Blanche Lamont's name, which he had
said was sent 20 him by mail last July by
unknown parties. There was no objection
to the admittanco Of the strap as an ex-
hibit
A long deposition from Charles h. Clark,
a travelling salesman, who resides in this
city, but who Is now in Boston, was read.
The defense expected to provo by Clark
that he had seen Miss Lamont on the aft
ernoon Of April 3, accompanied by a man
other than Durant Clark said that he
could not positively fix the date, and only
thought the girl ho saw was Miss Lamont
from the fact that she resombled a picture
Of Miss Lamont which he saw in a news
paper a few days later.
An attempt was made to discredit the
testimony of W. J. Phillips, who said he
saw Durant enter Oppenheim's pawnshop
April IL, but this also fell fiat