The record-union., 1895-08-21
a MYSTERY WITHIN A MYSTERY.

a MYSTERY WITHIN A MYSTERY.
We have not commented upon any of
the supposed testimony in the Durrant
case, which has been so much exploited
by the San Francisco sensational press.
except to say that. as the matter stands,
an exceedingly strong showing has been
made against the accused-wholly cir
oumstsntial, but not the less strong be-
cause of that, since well-related circum-
stancss not possible of dispute are often
more convincing of the truth than the
testimony of human witnesses. The cir
oumstance. the physical fact. the unim-
peachable record Of event-these cannot
lie.
But the recent statement of q newly
discovered witness against Durrant is SO
remarkable as TO challenge criticism, and
this without prejudice for or against the
man on trial before court OF his country.
but on the rack also of q sensational
newspaper trial. The incident to which
attention is now directed as remarkable
is the statement of an aged woman that
from her window opposite the church
where the body OF Blanche Lamont was
found she, Mrs. Leak saw the girl and
Durrant enter the church on April Sd
about p NJ. She fixes the date by do
mestic incident. Surprised at this indis
cretion on the part of the girl, Mrs. Leak
watched for an hour. but Blanche did not
reappear, and this fact considerably agi-
tated the old lady, because she knew
both of the young people and thought it
very doubtful propriety for them to enter
the side entrance Of the church st such an
hour.
Until q comparatively recent date. how
ever. Mrs. Leak did not make her
knowledge of this fact known. A month
or SO ago she told some friends, who car
ried the story to the police. The old
woman, whose reputation is good and
whose credit for veraoity Is excelle Mt,
says that she dreaded TO be mixed up in
the murder case and shrank from reveal
ing her knowledge of the incident, but a
sense of duty finally impelled her.
Now this is entirely reasonable expla-
nation; there is nothing in it not in har-
mony with the natural, so far as the
murder case goes. But it is submitted
that it is an unnatural and monstrous ex-
cuse to offer for silence so far as the dis
appearance case goes. Mrs. Leak knew
Blanche Lamont well. She knew Dur
rant even better. She attended the same
church with the latter. AS to their iden-
tity she could not be mistaken. The La
mont girl disappeared from her home
April Sd, the very day that Mrs. Leak
ssw her enter the church. For twelve
days her disappearance was unsccounted
for; the city of San Francisco rang with
the fact that she WAS missing; rewards
for her were offered; her portrait sp-
peared in all the city papers; the matter
was own-talk-eyen State talk. OF all
this Mrs. Leak must have known. She
saw the daily papers: she knew of the
excitement: she could not have been
ignorant of it; it was church talk where
she attended. During all this time Dur
rant had not been mentioned. No one
thought of him having anything to do
with the disappearance of the girl. In
deed, it was not known that the girl was
dead; some thought she had eloped;
others that she was held by some rascals
for ransom; few feared that she had
met with foul play. Yet during all this
time Mrs. Leak knew that on the very
afternoon of her disappearance Blanche
Lamont entered the church, and did not
reappear so long as she. Mrs. Leak.
watched for her, and with this knowledge
10 clear away possibly the mystery OF the
disappearance, Mrs. Leak said never a
word about it, did not breathe suspicion
to her fellow-church member or goer,
Mrs. Noble, the aunt of Blanche; told no
human being that she was probably the
last person to see Blanche if she had been
killed.
Mrs. Leak could during those twelve
DAYS have been restrained by no faars as
to murder trial, or as to the life OF
human being depending upon her word,
nor az to the rack of witness stand. nor