Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-18
ID BELFRY, STEP BY STEP The Prosecution Is Leading Iheo-
 dore Durant. THE GAP IS CLOSING UP Mrs. Leak Will Swear She Saw the Couple
 Enter the Church Door, AND THEN WILL COME 0RGANST KING The Defense Says Durant Will Be Cleared in Three Minutes-A Little Gin
 ger Injected Into the Trial
 Yesterday.
IE GAP IS CLOSING UP
AND THEN WILL COME oRGANsT KING

San Francisco, Sept. 17.-Slowly the prosecution is taking Theodore Durant up to the Emanuel Baptist church door with Blanche Lamont. Another long step was taken yesterday and the two traced to the mission at the corner or either Valencia and Twenty-first or Va lencia and Twenty-second streets.
 If they got off the car at Twenty sec ond street they were within 300 feet of the church door. Now the next move in the progression will undoubtedly be to bring out the testimony of Martin Quin- Ian, who says he saw Durant and the young lady at Twenty-second and Bart lett streets. Then will probably come the story of Mrs. Leak, who saw them enter the church, and then the reluctant tale of Organist King, to whom Durant appeared fiustereq and said he had been overcome by gas.
 After this there is still the pawn broR- CTS story of the attempt to pawn the dead girls rings, and the other bltS o1 corroboratiVe evidence to bolster up the main case.
 And after all that is over the defense will begin the work of tearing the Whoie fabric to pieces, of rending the cham link from link, of proving innocence m the face of an appearance of gullt, or or leaving the whole case clouded with con- lecture and doubt. The lawyers for the defense, in the face Of all that IS pllea up against them, are easy and confident. We will clear him in three minutes is an expression said to have been drop ped by one of them.
 So the great throngs continue to pack the city hall corridors waiting for an op- portunity to gain the. coveted seats ln Judge Murphy's court room Many stand and crane and tip-toe for nothing. Perhaps they get a fieeting glance al the prisoner as he passes Tn the dlnl light. Perhaps they are merely ordered about and hustled by the police for their pains.
 Yesterday was notable as showing Lawyer Deuprey in the roll of cross-ex- animation Hitherto General Dickinson has borne this burden and has worked hard to pick flaws and accentuate lncon- sistencies in the stories told by the pros ecution witnesses. Dickinson Is persist ent and dogged, but he does not f1re up much. He is not pyrotechnic. With the mild hammered district attorney on the one side and Dickinson on the other, there are few objections or interruptions and very little fighting with the court: But when old Mrs. Crossette was brought on in the afternoon, supported on the arm of her son, Deuprey slipped over into Dickinsons place and prepared to make things interesting He did. Before the day was over he had become quite angry, had roughly badgered the old lady and had been sharply reprimanded by the court. He entered an objection to the reprimands. noted an exception to 1t, and altogether put considerable life into the case.
 A sensat ation was looked for when it was reported that Mrs. R. Holland, the sweet pea girl" would take the stand and swear that she was in Durants com pany on the day of Blanche Lamonts murder. but, like many of other similar reports it has proved without founda- tion.
 When the case was resumed this morn- ing Maude Lamont sister Of the mur- dered girl, was recalled to the stand. She identified the photograph of her sister and said the latter was member of the Christian Endeavor society and mem Der of Emanuel church orchestra.
 The next witness was Martin Quinlan, attorney who testified that on the after noon of April young man and a young woman passed him on a side street near Twenty-second and Bartlett. between 410 and APO o'clock. "I had a good look at them," said the witness, "and recognized the young man IS The odore Durant, for I had seen him quite frequently.
 "when last saw them they were on Bartlett street going towards Twenty third The girl was dressed in dress of coarse black material, and the hat (which was here produced) is like the one she wore"