The San Francisco call., 1895-10-12

that as she was working for newspaper
and her interviews with Durrant were pre-
sumably for the purpose of obtaining in
Torn alton for publication, why did she not
make use of the sensational news she is
said to have obtained? The answer to this
Is that Durrant pledged her to secrecy
before he made her his confidante, and
that she respected her promise even though
it was made to man accused OF terrible
crime. That she did not keep her promise
even when questioned by the authorities
is explained by supposed conflict that
occurred.in her mind between the sanctity
of her promise and her duty to justice.
Miss Cunningham first came under the
notice of the prosecution because of her
frequent visits to the prisoner at the
County Jail, where she is said to visit al
least once each day, remaining from one
to five hours She was sent for by the
prosecution few days ago. and was then
told it was her moral duty to give the cause
of the people the benefit ofany evidence in
her possession, whether obtained under
the promise of secrecy or not.
Miss Cunningham hesitated not little
before she could distinguish between a
promise to Durrant and her duty to the
State, but the result of the conscience
struggle is seen in the severe cross-exami-
nation to which the young medical student
was subjected yesterday.
1t is a prevailing impression that Miss
Cunningham has been in the employ OF
the police, though Captain Lees vigorously
denied this when seen last night.
When General Dickinson was told what
10
testify to on behalf OF the prosecution he
simply shrugged his shoulders and said he
could not by any theory imaginable ac-
count for the peculiar course of the lady in
question.
Her conduct, he said, sis simply I'M
accountable to me. Only the other day she
refused while on the stand to divulge the
source OF story she wrote for publication
in connection with the case on the ground
that she had given her word not to make
known the name of her informant. Yet
here she is apparently prepared to testify
under oath to having been made the con-
fdante of Durrant and TO having received
a confession from him that would be, to
say the least, most injurious to his case.
Now it is not at all likely that Durrant or
any other person on trial for his life would
volunteer such information or give it with
out pledge Of secrecy. Therefore, for
Miss Cunningham to go on the stand TO
testify, she must break her word, if moth
ing more serious.
''As l understood the testimony to-day
on this matter Durrant simply admitted
that Miss Cunningham had asked him
whether it was true that he had heard a
in hal nd he I-illiTo ns
Blanche Lamont on the second landing of
the belfry, and that he had refused to
either confirm or deny the story.
Before Miss Cunningham propounded
these questions to Durrant, as 1 understood
his testimony to-day, she got up on the
stool or box in front of Durrant's cell i,
raised her head heavenward, and volun-
tarily took al oath not to divulge a word
of what was to be spoken between them
That is all there is to the matter. As
said before Miss Cunningham's character
is a peculiar one to me. What value her
testimony will have under these circum-
stances remains to be seen."
L is understood that when Miss Gun
ningham takes the stand next week the
defense intends to put her through Sc
we're course OF questioning with the pur-
pose of showing that large portion Of her
evenings, from two to four hours, were
regularly spent in Durrant's COM
pany at the County Jail, and an
almost equally large portion of her
time during the day was spent
in conference with the police authorities,
or in fluttering between the Office of Cap
tain Lees and the courtroom of Judge
Murphy, where the trial of Durrant is in
progress. The idea will be to show that
while she was ostensibly in the employ of
a newspaper, she was really employed as
detective by the Police Department.
Miss Cunningham refused to talk last
evening of the testimony she will give
when called to the stand "The District
Attorney" said she, "has very positively
forbidden me to say word, as l am sub
penaed as a witness, and he does not want
me to tell my story until take the stand.
ut is untrue that 1 took an oath not to
reveal anything Durrant said to me.
simply gave my word not to publish any,
thing concerning him without first in
forming him OF what the story contained
cit is not true that l am or have been in
the employ of the police or the prosecu-
ton, and that my visits to the County Jail
were made for the purpose OF obtaining
information for them. 1 went entirely on
my own account and was not prompted in
the matter by any one or by any particular
motive"
Miss Cunningham has for weeks visited
Durrant every evening. She would stand
on stool, talking to him through the
wicket of his cell door for two and three
hours at time.
Last evening she expressed regreti that
her having furnished information to the
prosecution had made her persona non
grata to the prisoner and said: II suppose
he WON'T want me to come to see him any
more. Like Othello, My occupations
gone
COLLAPSE OF Il BANK.