The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-05
THE TWENTY-FIRST DAY.
Pastor Gibson Comes to the Stand.
Many Witnesses AS to Repu-
tationS-A Busy Day.

a good deal Of Roadway was made yes
terday in the Durrant trial. The defense
has reached that stage where witnesses
come to the stand to say that Durrant's
character, or reputation, perhaps, was very
gOOd up to the time OF his arrest
This would seem to indicate that the case
for the defense is quite near the close.
About all the points of proof offered by
Deuprey in his opening statement have
been made, and it remains now only for
the defendant himself to take the stand
and tell his version of the events of the
afternoon OF April 3. Monday being
legal holiday there will be no session of
the court until Tuesday next Then, it is
expected, Durrant will be sworn as wit
ness.
1t would seem now that Miss Carrie Cum
ningham, the plucky little newspaper
woman who was willing to go to jail rather
than betray information that came to her
in professional way, may not go to jail
after all. The court has about come to the
conclusion that the question insisted upon
by Mr.. Dickinson is not proper one under
all the rules of evidence, and has, at any
rate, taken the matter under advisement
The event of the day, after Miss Gun
ningham's fate was disposed of, was the
coming of Rev. John George Gibson to the
witness chair. His advent created some
excitement in the courtroom, but his tes-
timony proved TO be entirely without SEN
sation.
He was called merely to identify speci-
mems of his own handwriting. He declined
to do this in a positive manner. The
writing was very ike his, he said, but
as it had been out of his possession for
some time he could not swear to it. At
Mr.. Barnes dictation he wrote a letter,
which was submitted as evidence. Two
sermons of his were also introduced
Two other points were covered by the
defense during the day. The first was as
to the credibility of Martin J. Quinlan, the
witness who testified to seeing Durrant
and Blanche Lamont walking on Bartlett
street toward the church. Several wit
nesses, headed by Barclay Henley, swore
that when Mr.. Quinlan lived in Sonoma
County, some years ago, his reputation for
truth and integrity was bad.
Then came the witnesses to the good
reputation of Durrant. These were Albert
H. Martin, A. NJ. Davis, James McCuI-
Tough, John II. Sievers, Rev. ]. G. Smith.
B. r. Keith, Alexander II. Mcdonald,
OOudAO oudOhllGOSus dcOIBS IL Il lCkSE-
muth, DR.. w. z. King, J. A. Mccullough
and H. Porter.
OF course, the introduction of this testi-
mony paves the way for the prosecution to
show that Durrant's life was not all that it
is thought TO have been by these witnesses,
if it can, and Mr.. Barnes says he will make
the most OF his opportunity.
With what due importance the defense
clothes the testimony of Mrs. Leak, who
says she saw Theodore Durrant and
Blanche Lamont enter Emmanuel Church
together, Is apparent from the determined
effort Mr.. Dickinson is making for even
remote information that may lead to some.
thing upon which Mrs. Leak may be i'm
peached.
This is admittedly the purpose of the
defense in pressing the question that Miss
Cunningham says she will not answer, all
the iails in Christendom to the contrary,
notwithstanding.
Miss Cunningham has already said that
she did not obta n the information for her
article from Mrs. Leak-which was a sur
prise TO the defense. Upon cross-exami-
nation Mr.. Dickinson asked Mrs. Leak if
she had held conversation with Miss
Cunningham. And when Mrs. Leak de-
IlCu IL, the ueIenSe IelI IndI IL ndO lal0
the foundation for her impeachment. They
had Miss Cunningham article in view.
Now, it isquite possible that Miss Cum
ningham's information came from a source
entirely foreign to Mrs. Leak and I'M
known to her. But. argues the defense, if
Miss Cunningham got her information
from, say neighbor in the vicinity, we
may be able to show that the neighbor got
mis- or her information from Mrs. Leak, or
from another neighbor who heard it from
neighbor who got it directly from a
neighbor who received the information
from Mrs. Leaks lips.
Even Mr.. Dickinson does not deny that
this is fishing expedition, but by casting
his line over such wide extent of sea, and
batting it with remote. possibilities, he
might, perchance, catch elew that would
lead up to information showing that Mrs.
Leak had spoken about her testimony to