The herald., 1895-08-22
LOOKING WORSE AND WORSE
Another Witness Shows Up
Against Durrant
HIS CASE NOW DESPERATE
II Mrs. Leaks Testimony Holds Water
Throughout
The Attorneys for the Defence Laboring
Hard to Destroy, If Possible, tho
Effect If 1t
Associated Press Special Wine.


SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2I.-Mrs. Mary
Vogel. residing at 9l9 Powell street,
directly opposite the normal school, has
informed the police that she saw Durrant
pacing up and down in front of tae nor
nal school from o'clock till 3 o. CLOCK on
the afternoon of April Sd. At 3 o'clock
when the girls came out, she saw him go
up and speak to one of the girls. bow TO
her and afterward board the east side of
the dummy of southhound Powell street
car She fixes the date positively by sew.
erai occurrences. and is certain that she
is not mistaken in the man. The trial
will be resumed tomorrow.
Mrs. Leak is recognized by the defense
in the Durrant case to be a witness of the
gravest importance. If her story bo be-
lieved there can be absolutely no question
of the result. When the old lady takes
the stand and swears that she saw Dur
rant and Blanche Lamont entering the
church gate on the afternoon of April Sd
little more need be told.
Durrant's attorneys recogniz ze that.they
must shatter the reliability of that wit.
ness and they understand quite as we'll
as others that they have an extremely
difficult task. The.old lady bears an ex.
cellent reputation. The young man she
accuses is m EN- ber of the same church
in which she worshps and there is a
natural bond of sympathy with one of her
own faith. When she speaks the con-
de.nning words the effect will be of great
importance.
Understanding this, Durrant's attor-
neys and detectives are laboring at
present TO destroy the effect if posi- BILE.
They are already in possession of one fact
which will be used for all it is worth.
The defense will summon to the stand
several witnesses who know Mrs. Leak,
who wer3 with her in the interval be-
tween Blanche Lamont's disappearance
and the finding of her dead body in the
belfry. These women are mem bers of the
Relief society OF Emanuel church, to
which Mrs. Leak also belongs. This So
ciety held a meeting few days after
Blanch Lamont disappeared. Mrs. Leak
was present at that meeting, and with
her friends discussed the strange absence
OF the young girl.
the rest to learn something. even the
slightest fact, that might indicate tbs
cause of the young girls disappearance.
She said nothing of what she mad seen
from the window on the afternoon OF
April Sd.
duct of Mrs. Leak demands at least an
explanation. and the ladies of the Relief
society will be summoned to tell what
happened at the meeting. What effect
the testimony may have remains to be
seen. 1t is argued by the prosecution on
this score that there was every reason
why Mrs. Leek should not have told what
she saw. She had nothing by which she
could at that time attach importance to
her discovery. She believed Durrant TO
be an exemplary young man, first in
every effort of Christian work. a leader
in the Sunday school, model young
Christian who was showing the Others
the way in an active life Of good
Whine she remarked the girls imprud-
ence in going into the church with Dur
rant she set nothing more on the incl
dent than if the girl had gone there with
the pastor himself. The incident at that
time possessed absolutely no significance
to Mrs Leak. She had not thought of
connecting the girls disappeara nee with
her visit TO the church. This will be the
contention of the prosecution.