The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-24
ANSWERED THE ROLL
Durant's Classmates Confident
He Was Present April
3 Last.

Durrant will unquestionably find not a
little consolation in the fact that a major
rity OF his Observation-Disclosures OF the
Cooper Medical College-stoutly affirm
that he was present at the lecture delivered
the day on which the murdered girl
Blanche Lamont mysteriously disappeared
This was Wednesday, April 8, between
the hours OF 8 80 and 4 80 P. NJ.
1t will be remembered that Miss Minnie
Edwards, Miss Alice Pleasant and Miss NJ.
Lanigan swore positively to having seen
Durrant with Miss Lamont at o'clock on
that afternoon, and further that they saw
the couple leave the car together. The
rollbook of DR.. Cheney shows that Durrant
was present when the lecture began at
3 80, though it is quite possible that some
member of the class might, at the request
| OF Durrant, have answered to his name.
To settle the much yexed question OF
! Durrant's presence in the lecture-room OF
! that-to Miss Lamont-fatal day, the senior
| class of the Cooper Medical College held 6
meeting yesterday morning. DR.. Cheney
presided over the meeting, recountlng to
the young medical students the awful pre-
dicament of their companion, calling upon
them all to make any statement that
tended to throw the least light on
Durrant's movements on that particular
day. If any Of them had answered to
Durrant's name when the roll was called
the doctor asked that he come for
ward and say so, and he would
agree to keep secret the name of the person
who had done this apparently prodigious
service for the accused young man.
There are seventy-six young men in the
class, and the majority of them expressed
the opinion that Durrant was present at
the lecture delivered by DR.. Cheney on
April 3, and consequently he must have
answered to his own name when the roll
was called. A very significant fact, to say
the least of it, is that not one of the young
men would say that he had answered for
Durrant when the roll was called
at is practically impossible for me to
tell whether Durrant was present on the
30 of April or not" said DR.. Cheney yes
terday. 1.-The roll-book shows that he was,
though this Is not positive proof, because
it is quite a common thing for the young
gentlemen to answer for each other. |
asked the class if any of their number had
answered to Durrant's name, and they de-
MED having done so. Personally, / think
Durrant was present at the lecture, though
this is merely an opinion based upon my
past knowledge of the young man.
THE best way to settle this disputed
question is 20 find Durrant's notebook,
and if it contains notes of the lecture |
should say that would clearly establish his
presence on that particular afternoon. To-
day after the meeting student came to
me and said that Durrant had asked him
on the 10th of April for few notes on the
lecture OF April 3; but 1 do not consider
this important, as it is common thing
for the students to ask each other ques-
tons on the preceding lecture during the
half hour that intervenes between the 2
o'clock lecture and my own. Durrant
thought he would be called upon that day
to give some explanation OF the preceding
lecture and simply wanted to refresh his
memory. AT least that is the way I view
the circumstance"