Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-10-18

Prisoner added That Blanche Lamont
Was Murdered on the Second
Landing of the Stairs.

Durrant has told his story on the wit
ness stand and has made answers to
all the accusations implied by the
cross questions of the prosecution, an
impression exists among those who
have watched the trial closely that
there is something to come which will.
perhaps, have more effect on the minds
of the jurymen as regards the guilt or
innocence of the defendant than any
thing that has gone before.
This feeling is due to the confidence
with which District Attorney Barnes
put a series of startling questions re-
lating to a conversation held by Dur
rant with a newspaper reporter, Miss
Carrie Cunningham, at the county Jail
within the past week and also touching
on the address and endorsement of a
certain envelope which may or may
not have contained a confession. The
questions implied full knowledge on
| the part of Barnes and it was evident
that when the proper time came testi-
mony would be produced to contradict
| the denials Of the prisoner.
| When the prosecutions witnesses are
| put on the stand they will relate the
| particular words of a conversation that
| bordered on a confession. They will
seek to prove that this man talked Of
matters touching his very existence
and at the very day and hour when it
was most important for him to main
tain silence. These witnesses will seek
| to show by their testimony that Dur
rant made admissions which destroy
the whole fabric of the defense. These
alleged admissions are taken by the
prosecution as coming from the one
person on earth who knows all that &C.
CURED beneath the belfry Of the Eman-
uel Baptist church on that afternoon
Of April 3.
The record of what passed at the
county Jail between Miss Cunningham
and Durrant is thus told by the prose-
cution, which is in possession of the
full facts:
"On the evening of September %,
Miss Cunningham visited Durrant at
| the county Jail and during the course
of their conversation Durrant showed
her a small envelope which bore the fol-
| lowing address and endorsement:
"Messrs. Dickinson & Deuprey To be
SeNeS
be returned to me in case am ac-
Quilted"
| Durrant told the young lady that the
| envelope contained a complete state
ment of all that occurred at the Eman-
uel Baptist church on the afternoon of
April g. He said it had been written in
order that his attorneys might know
the facts in the event of his being con-
| xyint IF 10 rnIIpIar Of 1nha a
| mont.
"On the following evening, Septem-
Der %, Miss Cunningham again visited
Durrant at the county Jail and was
there shown a large envelope addressed
like the other and smaller one. Dur
rant told her that the contents of the
other envelope had become damned up
and that he had transferred the written
statement to the larger envelope.
ION the morning of October 5, Miss
Cunningham held conversation with
Durrant at the county Jail and during
the course of that conversation an
swered questions asked him by the
young lady said that among other
things, that about s o'clock on the af-
ternoon of April 3 he assembled to the
space between the ceiling and the roof
|
purpose of fixing the sun-burners.
While at work he heard a noise which
at once attracted his attention. 1t
seemed to come from that part of the
building where the belfry is situated.
He walked along in the direction from
whence the sound came and peered
through the opening that connects the
space above the ceiling with the in
| Of he hal ~,
this position he saw the body of
Blanche Lamont lying on the second
landing of the belfry stairs. He re-
and added that Blanche Lamont was
murdered on the second landing of the
belfry stairs.
Miss Cunningham then said: oh,
yes, it was from the second landing of
the stairs that the blood dripped down
and stained the cloth-covered picture
frame on the floor below
"Durrant replied that there was no
blood on the cover of the picture frame
as We have had the stains analysed
and find they were made by water and
not blood
"An official inspection was made of
the cloth-covered picture frame refer
red to as being stained with blood. This
inspection revealed the fact that a
piece of cloth cover one inch by two
inches in size had been cut from the
frame in the center of one of the larg-
est blotches or stains. AS this was not
done by anyone connected with the
prosecution the inference is drawn that
it was done by some one interested in
the defense, and that 1t was for the
purpose indicated by Durrant's alleged
statement regarding the analysis"