The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-04-24
DEAD MARCH BY THE ORGANlST.
Evidence of Organist King Will Insure the
Hanging of Fiend Durant

San Francisco, April 16.-Th,
Evening Bulletin got out an extra las
night containing the following state
ment: George R. King, organist of th,
church in which the horrible crime,
were both committed, made state
ment to Chief of Police Crowley latt
this afternoon, which tends, to fix ont
crime at least-the murde" of Mis-:
Lamont--upon Durant. King say:
that on April 3, the day Miss Lamon
was misseN he went into the church
about 5 p. m. to practice on the organ
Il saw Durant there, much to my sur
prise. He came down from the organ
loft in a highly excited and overheated
condition. I asked him what was the
matter and he replied: I was over.
come by gas up there in the loft. He
was very weak and pale, and asked
me to give him a glass of bromo self.
zer. | knew he was fixing up some
electrical contrivances about the
church, and thought nothing strange
about his going up in the loft"
This direct evidence is of most
startling nature. Miss Lamont, it will
be remembered, left the high school
about 3 p. m. on the day she was last
seen. April 3. She was seen with Du-
rant. The theory now is that Durant
had just completed his fendish task
when seen by Organist King. The re-
port that Durant, the accused murder
er, has broken down and will confess,
is Indignantly denied by Judge A. w.
Thompson, who IS acting as Durant's
attorney.
The coroners inquiry into the death
Of Mamie Williams, OF whose murder
Theodore Durant is accused, was COM
menced at 10 O'Clock this morning.
Durant was present, having been
brought down from his cell under
strong guard. He showed the effects
Of the great mental strain which he
has been under, but manifested COM
plete indifference to the proceedings.
The streets in the vicinity were
thronged with people.
George W. Forsyth, husband of
Mrs. Ella Forsyth, the missingwoman
whom Durant is suspected Of making
away with, positively denies that she
ever visited Emanuel church or knew
anybod connected with it. He believes
she is drowned in San Francisco bay.
The missing shoes and school books,
belonging to Blanche Lamont. were
found in the Emanuel Baptist Church
this afternoon. This find makes one
Of the most important links in the evi-
dence which the police are foregoing
around Durant. 1t establishes. beyond
the possibility of a question, that the
murdered girl went directly from the
Normal school to the church where she
met her death. The statements of
Miss Pleasanton and other pupils of the
Normal School establish the fact that
Durant met Miss Lamont Just as she
left school aud that the two went away
together.
The Two therefore could have reach
ed the church so that Durant could
have committed the murder and con-
cealed the clothes before he was seen
by King descending from the belfry
in state of excitement and extreme
agitation.
Late this afternoon the detectives
searching the church also found the
missing glove and hat belonging to
Miss Lamont and the knob of the door
which opened to the belfry. 1t is be-
lieved that somewhere about the
church the murderer hid the articles
which would incriminate him. The
police are certain that the murderer
concealed about the church the clothes
he wore when Miss Lamont was mur-
dered.