The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1895-10-17
HE SAW The BODY
Durrant's Alleged Confession 10
the Young Lady Reporter.
THE BLOOD DRlPPED DOWN
Prisoner Added That blanche Lamont
Was Murdered on the Second
Landing of the Stairs.

San Francisco, Oct. 13.-Now that
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
nave 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.
rms feeling Is due to the confidence
with which District Attorney Barnes
put series of startling questions re-
lating to 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 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 oc-
CURED beneath the belfry of the Eman-
uel Baptist church on that afternoon
Of April g.
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
opened in case l am convicted and to
be returned to me in case 1 am ac-
Quilted. a."
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 3. He said it had been written in
order that his attorneys might know
the facts in the event of his being CON
victed of the murder of Blanche La
mont.
"On the following evening. Septem-
Der 23, Miss Cunningham again visited
Durrant at the county Jail and was
there shown large envelope addressed
like the other and smaller one. Dur
| rant told her that the contents of the
other envelope had become jammed up
| and that he had transferred the written
| statement to the larger envelope.
| "On the morning of October 5, Miss
| Cunningham held a 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 O'Clock on the af-
ternoon of April 3 he ascended to the
space between the ceiling and the roof
of the Emanuel Baptist church for the
|
While at work he heard 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
terror of the belfry tower. While in
this position he saw the body of
| Blanche Lamont lying on the second
landing of the belfry stairs. He re-
peated the details of the circumstances
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 analyzed
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 it was for the
purpose indicated by Durrant's alleged
statement regarding the analysis"