Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-10-14
THAT ALLEGED CONFESSION.
WILL PLAY AN IMPORTANT FART IN
DJRRhNTs TRIAL THIS WEEK.
The Conversations the Prisoner Had with
Miss Cunningham to lie Exploited
Ihc Mysterious Envelope state
m.nt of the Prosecution.

san Francisco oct ia.-Now that Dur
rant has told his story on the witness
stand and has made answers TO all the
accusations implied by the cross-uuestio
OF the prosecution. an Impression exists
among those who have watched the trial
closely that there is something to cofne
N!lich VIII perhaps. have more effect on
the minds Of the jurymen as regards the
guilt or innocence of the defendant than
anything that has gone before
This feeling Is due to the confidence with
which District Attorney Barnes put a Sc
rios OF startling questions relating TO a
conversation held by Durrant with a news
paper reporter, Miss Carrie Cunningham.
at the county jail within the past week,
also touching on the address and indorse-
mcut OF a certain envelope which may or
may not have contained confession. The
questions implied full knowledge on the
part of Barnes, and It was evident that
when the proper time came the testimony
would be- produced to contradict the denials
when the prosecutions witnesses are
rht ON the stand they viii relate the par
d""'J or confession ThcN VIII seek TO
prove that this man. who has been almost
as siIen, as n dead man for siN months,
opened his mouth and talked OF matters
touching his very existence. and at the
very daS and hour when 1T was most I'M
p0rtant Tor him to maintain silence. These
Witnesses Will seek to show 10y their testl-
ngny THAI Durrant made admissions which
DESTROY the whole fabric of the defense.
The alleged admissions are taken by the
prosecution as coming from the one per-
son on earth who knows all that occurred
beneath the belfry of the Emanuel Bap-
tist church on the afternoon of April 3.
The record OF what passed at the county
Jail between Miss Cunninsham and Lur-
rant is thus told by the prosecution. which
is In possession of the full facts:
"On the evening Of September %, Miss
CuniinGham visited Durrant at the county
versatou Durraut showed her a small
envelope. which bore the following ad-
dress and indgrs ement; ,MSsSrs. m Diekins%n a IN
convictcdi to be returned to me IN case
am acquitted
of all that had occurred at the Emanuel
Baptist church on the afternoon of April
de-. that his attorneys might know the
facts in the event of his being convicted
of the murder of Blanche Lamont
ION the following evening, september y.
Miss Cunningham again visited Durraut at
the county jail and was there Shown q =
large envelope addressed Ike the other ana
a smaller one. Durrant told her that the
contents of the other envelope hau pc
come jammed up and that he had trans
ferred the written statement to the larger
"On the morning OF october ; Miss cum
ningham held a conversation with l)urrant
al the county Jail, and during the course OF
that conversation. and in answer to ques-
lions asked MN ny the NbullE ltliN llN SilL
that at about O'Clock on the afternoon OF
April 3 he ascended the space between the
ceiling and the roof of the Emanuel Bap-
tist church for the purpose of liking one
of the sun burners. While at work lie
heard a noise, which at once attracted his
attention 1t seemed to come from that
part of the building where the helfry 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 interior or
the befry tower. While in this position he
saw the body of Blanche Lamont lying on
the second landing OF the beltry stairs. He
repeated the details Of the circumstances
and added that Blanche Lamont was muir
dered on the second landing OF the beltry
stairs Miss Cunningham then said, on,
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 Durraut replied that
there was no blood on the cover OF the
picture frame as We have had the stains
analy2ed and find. they were made by
water not blood
An official inspection was made Of the
cloth covered picture frame referred to as
being stained by blood. This inspection re-
vcaled the fact that a piece of the cloth
cover, one inch by two hrCncs in size, had
been cut from the frame in the center Of
one of the largest blotches or stains.
As this was not done by anyone connect
ed with the prosecution, the inference Is
drawn that ii was done by someone inter
ested in the defense. and that it was for
the purpose indicated by Durrants alleged
statement regarding the analysis.