Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-14
DID DURRANT CONFESS.
Alleged Details of Miss CUNNING
hams Visit to the Jail,

AuHib 10 the Jail.
NOW that Durrant, the suspected muir
oerer OF Blanche Lamont in San Francisco,
has told his story on the witness stand.
and has made answers to all the accusa-
tons implied by the cross questions of tho
prosecution, an impression exists among
nose VINO have watched the trial clio sely
that there is something to come which will
perhaps have more effect on the minds of the
1urymen as regards the guilt or innocence
OF the defendant than ANYTHING that has
gone before. mag
This feeling is due to the confidence With
when Dlstrlct Attorney Barnes put a series
OF startling questions relating to a CONVEX
satlon heid by Durrant with a newspaper
reporter, Miss Carrie Cunningham al he
county JAN within the past week, and also
touching on the address and Endorsement of
certain envelope which may or NAV not
nave contained a confession.
Inc prosecution witnesses will seek IN
snow oy their testimony that Durrant 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 Emanuel
Baptist Church on the afternoon of Anrii
8. The record of what passed at the county
jan between Miss Cunningham and Durrant
Is u, mus tod ny the prosecution. which is
IN possession of the full facts:
ON the evening of September % Miss
cunningham visited Durrant at the county
jan, and during the course Of their CONVEX
which bore the following address and in
dorsement: Messrs. Dickinson and Duprey
10 De opened in case l am convicted: to be
returned to me in case 1 am acquitted
Durrant told the young lady that the envel-
ope contained complete statement of all
that had occurred at the Emanuel Baptist
ChCrch on the afternoon of April g. He said
.nat II mad been written in order that his
attorneys might know the facts in the event
OF his being convicted of the murder of
6lancne Lamont. On the following evening
September q, Miss Cunningham again Wis.
TIED Durrant at the county Jail. and was
there shown large envelope addressed Tke
the other and smaller one. Durrant told her
that the contents of the other enyelope had
become jammed up, and that he had trans
ferred the written statement to the larger
envelope.
On the morning of October 5 Miss Cum
n1ngham held a conversation with Durrant
at the county jail, and during the course of
that conversation, and in answer to ques-
tons asked him by the young lady, he said
That about b o'clock on the afternoon of
April 3 he assembled the space between the
ceiling and the roof of the Emanuel Bap-
list Church for the purpose of fixing one of
the sun burners. While at work he heard a
noise, which at once attracted his atten-
tion. 1t seemed to come from that part Of
the building where the belfry is situated.
He walked along in the direction from
which the sound came and peered through
the opening that connects the space above
the ceiling with the interior of the belfry
body of Blanche Lamont lying on the Sec
ond landing of the belfry stairs.
He repeated the details of the circum-
stances, 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. not
blood An official inspection was made of
the cloth-covered picture frame referred to
as being stained by blood. The inspection
revealed the fact that the piece of the cloth
cover one inch by two inches 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 any one 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"