The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-24
WHAT DURRANT SAID WAS IN THE BELFRY.
"You went there for your paper?"

I "You went there for your paper?"
'I did"
chow did the interviews take place; did you
! go in the cel?''
"Only once"
| ''Was any one with you on this occasion"
! Eyes, sir; Chief. Jailer satler and an artist
| from the paper"
and on the other occasions?"
| az stood outside the cell on a stool because
was not tall enough and talked to him through
| the wicket"
"At the County Jail, at cell %, on the 22d Of
| September, did this defendant show you a
! small envelope addressed to Messrs. Dickinson
d Deuprey and marked TO be opened ii | am
convicted and returned unopened to me if
am not convicted q
| Dickinson-I object. That is not admissible
and no foundation has been laid for it.
The court-lf it is admissible at all what
other foundation could he laid for it?
Mr.. Barnes-I make the offer not in the light
OF an eXtrajudicial confession. but to show
| that IN other places and at other times the de-
| tendant has made statements contrary 10 and
inconsistent with his testimony as witness.
The eourt-Of course we are only dealing
now with the testimony as to the envelope
! That was brought out in cross-eXamination
| and was not part of the main examination.
| Would it not be permitting forced inference
| as to the contents of that envelope to permit
| the question? 1t might be argued that the
envelope contained either a confession OF
guilt or protestation of innocence. There is
nothing to show the contents of that en-
velope. l believe no offer is made of that
| think it would be dangerous 10 admit this
question, for it would open world OF specula-
ton to the jury and be liable to confuse their
ndS. TShall sustain the objection.
Barnes (resuming the examination)-Did you
| visit Durrant at the jail on the LIST of Oc-
| tober?
81 did"
"Did you have an interview with him
them"
81 did"
In the course of that interview and in ref
erence TO Emmanuel Baptist Church, did Mr..
Durrant say to you, when was fixing the
sunburners heard a noise in the belfry.
followed up the noise to the belfry and looked
through an opening and there saw the body of
Blanche Lamont on the Second landing. She
was murdered on the second landing?'"
Dickinson-I object; that is not admis sible
a confession and is not rebuttal testimony.
The COURT understand the defendant testi-
fed that he last saw Blanche Lamount alive on
the morning OF April at Cough and Suffer
streets, and that he did not see her again,
dead or alive. Now, if that be correct, they
had a right to cross-examine MIN that
point and they have right now 10 prove, if
they can, that at other times and places the
defendant made statements inconsistent with
his statements on the stand. l think there can
be no doubt OF its admissibility and shall per-
NIT the question.
The question was once more read to
Miss Cunningham, and she answered:
'He made that statement to me-"
"At the time and place designated by my
question:
''GeS, SIR
him almost every day since August 1872
"Yes sir"
The court-About whom were you speaking
when you held this conversation?
"Of Blanche Lamont"
cat that same time or at some other time did
not this take place or was not this said?"
"Mr. Barnes, there was no mention OF the
sweetpea girl that night. ] did give a note to
Mr.. Durrant after he had finished telling me
all this story, and had promised would be
witness for him and tell this story on the
stand. He said: viii you promise to tell the
story l had an understanding with Durrant
from the first, that was not to publish in the
paper anything he told me, without his con-
sent that l should do so. | said to him, That
is a great newspaper story promised would
not publish the story, but did not kiss any
Bible. I held up my hand like this but did
not know Durrant had Bible.'
'Your promise was then in relation to the
publication OF the story?"
Eyes, sir"
"And you did not publish tt?"
81 did n OF publish it,"
And it has not been published since?"
at has not been published since"
"Dld you have a conversation with the de-
PENDANT on October 50"
~ did"
"Did the following occur: Did you say, Are
you sure it was the second landing where you
saw"