The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-10-14

the Sun Burners-A Sensational Con-
fessiOn.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 14.-Now that
Durrant has told his story on the witness
stand and has made answers to all the ac
cusations implied by the GROSS questions of
the prosecution an impression exists
among those who have 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
anything that has gone before. This feel
ing is due to the confidence with which
District Attorney Barnes put a series of
startling questions relating to a converse
tion held by Durrant with newspaperre-
porter, 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 confession.
The prosecution witnesses will seek to
show by their testimony that Durrant
made admissions which destroys the whole
fabric of the defense These alleged ad-
missions are taken by the prosecution as
coming from the one person on earth who
knows all that occurred beneath the bel
fry of the Emanuel Baptist church on the
afternoon of April 3, The record of what
passed at the county Jail between Miss
Cunningham and Durrant is thus told by
the prosecution which is in possession of
the full facts
On the evening of Sept. % Miss Cunning
ham visited Durrant at the county jail,
and during the course of their converse
tion Durrant showed her small envelope
which bore the following address andyin-
dorsement: "Messrs. Dickinson & Due
| prey. To be opened in case am convicted
To be returned to me In case 1 am ac-
quilted" Durrant told the young lady
that the envelope contained a complete
statement of all that had occurred at the
Emanuel Baptist church on the afternoon
of April 3. He said that 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 Lamont.
On the following evening, Sept 23, Miss
Cunningham again visited Durrant at the
county jail, and was there shown a large
envelope addressed like the other and
smaller one. Durrant told her that the
contents of the other envelope had become
jammed up, and that he had transferred
the written statement to the larger en-
velope.
On the morning of Oct. Miss Cunning
ham held conversation with Durrant at
the county Jail, and during the course of
that conversation, and in answer to ques-
tions asked him by the young lady, ne
said that about O'Clock on the afternoon
of April he assembled the space between
the ceiling and the roof of the Emanuel
Baptist church for the purpose of fixing
one of the sun burners. 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 direc-
tion from which 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 La
mont lying on the second landing of the
belfry stairs. He repeated the details of
the circumstances, and added that Blanche
Lamont was murdered on the second
landing of the belfry stairs. Miss Gun
ham then said
"Oh, yes, it was from the second land
ing of the stairs that the blood dripped
down and stained the cloth covered picture
frame on the floor below" Durrant re-
piled that there was no blood on the cover
of the picture frame, as 1--WE have had the
stains analyzed 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
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 inferenceis drawn
that it was done by some one Interested in
the defense, and that it was for the pur-
pose indicated by Durrant's alleged state
rnnnt raotarIliIlf, the arnlvsis