The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-17
DARK FOR DURANT.
He Was in the Organ Loft the Day
Miss Lamont Disappeared.

San Francisco, Cal. April 16.-The Eve
ming Bulletin got out an extra last night
containing the following statement:
George r. King, the organist of the
church where the horrible crimes were
both committed, made a statement to
Chief of Police Crowley late this after
noon which tends to fix one crime at
least, the murder of Miss Lamont, upon
Durant. King says that on April 3. the
day Miss Lamont was missed, he went
into the church about p. m. to practice
on the organ. 1 saw Durant there, much
to my surprise. He came down from the
organ lott IN highly excited and over
heated condition. / asked him what was
the matter and he replied: 1 was over
come by gas up there in the loft He was
very weak and pale, and asked me to
give him a glass of bFomO seltzer.
knew ne was fixing up some electrical
contrivances about the church, and
tnought nothing strange about his going
up in the loft"
This is direct evidence of a most start
hnE nature. Miss Lamont, it will be re-
memDered left the high school about 3
p m. on the day she was last seen, April
g. she was seen with Durant. The the
oTy now is that Durant had just com
pleted his fiendish task when seen by
Organist King. The reports that Durant
the accused murderer, has broken down
ana VIII confess, is Indignantly denied by
Dnrants attorney"
The coroner's inquiry into the death of
mamie Nllnams, of whose murder TheO-
dore Durant IS accused was commenced
at 10 O'Clock this morning. Durant was
present having been brought down from
ms cell under a strong guard. He showed
me sHects of the great mental strain
which he has been under, but manifested
complete indifference to the proceedings
Ihe streets in the vicinity We're thronged
band Of Mrs Ella Forsyth, the missing
woman whom Durant is suspected of MAX
ing away with, positively denies that she
ever visited Emanuel church or knew
anyDody connected with it. He believes
sne Is drowned in San Francisco Bay.
The missing shoes and school books
belonging to Blanche Lamont We're found
in Emanuel Baptist church this after
noon. This find makes one of the most
important links in the chain of evidence
against Durant. 1t establishes, beyond
the possibility of a question, that the muir
dered girl went directly from the normal
school to the church, where she met
her death. The statements of Miss
Pieasanton and other pupils of the nor
NAL school establishes the fact that Du-
rant. met Miss Lamont just as she left
school, and that the two went away
together. The two, therefore, could have
reached the church so that Durant could
have committed the murder and con-
cealed the clothes before he was seen
by King descending from the belfry in
a state OF excitement Late this after
noon the detectives searching the church
also found the missing glove and hat
belonging to Miss Lamont, and the knob
Of the door which opened to the belfry.
1t is believed that somewhere about the
church the murderer hid the articles
which would sincrimimate him. The de-
tectives are certain that the murderer
concealed about the church the clothes
he wore when Miss Lamont was muir
derel.