The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-09-21
TRIAL OF THEODORE DURRAHT.
The Ciot of Blood That Organist
King Saw

Daily in Receipt of Gushing Letters
From Foolish Women Who Never
Saw Him.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2o.-When
George .. King. the organist of
Emsnuel Church, was on the witness
stand in the DurrAnt trial on Wednes-
asy the prosecution, by an oversight,
failed to examine him on two material
pointS When King WAS first inter
viewed in reference to the murders bv
reporters OF the newspapers he denied
all knowledge Of anything which, in tho
remotest, might connect Durrant with
the commission OF either crime. His
denial was made in way which left q
strong impression that the young man
was not telling the truth.
1t was then thst the suspicion arose
that he knew moro than he cared to
tell. This opinion rapidly crystalized
into an idea that he knew something he
did not dare to tell. His father became
frightened OF this condition of affairs
and the result was young Kings impor-
tant announcement to the police that
he was In the church that afternoon
and saw Durrant in strangely agitated
state.
King was then seen by the inter-
viewers and to reporter from each Of
the morning newspapers declared VOL
unfairly anu with emphasis that after
Durrant had gone to q small mirror in
the church, he also went there and on
the SHELF below the mirror saw O clot of
blood as If Durrsnt had wiped his finger
there.
Shortly after young King made his
sworn statement to the chief of police
the father OF Durrant is aaid to have
called upon him and begged him to say
that tho man he saw in the church in
such condition looked like Theodore
Durrant, but WAS not really the m an who
is now on trial for his life. King
answered that he could not change his
testimony even to save his friend King
will be recalled as a witness and cues
toned upon these points.
Durrant receives letters almost dailv
from women in different parts OF tho
country assuring him OF their firm be-
lief in his innocence and wishing thew
could be with him to comfort him. In
every instance, thus far, tho letters
have come from some one whom he has
never seen or heard of.
The prosecution In the case of Dur
rant announced to-day that its wit
nessss would be through with direct ex.
animation next Wednesday. The crowd
at the trial to day exceeded in size that
OF any previous day since the case
opened.
George King, the orgsnist, was re.
called for further ross-exsminati ton.
After few unimportsnt questions
from the opposing attorneys King was
dismissed to the general surprise, it
having been expected that the PROSE-
cu!ion would interrogate closely upon
tae alleged variation in ! is statements
concerning Durrant made at different
times.
Frank o. Sidmann, formerly ianitor
at the church, testified that on April 3,
The day Blanche Lamont disappeared,
the gas fixtures were in perfect order
Witness said that in the latter part OF
March, Durrsnt and King had put IN
now look on one of the doors, to which
they only had keys. They had stated
their object wac to keep out of the
library persons who had no business
there.
Adolph Oppenhein. pawn broker.
testified that on April and Durrant
came to his store and offered for sale
ring with small chip diamond. The
witnesa selected ring from those iden-
titled Rs belonging to Blanche Lamont
and said shat vss the ring offered him
by Durrant He had declined to pur-
chase It, and Durrant had taken it away
With him. Tne witness stated that sin e
trstifying at the preliminary examina-
tion he had received two levers off, ring
him brides to modify his tes imony.