The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-01-26

JENNY SH6ar-Yes. and Pm very glad o, II,
| for it's all fact and very bad business.
KExr.-Are you through, Mr.. Whiting
WHnING.-Yes, Sir
KENr.-You rest
WHiTING.-Yes, Sir.
Here some of the Jurors went out for few
minutes. On their return,
JOHN A. MORRILL, opened the cause for the de-
fence.
Defence.
SAMUEL CoLr sramined-Is the brother of John
c. Colt: is the inventor of Colts patent fire arms
is perfectly acquainted with their principle and
use.
Here Mr.. Colt was asked to go through a series
Of experiments with the Colts pistol, which he
did
Mr, CoLr showed how the pistols were loaded:
he then discharged the five barrels, and caught all
the balls in his hand his hand at the time close
to the barrel of the pistol he fired the pistols at
the boarding the judges seat, and the balls all
rebounded the indentation was very slight ne
then fired the pistols at a law book without the
covers the ball through nine leaves only, at
distance Of fifteen feet, and left indenta,ion on
twenty -four leaves he then threw some balls by
the hand. and they made about the same indenta-
ton.
WIrNEss-These caps are ordered as g double
caps" the strongest that can be got, for the pur-
poses OF this experiment.
BY JuRoR.-lft the ball was not pushed down
to the bottom of the barrel the force would be less
IT would scarce pass out ofthe barrel.
WITYEss-Thcse are the balls that were used
for those three experiments; (three balls were
shown to the Jnry,) never made any pistols but
that size; all the pistols made with five charges
in cylinder; the cylinder Of the largest pistol is
q inches in diamater in making these pistols you
must double your power if you double the size Of
yeur bail; in case OF using cap, the force ceases
to ct on the ball as seon as the ball escapes from
the barrel; this is the largest ball-mdsket ball
used for government service is 5Sths of an inch.
The English have used a ball fourteen 10 pound,
but those are exploded. The half ounce bal is ex.
hal fan iurhi n lin he he la
est pistol 80 TO the pound IT is about 5-l6hs OF
an inch the next size is 81 parts OF an inch: the
smallest is exactly quarter Of an inch. (Several
other experiments were made, with the same effect
as before
BY the CoURr-lt is imposs BILE for a ball to pene-
trate the head from one OF these pistols, even if
the pistol be held close to his head IL, only cap be
used Never made pistol with bundle of bar
rels.
Several other questions were asked about air
guns, but they elected nothing.
DR.. DAVID l.. RODGERS erdnined-Is a profe ssor
Of surgery; been practising surgeon for Is years
My attention often called to the character Of wounds
on the head. If ball breaks in the bone Of the
skull the opening the hole is less than the size Of
the ball-as general rule, owing to the velocity OF
the ball and the yielding Of the parts.
Adjourned for an hour.
Afternoon Session.
D.. ZABRisKrE eraa.ined is regular physician;
was agent of the Patent Arms Company for fifteen
months tried all the Colts pistols at least tens of
Thousand times; often with a.double charge of per-
cussion powder; the greatest force ever got was
by firing Of these pistols at distance OF thirty
feet, so as to make II stick in soft pine-board;
should say it was utterly impossible !Or a ball SO
fred, with cap, to 30 through mans skull; quite
impossible.
tross-eramined One of the great objections to
the repeating arms, is, that it makes clear, sharp
ringing sound, when fired with powder, more than
any other kind of fire arms; ball fired from of
these pistols, with small portion of powder,
might be made to penetrate a mans skull, but /
think it highly Improbable; tie force would be less
at two feet than at twenty feet.
Here WHITING proposed to introduce the scull OF
Mr.. Adams
DR. GILMAN recaRed-This afternoon the coffin
Of Mr.. Adams was taken out Of the grave yard
the head detached from the body; the cavity
Of the skull was examined; there was no foreign
substance there; we examined that hole the left
side OF the head; my little finger passed In up to
the second joint; the variation Of the hole from a
circle was about oath part Of inch; the an
terror table Of the bone was depressed about
twelfth of an inch, and on the interior table ofthe
bone at this round hole the opposite side there
is scaling off. 1t is inconceivabe to me how that
hole was produced.
Cross.exa,nined-1 can conceive that it was pos
sible this hole in the head was made by a nail in
the box, and by the body grating or moving against
this nail.
By WHrrISe-The nail might have been driven
into the head, as it was driven into the box;
and the hole might have been ground out
larger and larger as the body moved. The edges Of
the hole were slightly ragged My opinion has been
changed about that round hole being made with a
bullet; that hole is not such a hole as a bullet
would make. nO,o consider il highly improbable
that that round hole made Wth ball. because if
it had been done by ball, it must have been done
at very acute angle, ewing to the form which that
depression assumed, and ball so striking skull
would glance off A Ratchet head, the head Of
whichw was no larger than that hole, would make
just such hole. poker with the end turned at
right angles might make just such hole.
Cross-erdmined -(He examines the holes in the
pine board made with Colts pistols) The force
that was used to make these holes would not cause
q bali to penetrate tho skull Of any man; posi-.
tive Of that.
DR.. Rooms eramined.-Large portions Of the
skull may be driven in, and yet the person retain
his sensiblity; knew a man whose frontal bones
were driven in, and yet the person, by fall ola
that box, and the lltle Irishman described to me
how Mr.. Adams was lying in the box he put his
head where he said Mr.. Adams head lay ia the
box his head then lay against the side Of the box
just against large nail that projected inch with
in the box the nail was nine inches from the top,
and twelve from the bottom as the head lay,
nail might be driven into the head, and If the head
moved after that, il work that nail, and the hole
would become larger this Ratchet, (haichet pro-
daced,) if applied on the plat side might produce
such wound as described in this head OF Adams.
BY JuRoR.-In both cases where the skull of
man was driven in both persons retained their SEN
sbty.
Cross. Examined. If the mei,.ila obongata is re-
moved,it will produce death Other parts Of the
brain may be removed and the man may live
If man received such injury this on the from
tai part and retained his sensibility he would have
the power to cry out.
BY the CoURr. II a man was struck such blow
andyet retained his muscular powers, still he
might have not have been able to cry out Injuries
ofsomc parts of the brain affect the voice more
than other parts, and prevent the person from ma.
king noise Military works state that nearly half
the hemisphere ofthe brain has been cut of BY
bre wound, and yet the retained his sensibili-
ty. Heming's work, and Larry's work, and Thom-
sons work, mention this. also man at the battle
Of Waterloo received ball in his head and lived,
afterwards Thonson's work or SinplanatioB, men,
tions this' 1t occurred at the battle Of Waterloo
Thomson is a standard work.
The DISTRICT ATTORNEY here examined Doctor
RoDorRs very infinitely about how the man acted
who showed him how Adams laid but ELECTED no.
thing new.
By SELDEN. A blow from ball sufficient to