New-York tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1841-1842, 1842-01-26

l ~
head III. ball penetrated 10 the brain, as a gene
raj rule the opening in the skull is less 10 size than
The ball the yielding Of the surrounding portionof
the skull is the
The Court adjourned till O'Clock.
FOUR O'clock.
Mr.. SELDgE said ne would suspend the exami.
nation Of Dr. Rogers for the present to allow hun
10 refer to some authorities.
Dr. ZABR1sKIE called. / practising Physl-
clan | have acted the agent for the Patent
Arms Mandatory for about ID months Il have
frequently fired off the pistols with simply cap
tens of thousands OF times: have used the best
caps could find The ordinary thickness OF
human skulls is well known. think 1t would be
impossible for one of these pistols, wtha cap only,
10 throw a ball with sufficient force to penetrate
the skull; doubt if it could penetrate the scalp
I once fired one of them forty feet and the ball
stuck in a pine board; this the greatest force
i ever Obtained.
Cross-euamined BY the District Attorney.
have tried the pistols with few grains of powder
and so up to u full charge. If the powder Just
covered the bottom of the cylinder it might pene-
tratc skull at the distance Of thirty feet This
would add to the noise. The repeating arms make
more noise than the rdinary arms.
BIZ n Juror think the force at i've or slxfeet
is not as great as at 20 the impression on board
is less At distance of foot or two don't be-
ieve it possible for ball thus driven to penetrate
the skull.
BIZ Mr.. Whiting. think a barrel four inches
long would threw ball as far longer one. |
think ball would penetrate a living skull quicker
,han dry enc.
Mr.. Whiting said DR.. Matt had expressed de-
sire that the skull OF Mr. Adarns should be brought
in the physicians, however said they had just ex-
auinod i, and could give testimony wthou' huv'nS
tpresent
M notice that nm examination of the head was IN
,anIJ
The Court said it knew nothing of the matter.
DR.. GILMAN was called. | was with the Cor
oncr this afternoon when the body of Mr. Adams
was taken up. On separating the head from the
BODY we first examined the cavity Of the skull
There uas no foreign Substance m II 1chatecer.
The hole back of the ear is so large that my little
finger passed in to the second Joint. IL Is slightly
oval; the diameter one way is about onc-twentielh
Of an inch longer than the other. On the anterior
edge of the hole there wos slight depression OF
the external bone, extending third OF an inch
round. On the side opposite TINS there was seal
ing off of the interior surface The bone was
judged by OF us 10 BE- little thinner than usual
II IS still uncomfortable 10 ne that the Aatchet
shosid hare made that uconnd
By Mr.. iSsldeu. think it possible that nail
might have made that Woodworking upon II as
The body moved round
By tie Court | am not satisfied by this exa-
mnation that it inflicted The anterior
edge was abraded but beaten in
Bg Mr. Hitting. 1t appeared to be the rcsult
of impingemcnt rather than of friction. My opa-
ION as to the cause of this wound has been changed
by this examination. l think now that is not such
a hole ne would be made byu bali Had II been
thas made The ball must have struck the skull at u
very acute aug cso acute that it woed glance oil.
a hachel witha head no larger tlaanthc hole would
have caused it. A poker struck ways-the
end of the poker being surned-would have caused
such Il hole.
Dr. ROGERS called. It is impossible 10 say
whether the wound on the right side of the head
by a single blow, would have left any sensbiity: |
have known many casesin which parts Of the brain
have been cut away, and still the person retained
his scnsbty removed portion OF the skull
which had been driven in upon the brain by a
block falling from the ,nalnmast, covering the en-
tire top OF the head and yet he retained his sen
sibi!ity. James Short showed ME the position IN
which the body of Adams lay in the box he lay
little diagonally: the face was down and the
back part of the head III the corner. a nail pro-
lccted an inch into the box, about nine inches from
the top; and this nail. he lay in tie box would
have struck the head in lust about the spot where
this wound was found. If the body lay in the
bex when the nail was driven in, the nail would
probably enter the head ii it came against ii: and
II the body had any movement, it must be around
the nail. ne wound on the right side migh;
have been caused by single blow with the fiat
side Of this Ratchet.
By MIR. WHITING. IN the case mentioned
first the blood vessels were broken Great oor-
tons of the brain have been removed and still the
person live \ wound IN the posterior part OF the
brain. in the acdua o6lon gaia, will produce instant
death 4 ball passing INTO this wound, would pass
above this Particular portions OF The brain are
believed 10 be connected with the voice: and in
some cases. an Injury inflicted upon the brain, may
deprive person OF his voice, although his muscu-
J lar power remains.
&c. II. Deavan one of the jurors here com
plYined that persons in his vicinity were making
remarks upon the subject OF the trial: the court
ordered the seats near the jury 10 be clenreo.l
Military surgeons have maintained that the up
per hemisphere OF the bIaia may be carried away
and still sensation be retained. Cases like this
are mentioned IN French works on Surgery. |
should think that large quantities of blood would
have flowed from this wound, and instantsneorsy.
Jud sins from the form OF the wound think botl.
the wounds on the right and left side OF the head
u.:rdt hare been CEASED by single 6ioqc The
nails mentioned were driven through elect in
the end of the box | do not knew when ,hcv
were put in. think they were sbou, TWO inchesi
long. II lad this hole been made BY the friction 0;
a nail should think i, would have been irregular
the edge would have been ragged The force