The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-01-31
From Thursday Mornings DaHy.l

Hf-slftl ~ilhrS,ts " prove an dllDl tatI
party 20 insinuatingly accused.
Tine county attorney, after ring great
many sides To the question, wroie "A request
To- Dr. ID. W. Thomas To visit the d. ceas'd
and make "A minute examination OF The
wounds in the head. The request was COM
piled with, and the result was report that
BULLET
had been found wedged IN the base OF the
skull, and that IL WAS evident the "a, ceased
had come To his death by "A pistol shot, which
had torn the skull TO plere, that lac had dis
covered a new hole ia the skull near tue left
eye, which had bseE covered up 10y the skin,
and also that he had found pow der marks In
the TISSUES III the brain.
This new phase IA ia. situation OF things,
spread like wIld-iire about The city anu spec
ulajiOn Was TIfe On every corner AS TO what
the meaning Of the Whole affair. Little
groups were found Oh street corners, each
member seeming eager Tor another Ia got
through taking IA order that lie might ,N-
plain I.Is views GA the subject
VARIOUS THEORIES
were brought b. light. the most important of
which II that Offered by the physicians who
oppose Dr, Viewer Ine Latter gentI' man, II
SII b.. remembered, examined the head oi
IiI, Deceased aud made nl> reI-oTt 10 the jury
tInIslnuel, Il on Tuesday Those oi The phy
siciatH> VINO SI~ the eclipse yesterday, seem
To uIIicT with him, anu are inciineC TO TO-
lIeVe that The INA n came To his death by "A
pistol shot discharged, pTObBb y, by hls own
hand, and that the large hole iJund III the
forehead WAS caused 10y the entrance of the
account IaiIDn of the air inside Of the skull
was instantaneous, and that amp sX!Osion
Immediately followed, which shattered the
boavs Of the skull and produced the
ugly wound referred to 10y getting
vent at the nearest place possible
DIFFERENT OPINIONS.
Others who studded the Of the
opinion that the explosion" th'oiy l.
mot based ON sufficient grounds 10 MAKE
II even teIIaD.r for argument, and considering
IL not IN scientific point oI view, a. 10 prob
abilities, think that IL tue ball entered the
skull al the eye and passed down Through The
la, OF the kun, there must have been AT
least one opening, and perhaps two, tor the
escape of Inc hot air or tex DoSIVe matter,
which Was easier than To iorc-st hole through
the SHui bone at the forehead. AnOja-
cr thought that the position OF tue ur-
ceased suiiiclcienl indication To dis
prove. the ''cNplp~IOu theory a. the boy
MS found ~ ing Hat on the back with the
iac. apItlr, ntN clean, where II an exp u
sion" ni.d occurred Il would have ben more
or - SpaI.crrd w IA Jn- contents OF the
h"7 Il, even II ~urh a thing iiad happened b.
IoIc the body fell
THE CAUSE OF THE DEED
was also "a point in the discussion and it was
handled without AN great dc-Tet. of ccrrmo-
ny some were inclined to the
Iiy matters taking bad shape,
many a4ain thought the affair "A cold bivOdt,i
murder, pcrFe!I'.i'd ny some one with whom
tue DECREASED h;,d quaTreicd during the day
prev ioUs 10 tine tragedy. one had AN opln-
lot, that alter leaving the ThIrd Ward house
he went ID "a cooper shop not far from The
hou~.. and there learned Things that Md.
hlu shoot himself. Tncre II one class OF men,
however. VINO lever GET excited, although
they app ar 80 al times, ami tiey are
DETECTIVES.
Whatever they s,-.. is generally treasured up
tor future Use. One OF lnCm Mas acCD>tei Toy
a reporter yesterday aud asked what he
thought of lac affair as tar as he had seen and
heard oI IL. well, IN not have much To- Say
Ia. N.Na~a8a
doctors have To say about IL. one thing II
dead 10 rights; that fellow couldn't xiii HIM
self without making mighty sight OF noise,
if he did il with that big pistol. can't see
how he shot himself from the front
and fell backward. Then, again,
don't know how it comes that
On the floor when found. The hole in his
| forehead, in my Judgment, was made about
| the sane time tine pistol shot was given, or
| al least soon enough aiterward To cause the
| natural action OF the skin in closing over the
| broken edges of the bone. One queer thing
| about IL, is that the doctors say the pistol
| must have bes-n close TO the place where the
| ball went in, and that IL went near the eye
| brow, without burning any of the hair ON the
| face. The fact of his being dressed i'm his
| aprons, with his sleeves rolled up, don't LOOK
| much ike he had premeditated suicide"
Another of the profession was talked
| with ana his ideas were much the same As
The above, SO far as he was willing to express
| them. During the latter part OF the forenoon
| owing TO the circumstances, a new inquest
| would be necessary, and that the body of the
| deceased should be carefully and infinitely
| examined by "A board of surgeons consisting
OF all who could be obtained IN the city.
Therefore coroner Lynch was notified and
the following board summoned: Dr. J. W,
Brock, DIR. &. r. Nicely, Dr. J l.. Viewer, DR.
| NJ = Thomas and DIR. ID. ". Thomas. Al
| two O'Clock the Board presented thein>elves
before the coroner's jury at the Third Ward
| house, at the corner OF Cherokee sno
Seventh streets, and were instructed TO max,
| "A careiul exam nation of the body and made
| as iull report As possible.
| THE JURY.
The coroner's jury empanneled, were a
G W. Hulin, c. W. Skinner, A. T. Hines
| Win. Thoien, Louis Neil and Vim. Endres.
The hysicians, after being instructed, ask
| ed Permission OF the jury 10 remove the skui
: OF TIE deceased, ana preserve II for future US
| before them This was, after gaining tn
consent of friends of the family, granted, anc
| the Board repaired To the bakery, al 50 Sew
enth street To make
. THE EXAMINATION,
| which was TO consist, first, in observing tn
| app arance of the body, ami aiterw.rd II
taking away the upper part of the skull. Tn
| body, W hicn had been placed in "A coffin, wa
| taken IRON the cellar into All upper room an,
= placed on a long table.
Dr. Viewer, VINO was present during the re
| moval OF the scalp by Drs. NJ. :. and ID. W
, Thomas, pointed out the various items whic
| lei him 10 his conclusion published yestei
day morning. Tie process OF iully sepera
| ting The SCALP from The upper bones oil ia
| skull ana lace, down rs far as the jaw, occU
| pied considerable time, at almost ever
Incision, about the region of the wound, som
point was raised anu discussed. AT abuT
I half-past four o'clock the work of decapits
ton was completed. The entire
4 TOP OF THE HEAD
from the mouth back ward, having been Gu
1 | and sawed of leaving the trunk with onl
| the chin and the back OF the neck to be co,
| cred by the scalp and made ready tor buTis
| Til crowd about the house during the opcr:
| lion was immense, and IL WAS with difficu
l., | Il that eager sight serr> were prevented fIoI
forcing their way into the room.
After the operation, The physicians too
lie change OF the saul, and accompanied b
County Attorney Taylor, returned
A the room where 'ne Sor9h.f !ur
@ | would not be prepared TO furnish an,
- | thing like statements As 10 their the ries b
&c fore to-day, thex having only the skull co,
s cred as il was with nes6, ana not i'm a cond
ton TO exhibit TO the jury They were give
| until this afternoon at two O'Clock To mai
| their report. While they had been out u
coroner and jury examined several witnesse
some of wBom gave testimony bcfor
IS | Tn. following, so tar as the examination VI
= | proceeded with, Is the
n THE EVIDENCE.
Charles Lindner being duly sworn, depos'
II knew the deceased. His name was j.
cob Becker"
.Where did you see him last previous
| his death - ION Monday evening on Il
,. slst the last time saw him was AT half La
ten: he told HE then, he had some troub
with his family; he Was then sober he tn,
nc left me, as he said, TO go to work; he was
baker by trade; next time saw him, he W
Y. dead, at his house and in his bakery: II W
W bout n quarter before Il M
..Who was with you:" "a colored m,
| named Berry he was then lying on his b,
with his feet toward the oven; he took
| class OF beer In my saloon that night, 4
. 1 18th: he also told me the trouble in
family was that his ~Ife wanted diyor
III and was removing out of the house,
N, .How did you get into the house on tn,
lis t,ay morning 80 "The south ceilar-door "
:, 4 shut but not locked. / wisne to know wi
~ he did not bring bread 10 my saloon as usu.
IL The room appeared Ia me in its usual ori
then left aud reported to the police wha
:, | saw His hands ~ere lying straight by
A. side There was nothing in his hands. s,
~ no pistol or weapon near him. There v
good light NJ that hour. Neither or the q
| SreI man touched the body"
ls' CHARLES LINpNER
M, Mrs Ehart being sworn, says she knew .
n cob becker about three years.
Al saw him last ~ the corner Of 6sIen