The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-11-25
THE DOCTORS EVIDENCE.

Elmdale had been shocked by the dlscov.
cry Of great crime in their midst.
Seth Driscoll, q well.known citizen,
was found at early dawn, lying dead In
his own garden. A CHASTITY bullet wound
in the back of his head left no room to
question the cause of his death; and any
suspicion of suicide was rebutted, as we'll
by the position OF the wound, a. by the
discovery of footprints leading back and
forth from near the body to the garden
wall, at point where the latter bore evi.
dent marks OF having been scaled.
But the GROWING discovery was that of
a pistol. recently discharged, lying near
the base OF the wall where the murderer
had clambered ovel. It was picked up
by Jonas Wenlcck, DR.. Dnscoll's nephew,
who gave q start of surprise at the sight.
II know who owns this weaponr" he ex-
claimed.
"Who9 who" questioned dezen eager
voices.
"Volney Kendall he answered.
Had thunderclap fallen upon the lis
teners the effect could not have been
more startling. The young man whose
name had just been uttered was the last
person to be suspected of such an atroci-
Gus crime. At the first instance the very
thought was repealed with adherence;
but OF the second came stral re revolu-
ton. It was remarked that Volney Ken
dali had been an earnest sutton for the
hano of Kate Dunseth, hr. Driscoll'a
ward, and had received from the baugh-
| ty guardian asuperciliious rebuff, which
he had bitterly resented. There was a
motive for the deed, which, coupled with
the circumstances of the pistol, awakened
conviction in the very minds whence, a
moment before, the slightest shade OF
suspicion had been Indignantly secuted
Within an hour young Kendall, pale
| and agltated, was dragged prisoner to
the scene of the tragedy, where fresh evi
dence was speedily added to that already
accumulated. His shoes were found to
exactly fit the tracks in tie garden, even
to the print of the nails.
He acknowledged to the ownership of
the pistol, but declined oil explanation
of its presence at the place where it had
been found, or of his whereabouts on the
previous evening.
None longer doubted the prisoner
guilt, and he was placed in close confine-
ment to await the coroner;s inquest.
Next day was retained for the &C.
cused; but from an interview with him,
permitted by the jailer, I came away
without the shadow of hope; for. although
he asserted his innocence, he persisted in
MAINTAINING silence On points the clearing
up of which were vital to his defense.
The inquest was held at the house OF
the deceased. Tho facts already stated
were laid before the jury; but when the
prisoner was questioned, save acknowl-
edging the ownership of the pistol. and
denying all knowledge of the murder, he
declined to answer.
Once he looked appealinglY to Kate
Dunseth, who was present, summoned as
a witness with the rest Of the household.
She met his look with fearful, bewild.
cred gaze, land he turned away and bowed
bis head in silence.
drew from Jonas Wenlock, whom !
was permitted to cross.examlne, that he
had heavy insurance on his uncle's lite,
and from another witness, who had under.
taken the duty Of investigating the con-
dition of Mr.. Driscolls affairs, that they
| were in q very embarrassed state. Blu,
the coroner cut ne short:
1T is hardly proper, Mr.. Wilson, in
the face of the evidence, to inslnuate
either that Mr.. Driscoll committed suicide
Or that his nephew murdered him.
All the witnesses had been examined
but the gray-headed doctor who had
made the autopsy, and who took the stand
He was one Of your grave taciturn men
who kept their own counsel till the fitting
time comes to speak.
"Tell us, DOCTOR" continued the Cor.
oner, after few preliminary questions
"What, if any, wounds you discovered
on the person of the deceased2'
With minute precision the witness de.
scribed the bullet-wound IN the head
giving tho diameter and depth to = frac'
ton.
:'In your opinion, was that wound the
cause Of destha'
1T was not" was the answer, in tone
whose calmncss and composure were not
in the least ruffled by the murmur Of
establishment which greeted the words
"Pray EXPLAIN - requested the coroner,
with ill.concealed surprise.
''There was no signs" replied the Doc.
OF, preserving the same quiet manner
of either external or internal hemorrhage
which would have necessarily followed
the severance Of the blood-vessels by the
passage of the bullet, had the man then
been alive. When the shot was fired he
was already dead.'
ITO what, then, do you attribute Mr.
Driscol's death2''
ITO poison. A careful examination Of
the organs revealed the presence of 9
fatal quantity of prussic acid, which
| must have entered the stomach DURING
life, as was clearly shown by its inttamed
condition.
As suddenly as belief in volney Ken.
oils guilt had sprung into being, q new
suspicion flashed on the minds of all
1t is true, then, that Seth Driscoll, with
ruin staring him in the face, and hit
wards money to account for, had taken
his own life. And the shot-that must
have been fired by Jonas Wenlock, on
discovering his uncle's dead body, and
the evidence of suicide afforded. most
likely, by the Phial which had contained
the deadly draught. He had thus hoped
to secure the insurance money, which
would have been forfeited by death self.
inflicted. True, there was no direct evl.
dence of all this, but none the less did
every one believe it.
Everything seems cleared up but the
tracks and the pistol" said the coroner
when the doctor had concluded.
"And these it is my place to explain
MI. Kendall having declined to do So out
of de!lcacy to myself" interrupted Kate
Dunseth, Fastening forward from where
she and Volney had been holding an
earnest colloquy for the past five MIN.
utes.
My guardian had forbidden MI. Ken.
dali the house; and the latter sent me q
message requesting secret interview in
the garden. The message miscarried-
perhaps intercepted-and Volney-Mr
] Ion c. il