Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-19


DR.. Bliss said he saw the President at the depot
lying on his side, with his clothing removed, so
to show the wound about or inches from the
spine; the President was very pale, pulse and re-
spration feeble, and he was Frustrated; the Presi
then removed to the the Wits House: - he remained
there until September 6tks witness was in con-
him to Long Branch, remaiHing with him till his
death. The immediate cNase OF his death was
| hemorrhage into the cavity OF the abdomen; wit
The witness then gave a detared DESCRIPTION Of
the course taken by the BAN
model, showing the ribs and backbone of a
human body, was given the doctor, and he eX-
planned at length the courss taken by the ball.
The district attorney suggested that he should
msea a terms as as 81 USING & as
said Mr.. COrkhill, "underStand them better than
do, they will not get very clear idea of it"
THE WOUND THE IMMEDIArE CAUSE OF DEATH.
DR.. Bliss thereupon endeavored to translate the
story into ordinary English. The wound made by the
ball, he said, was the immediate cause Of death.
While waiting for the vertebre OF the dead Presi-
dent to be brought in, DR.. Bliss was cross-exam-
1ned by Mr.. Robinson, who Had the doctor describe
| at length the symptoms noticed in the Presidents
| case and the treatment.
On the morning of the Sd OF July, the President
appeared more refreshed and cheerful; there were
simple dressings applied to the wound; efforts
were made to induce retention of nourishment.
| On the 4th there was very little change; on that
| morning DrS. Agnew and Hamilton arrived:
consultation was held, in which all the physicians
that were in subsequent attendance were present;
| there was no change in the treatment
Mr.. Robinson asked what had occurred On the
| 5th
| Bliss.
Mr.. Robinson said he would give opportunity for
the production Of these.
Mr.. Corkhin said that Dr. Woodward had COM
plete record of the case and he would be called as
a witness
| Dr. Bliss, continuing said these notes were in
| DR.. WoOdward'S possession; there were number
| of physicians who came In voluntarily at the
| depot, and afterwards came to the bedside; there
| were examinations made of the President, reading
or records and other usual proceedings before the
| arrival or Drs. Agnew and Hamilton: one of the
! physicians expressed the opinion that the liver
was lacerated and that the President was dying of
internal Int hemorrhage; the last general consuta-
| t10n among these physicians was on the morning
OF the third; when Drs. Agnew and Hamilton ar
| rived they were given a careful history of the
| case; and they made personal examination of the
| President; Drs. TOwnShend and PurvS were at the
told witness he had examined the President, but
| the wound had not been prObed.
| THE STORY OF THE WOUND.
| At this point the portion OF the backbone OF the
| President, as it was found at the autopsy was
| handed to the witness, and also diagram show
| Ing section OF the human anatomy. The doctor
went over the story of the wound again, tracing
| the ball from its entrance to the point where it
was encysted. The doctor was here surrounded
with bones, and looked like professor giving a
lecture On anatomy. He talked slowly and dis
| tinctly, twirling his eye-g glasses on his thumb
At the request of the district attorney he descended
from the witness box, and going over to the jury,
walked up R and down explaining the different
points. The district attorney, taking the ghastly
relic Of the President in his hand, aided in the
operation Of mpressng the jury with clear
| notion OF the nature OF the wound The doctor
said that the fractured vertebre as it was formed
| at the autopsy, had commenced to rot.
| Mr.. Robinson then proceeded with his cross-ex-
animation, questioning the doctor closely in refer
|
axis when it struck the eleventh rib and Vas Was de-. S
cient to fracture the twelfth rib and was then
turned to the left. The first operation performed
OF the body. A simple incision into it evacuated
the pus; the cavity was outside of the rib, down.
ward and backward near the spine; neither OF the
incisions were cut into the track OF the ball; the
ball did not cut the spinal cord; two small frag
| ments Of the fractured bone were found during
was division of an artery which had formed an
aneur1sm; the sac thus formed had ruptured and
| the blood had passed into the abdomen, beyond
ball had encysted. The bali emerged from the
spinal column above the panereas and was found
spinal column and behind the pancreas
THE BALL FOUND IN IHB BASIN.
'sWas not tue ball found in the basin?n asked
Mr.. Robinson.
"Yes, sir. When the soft parts were taken out,
the ball was found"
was 1njured?"
''No, sir, we did not know"
After other questions Mr.. Robinson asked:
''Was not the track OF the ball LETT in the
corpse?"
:.i,, q think not"
Il think not"
elf the break in the artery and the ball were
discovered in the basin," asked Mr.. Robinson,
"what showed that the artery had been divided ?''
-, The parts" said the DOCTOR .are recognizable
by anatOm1sts Again, the condition OF the artery
was such as to indicate that the division of the
artery had occurred long time prior to the autopsy
A CHASTITY sPECTAcLE-THE ASSASSIN HANDLING THE
DEAD PRESIDENTS BONES.
At this point Of the examination the section of
| the Presidents backbone was placed in Mr.. Sco-
ville's hands, and taken from him by Guiteau
The prisoner examined it very critically and then
whispering to Mr.. Scoville pointed out with his
finger, showing the place where the rib had been
fractured.
DIR. Bliss, to further questions from Mr. Robin
son, said, with the exception OF the artery, the
| rest OF the wound was doing as well as could be
expected.
Mr. Robinson said he wanted to learn as well as
the doctor could give it the entire record OF each
Mr. Corkhin called for Dr. Woodward for the
| purpose Of getting the data which DR.. Bliss
needed to refresh his memory
Dr. woodward was not In the court, land the crier
| said that DR.. woodward had made arrangements
to t be tslephoned ,hoI ,,5 for w when necessary
| lCn WnOln 0lu ne make the arrangemenGS?'
| asked the district attorney.
"W1th the marshal, y" was the reply.
"He i had d, no 10. right to make any such arrange
| Mr.. Robinson went on with his examination.
The witness said that DIR. Wales said the witness
| had passed his finger into the wound on the night
OF the I'd, and expressed his opinion that the ball
| had passed through the liver several physicians
| concluded then that the President was dying of
internal hemorrhages; that view was generally
] adopted by the physicians; Drs. Wales, Ford,
Lincoln, Woodward, Reybnrn, Barnes, and some
| others whose names the witness could not recall,
were engaged In these
| EARLY CONSULTATIONS.
The witness described, as well as he could what
had been said at these consultations during the
first two days, at which it was concluded that they
should aim to protect the patient from pain; keen
him quiet as possible, and endeavor to check narl-
sea- and produce reaction On the morning OF the Sd
his general condition was considered favorable;
| the physicians then had conscientious every hall
hour; he repeated that it was the opinion OF the
majority OF the physicians that the ball had
passed through the liver; when Drs. Agnew and
Hamilton arrived, they made their personal ex-
animation and concluded that at that time,
as the evidence OF injury did h0t manifest ITSELF ii
was possible the ball had net passed through it:
the physicians at that time besan to recede from