Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-07-13
from where Hamilton and Sisley lived

Got on the ground about half past one,
but officers from Platteville had arrived
before. Was by when body was exam
ined by jurors. Saw the shots when the
corsets were unfastened but not before.
Witness described position of body as it
lay when found. Thought left arm lay
on the grass its whole length from the
shoulder to the hand. Thought dress
was drawn up above shoes on left side
from six to eight inches and on right
side from eight to twelve inches. No
ticed a strip of something ON the neck,
might have been collar and might
have been tie. Did not notice any
ashes from the clothing on the body or
around it. Did not notice any traces of
burning on the grass. Had talk with
Hamilton short time after got there
He said it was his revolver that was
found. Said Sisley had borrowed il to
take part in the charivari. Sisley had
put the revolver under the bed when he
went up stairs. When he got up in the
morning he went to look for his horses,
and / think he stated that he knew moth
ing about it until he heard Lew call He
said Lew said he thought he had kind
of recollection of Ler getting up in the
morning and that he went to sleep
again. think that was all the CONVEX
sation on the fourteenth. The remain
der was at Washburn, when he came
over the next Saturday to see the doctor
about Mrs. Stout. Told about man
who had been seen answering descrip-
ton of Ribbey. Said Ribbey might
have come in and chloroformed them.
He said he felt very singular that morn
ing. Said he had been up great deal
before, but he had never felt so. |
merely made the remark that Ribbev or
any one else wouldn't have gone to the
trouble of dressing her, and then said it
looked impossible for her to have laid
on that ground and have shot herself.
and also impossible for her to have stood
up and shot and then fallen in such a
position. He said il did to him, and if
he should be put on the stand to testify
he would have To testify that in his opin-
ion she was carried there after she was
murdered He said it looked unrea-
sonable that she should have stood up
and done it or laid down and done it.
In the evening about six clock witness
was out near where body was found and
asked Dir. Robertson if the left shot had
been proven fatal shot. The doctor
and also Gasser, who was standing by,
spoke up at once and said that was the
fatal shot. | said that must have been
the last shot if she had fired it herself,
and the doctor said yes, it must have
been. Afterwards he said in conversa-
ton which witness detailed that when
that shot was fired death came as quick
as a flash of lightning Doctor also said
that if she shot herself she had more
nerve than any woman he had ever
heard of and that she must have under
stood the anatomy of the human body.
He thought she could not have fired all
the shots.
Cross examination. Bullet holes
were hardly large enough to notice when
witness saw them-were just mere
speck; did not look bigger than the end
of pen-holder Acquainted with Ham
ilton some time. Heard about the Rib
hey matter at the examination. Came
from Mr.. Bickford in relation to some
letters. Conversation with Hamilton
was afterwards.
DIR. BARBER.
was then called. Was physician who
performed second autopsy on body of
Mrs. Sisley. Witness then gave deS-
cription of wounds and course, with
names ofpersons present at the autopsy
Illustrated with revolver position in
which it must have been held to have
produced the wounds.
Upon opening of court Friday morn
ing.
SHERIFF LANE.
was called and testified that having been
down in vicinity of tragedy he had made
some measurements in regard to dis
tarce of trees from where body laid. At
about a foot from the ground the stump
which witnesses had testified was at
head of body was six feet from nearest
tree. Had been cut nearly down about
three feet from the ground and pushed
over. Did not think tree was over
three inches in diameter where it was
cut, might have been little over.
discrimination not notice
any brush northeast of stump. May
have been some there but We're not there
now Did not notice any hawthorn
| bush about a foot northeast of stump
and did not think there was any brush
in that direction.
DIR. BARBER RECALLED.
The Dr. continued his statement of facts
shown by autopsy, and what examina-
tions were made After other examina-
| tons had been made examined uterus
and found it to be virgin uterus, one
never impregnated. Did not examine
the vagina Did not remember of find
ing any red lines between burned or un-
burned portions of body. There was
nothing in the appearance of burns to
distinguish whether they had been made
either Immediately before or after death
Between burned and unburned portion,
if burned before death, would be deep
red line Found blood settled on one
side of the head Can ascrbe it to only
one of two causes, violence, or that the
body had laid some time on its side.
Violence might have been at time Of
death. Could not state how long it had
laid in that position but thought pro-
| badly an hour or more. | should not
expect great settling of blood before
an hour, that is my opinion. This set
Ting might happen at any time before
the body got perfectly cold. Blood had
collected SO as to cover temporal mus
cles. Pretty well on side of head.
4 Rigo morris set in, as stated by authori-
ties, in five to eight hours, in cases OF
violence it takes longer. Should say
that body would have to lay longer than
two hours for rigo morris to set in even
when lying on the ground, and might
have been six or eight hours and should
not expect it in shorter time than laid
down by the rule which is four hours.
In answer to question which would have
been the fatal shot, witness read from
notes answer beginning with shot No
as follows: In my opinion shot No. 4
would have caused a.good deal of shock,
would not necessarily have knocked her
down, would not necessarily have pre-
vented her firing again, would not pro-
badly have been Immediately fatal,
might possibly have caused death.
Shot No. l. supposing that to have been
the ball that passed through the tboracic
cavity, would have produced great
shock, would have probably knocked
her down, would probably have disturb
ed her nervous system so as To prevent
/ HElDB again, NOT necessarily causing III
slant death or loss Of consciousness
from the shock; would in all likelihood
have led to subsequent inflammation
pluresy, pneumonia or other compiled.
tons that would have terminated fatally
Shot No. 3, supposing it to have been
the ball penetrating the lung and not
the heart, would have produced exces-
siye shock, great trouble with breathing
hemorrhage splitting of blood, syncope