Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-05-02
THE HEART INQUEST.
The RESULTS or The AUTOPSY
Expert Testimony on the Size OF the
Ball-t4ouseman Testitles 10 40
missions Made by SCobs.

cause of the death Of MIiham Heart,
held IN the Supervisors ROOM IN Court bloch.
yesterday Al tue forenoon session i've
witnesses were placed Oh the stand:
l.. b Stanton Vas nrst called and testified:
I | Was driving ia a carriage. my wife accom-
! panylng me. down Lyon strtet toward Canal
on Saturday evening last between and
! o'clock. When We reached the intersection
I of North Division street / saw man run
nin.: then heard pistol shot and Yer.
/ shortly after another shot just the sec
0nd shot was fired saw the man fall. The
man running started 10 cross the street al d
point on the south side of Lyon street
/ little west of the center of the Government
lot lie ran diagonally across the street "a
| the cOruer of Division street and fell just a.
l he reached the gutter. ! saw two men fol
/ lowing the party who fell, but, II being dark,
| could not distinguish who any of the parties
were. One OF the men ia pursuit ran north
on lonia street, the other north on DIVISION
/ First heard the firing when We were sbout on
/ Division street and stopped the horse al
wife's request az soon ~ j could 10 avoid
injury To ourselves. i am near-sightod and
could not see the men well enough 10 de
termine who any Of them We're; think heard
no words from any OF them.
Mrs Stanton testified in substance the
same ar her husband. She said the man
whom she first saw running fell just a. the
second shot was fred and when he had
reached the sidewalk, opposite the centre of
the Church of Christ, on the Lyon street
side. The officer following him was almost
near enough to reach him with his hand.
DIR. VIM Wood was next called. he said:
was present at the post mortem examln-
alton of Vim. Heart yesterday. | opened
| the cavity of the abdomen. By inspection
found the ball entered the body IN the back,
| about one-half inch To the left OF the spinal
column, and between the third and fourth
| lumbar vertebra, entering the abdominal
cavity. We found the ball III the fore part
4 of this cavity, about three inches 10 the left
! of the middle line of the body; found the
| small intestine perforated by the ball Ia two
| places and that the liquids of the alimentary
! canal had passed through these openings into
the cavity. Cases of this kind where the lntes
| tines are pierced are considered fatal, not
absolutely, but generally. To my best Judg
ment the deceased died of perltonitis, which
was caused from the effects of the gun shot
wound i attribute the death of MIR. Heart
purely TO the perforation of the intestine by
| the ball, and the entering of the fluids into
| the abdominal cavity. / was first called
| TO see Heart Saturday evening, about
| o'clock: was not there at the time of
his death. am not familiar with the size of
| bullets In reference TO calbre, but having
examined balls of different calibre since the
autopsy, would say the one we removed was
| a - -calibre ball.
DIR. Hake's testimony did not differ ma
| terially from that of DIR. Wood. He exhib-
tied human vertebra to the jury and de
| scribed somewhat more minutely the course
of the ball in entering the abdominal cavity.
He recognized the bullet handed him by
Coroner Bradsh as the one removed by DR..
| Wood and himself at the post mortem exam
ination; also identified a secret mark they
had made with a knife upon the ball i'm
medately after its removal. He SAID it was
his opinion death was caused from peritonitis,
as direct result of the bullet wound.
Major Ii. W. Calkins carefully examined
the ball taken from Hearts body and pro-
nounced it of 32-calibre, shot from a central
fire Smith d Wesson revolver. He then
/, exhibited bullets of various sizes and revol-
vers of different calibre, explaining the
difference between them; said Smith x
Wesson ball of 32-calibre weighs 50 grains,
the 3s- -calibre ball 145 grains.
The jury then adjourned until 2 O'Clock p.
m, when Maurice NJ. Houseman was placed
upon the stand He related Hearts coming
to his home, what he said and what was done
for his relief substantially the same as has
been heretofore published in The TELEGRAM,
and ADDED:
Heart was conscious up TO TIE time of his
| death. | saw Patrolman Herman ScOby last
| Monday. He asked me How Is the boyY'
l told him of Hearts condition. Scoby then
| said It's an awful bad thing and am sorry
for it. I've done ii and | never felt more
! sorry for any act of my life | asked him
how many shots were fired and he said two,
| one by Charley and one by myself. Charley
shot his ball into the air and | shot at the
ground! ] asked if he had warrant, and
he said NO: thought Charley had it,
asked him what was the calibre Of his revol-
yer. and he said: Mine was b and / am
quite sure Charley had a IS ! saw Scoby
at a subsequent time, when he expressed
deep sorrUw for what be had done He said
he did not know how 10 express the amount
| of sorrow be felt.
Mr.. Houseman then said he had several
talks with Heart about the affair, and he had
repeated his version of il TO him several
times. His report. as Houseman related it.
is not materially different from that of the
officers, before published. He Heart
said while escaping from the officer
he heard bullet vhiz by him.
and the second ball fred struck him
a. he struck the sidewalk opposite the Church
of Christ; was certain no officers called 10
him to halt Mr. Houseman testified further
that he found three bullet holes IN Hearts
coat. one of which he thinks vas caused by
the ball which entered the body, and the
other two 10y one bali which Heart heard
vhiz BY him. The deceased made an ante
mortem statement. which il in the hands Of
Prosecuting Attorney Turner.
The inquest sdiourned % meet 81 the
Supervisors room. at 10 O'Clock tins morn
ing.