Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-03-08

and wl,hered. The child had piece Of
blue CT 9th about the neck. twisted into
cord, and one end was sticking
out about three inches, and in start
ing to pull it of the doctor
found the other end twisted around the
cord ,0ne turn. The cord was tightly
dr., bout the chid's neck, til at it held
firmly, and was united with some dill
the cord and found another knot about
the same kind as the first Witness
found two distinct burrows around the
neck caused by the pressure OF the cord,
distinct ridge being between the fur
rows. AT one point the epidermis was
scraped of by the pressure of the cord.
The neck was pressed to a circumference
of six inches; the compression was cons
siderable for child this size-weight
about eight pounds-being sufficient to
stop respiration; the tongue protruded
| from the mouth like that of man after
hanging; the tongue VAS swollen and was
of dark brown color. Blood was deN
tected on the groin after the body had
thrawed ont to such state as to permit
of post norton. Opening the chest, the
doctor found the chest cavity expanded;
the diaphragm was lowered and the
lungs occupied the chest; that is, there
was no vacant space in the chest. This
indicated that the child had breathed,
for had it not, the lungs would have been
in the back part of the chest and there
would be vacant space, the lungs not
being large enough to occupy the whole |
space. The doctor removed the contents |
of the chest-lungs, heart etc.-and |
placed them together in crock
of water. and the bouyancy of the
lungs was sufficient to cause the
entire mass to float. the lungs having
been filed with air by the breathing of
the child, became lighter than water and
fioated. Had the child not breathed the
lungs would not have contained air and
would have sank to the bottom of the
crock instead of rising in the water. The
lungs toated when taken separately. and
cutting the left lung into pieces each
piece was found to float The appearance
Of the lungs was healthy and well pres
served. The heart showed the child had
not lived more than a few day. at the
most, and opening the stomach it was
ound to contain no food or milk. The
,hild could not have bled to death from :,
he cutting of the umbilical cord, From
appearances the doctor said the child d
would seem to have been born alive and 6
afterwards the cord tied about the neck =
With the intention of choking it, the
PRESSURE of the cord being sufficient to
'roduce death by strangulation.
Chris Rasmussen stated that his age was
hirty one; was a driver on the Moline
nd Rock Island horse railway; had
nown Augusta Rosenberg nearly two :
ears; was his wife, having been married u
D him at Cambridge, Henry county,
Witness here produced a marriage certii> e'
htc VIC VI
:. Rasmussen and Miss Augusta Rosen- D
erg, at Cambridge, Ill, Oct %. 18s7.by
B. Randall police magistrate. Wits
ess denied, however, that he and his
life had ever kept house, and did not
now that his wife had been confined al d Ia
a child had been born to her it was
ithout his knowledge. The marriage a,
AS kept a secret at his wife's request,
lough he did not know for what reason. -,
Then asked by Coroner Halves if witness
as not the cause of his wife being enci- N
lte and that it was in consequence of
icit intimacy that they were married, he III
lswered in the negative. The witness
ave his testimony freely and voluntarily at
nd without compulsion.
The jury then took the case under cons h
deration, and returned verdict that the
ldy was that of an unknown child az
hich had come to its death by strangu.
ton, at the hands of person unknown ar
the jury. Coroner Halves then ordered
re girl released from Jail Nh