The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-21

- - = A11A ~ ~ aA1A - 49,
stairs a lit e while; later /
saw Mr.. B!ount in his ROOM;
he was at the door trying TO get out; per-
haps a half hour later, hearing a noise, l
went TO Blount's room and saw Blount
and Wood fighting; Woods back was to
the open door. Blount facing him, and
they were striking at each other; Wood
was struck once, or 20 II appeared in their
struggle blOunt ut least struck at Wood;
they cllnched and fell 10 the floor Just asI
got there; Wood took hold of b cunts
shoulders, | took hold of his feet and we
laid him on the bed; Marsh got
there about this time and there
was a lantern in the ROOM; Wood
held Blount by the throat, with
his left hand, and struck him with his
right hand once or twice in the neck and
also lower dOwn on his body. Wood asked
Biount if he would give up; b punt re-
piled, "No, sir; | will hit you in the nose"
Wood then got on Blount with his feet
and tramped him; cannot say how often
he stepped on him. L asked Wood TO let
BlOunt alone; to get off of him. NV
words were, Come, Woods. let the man
alone don't do that" l said il twice, or
words to that effect. Yes, il was me who
said. Let the man up or let him get his
wind" Wood did not a yanything. Blouni
raised a third of the way up, trying to get
up; l was at the foot of the bed Marsh
was at the door. Biount said. Don't kill
me-" Wood made no reply to my knowl.
edge. l was there when the doctor came.
was in there perhaps five minutes, saw
no marks on Wood. The sound of Woods
blows with his fist were very distinct, but
do not think lheard any from the tramp
ing. Attendant Tompkins came with Drs.
Wells and Druly and | then left for my
sl%eeping-rOOm. 1t was about $3.50 o'clock.
Did not see Blount again until Friday,
when carried his meals to him. He was
in a rocking chair in the day room. Did
not see him out of the chair that day,
Saturday he was in bed, very weak, ap-
parently in a sinking condition.
RICHMOND, Jan. l7.!Special. THE
first witness called this morning was DIR.
William b. Fletcher of Indianapolis. He
testified:
Il held a post norton on the body OF
T. j. Blount. at Blountville, Nov. ,. DR..
BOwles and DR.. lackey ct al. were
present. recognized the face OF the de-
ceased as that of my former patient, Mr..
Blount. The face and chest were covered
with white mold. The hair was falling
some. The breast-bon had been raised
some and stitched down lat the former
autopsy. | cut the flesh back from
the ribs, to expose them on h out
side. Examined the bones at the neck
and found them not injured. as with
the first rib on the left side. The
second rib had one fracture, the third
fourth and fifth ribs two fractures
each, and the sixth and seventh ribs one
fracture each. These were ali on the left
side. On the right side the sixth and sew.
enth ribs were broken. The left cavity
was filled with a black, bloody fluid, about
a quart. 1t was lot clotted blood, nor vet
like water, but more the consistency OF
milk. The skin, muscles and fatty matter
were black on the left side. beaten to-
gether in a discolored state. On the right
side they were OF a natural color. The
right lung adhered to the ribs by recent
adherence; it was not from old disease.
The inner wall OF the lett cavity compared
with the dark, outer surface referred TO.
The left lung was lying fiat, not standing
up in the cavity; looked like the liver of
a three-months-Old calf, weighed two and
a half pounds and sunk at once when put
in water. The other organs were natural.
l would say the fracture In the
skull was not more recent than two years.
but it could not be told by its APP
pearance how many years more than that
the fracture was made. A recent fracture
shows a reddish appearance where the
ends of the bones have reunited, while the
junction of an old fracture looks about the
same as the other parts of the bone. 1t is
not possible for a bone fractured after
death TO be reunited, the plastic material
being formed by the blood. The plastic
material was apparent in all these tract
ures at the end O: the bone The remains
( were in a condition to afford satisfactory
| results from the post mortem so that one
could ascertain the cause OF death. There
is great difference in the preservation OF
persons after death or burial. The adhe-
sion OF the right lung was before death, as
there must be an irritation to cause IT, and
the blood does not flow after death to form
the gummy substance with Which the
| adhesion is made. The dark color of the
Lett cavity indicated great congestion. A
! violent blow might cause it. The left
lung weighed about swice the normal hett.
The injuries described would probably
cause death; those found would certainly
cause death within ten days. If Mr.
Blount was in the condition described, was
living as described, struck and kicked as
described, sustained the injuries described,
evincing the subsequent symptoms de-
| scribed, died as stated, etc, my opinion
would be that he died OF injuries of the
lungs, through the ribs and 10 the ribs"
CrOss-examination-"I would think that
he died of injuries inflicted by James A
Wood, i. the facts are as stated. There
was no breaking of the exterior walls OF
the chest. There was very little varia-
ton of the fractures on the left
side. | do not know why the surgeon
, who conducted the former post mortem
could mo- have discovered the same trans
verse fractures / did, as far as he went.
| continued the same incisiOn, exposing
the ribs further; to examine for broken
ribs one should examine every part of
every rib. / stripped the entire chest and
ribs. etc. The fractured ribs OF the right
side were not entirely severed; the dis
! celebration generally follows in proportion
| to the extent OF such fracture, but not al
WAYS. / have noted complete fractures
without any d~iscoloration. | can give no
/ reason why there was such discoloration
/ on the left side and none on the right"
On redirect examination the doctor said
that whatever caused those fractures they
were the cause of death. Had they been
made on Thursday night and the patient
died about IL O'Clock Monday night they
would have produced the condition found.
Immediately after dinner the ribs OF the
dead man were brought into court and
were identified by DIR. Fletcher as these of
Mr.. Blount. He also explained TO tho
Jury the fractures. Following DR.. Fletcher
cama Dir Rowlee of Muncie. who conduct