The Portland daily press., 1895-10-30


dition of the body and probable causes Of
death. In this Holiness knowledge of
medicine helped him materially. He
brought out nothing to help his case.
The witness expressed the opinion that at
the time he saw the body Pietzel had
been dead about three days which is the
period the commonwealth alleges elapsed
between the day Pietzel was killed and
the day his body was found. Holmes had
DR.. Scott read notes taken at the time OF
the post mortem made and the prisoner
noted the description down.
Pietzel at one time wore beard, and
Holmes extracted from DIR. Scott an
acknowledgements that he expressed the
opinion the murdered man could not
have raised whiskers on his cheeks owing
to the sparse growth of hair there. In
answer to a question, DR.. Scott said that
there was about an ounce of chOlOroform
found In Pietzel's stomach No food WAS
found nor any alcohol, although there
were evidences that Pietzel had been in
temperate
Holmes asked DR.. Scott II at any time
he expressed the opinion that the body
found at 1916 Callowhill street, could not
have been Pietzels
Or. Scott replied he did not say this,
out that he had said it would have been
impossible for even a friend to have
recognized the body in the condition it
was.
The next witness called was DR.. VIM
K. Mattern, the physician to the coroner.
Holmes asked the court that DR..
Mattern's testimony be postponed until
tomorrow forenoon as he was an import
ant witness and he wanted plenty of time
to examine him.
Graham objected and styled Holmes re-
ques6 'by play. IL
DR. Mattern was called to the stand,
and after testifylng to the eK-
terror condition of the body, Dr. Mattern
said that zthe lungs We're greatly con-
gested, indicating that death had been
| sudden. Half an ounce or more of chloro-
form was found in the stomach. AS there
was 10 trace of irritation found in the
stomach, DR.. Mattern was of the opinion
| that the chloroform was injected into the
stomach after death. The cause of death
was given by DIR. Mattern, as chloroform
poisoning. He described the scene at the
exhumation of the body at the Potter's
field and the active part taken in the
Identification by Holmes Dr.. Mattern
had no lancet with him, but when it was
necessary to use one, Holmes produced
one from his pocket stripped the skin
from the leg of the dc ad man to show an
old wodnd
Homes then began to cross examine
DE-. Mattern.
The Doctor was asked the color of
Pietzel's mustaohe and hair and replied
that the former was reddish and the
latter dark brown. At the request Of
Holmes, the cour6 directed DR.. Mattern
to read notes he took of the description of
the body at the time he held the inquest.
AS DR.. Mattern read the notes Holmes
copied them. Holmes subjected the wit
ness to long technical examination up
on the condition of the stomach and brain
would be in after ehloroform poisoning
and i'm, o1onhnlio 1innprS D7
Mattern could not say from the condition
the body was in whether chloroform in
the stomach was injected hypOdermically
or forced down the throat.
Holmes asked DR.. Matten if he had not
| made a report to the coroner that death
was due to congestion of the lungs from
| the inhalation of poisonous or noxlous
gases and the physician replied that he
| had.
A moment later DR.. Mattern denied he
haa said this and Holmes appealed to the
notes of the court stenographer and these
sustained him Then DR.. Mattarn ex-
planned he thought Holmes asked the
| question in reference to other cases..
| Holmes questioned Dr. Mattern closely
as to how Pietzel was killed by ohloro-
| form poisoning if poison was injected in
! to the man s stomach after death.
just as the line of questioning began
to grow interesting, Holmes announced
he was growing confused with his own
questions and that for the present he
| and take it up again by calling DR..
| Mattern as witness for himself.
| He then began again to question DR..
| Mattern upon some seeming irrelevant
points and the court and district attorney
| told Holmes there must be some limit to
| his questions and the prisoner let the
| witness go.
TIoi wi nr off
| man, an expert in chemistry DR.. Left
man testified to the effect of chloroform
| upon the system and said that the adj
ministration of chlorfoIm produced in
voluntary and violent movements of the
body. nr Lehman gave the opinion
that man could administer chloroform
to himself and then compose himself in a
quiet attitude to await death.
Mr. Graham asked Scan you, as an ex-
pert tell me IL this chloroform was self
administered or administered after de ath.
Holmes objected to the question on the
ground that the position OF the body was
not properly explained to the witness.
Mr.. Graham again recited the position
and Dr. Lehman gave the opinion that
chloroform could not have been self-ad-
minstered under the conditions the body
was found in.
The witness being turned over to
Holmes for CROSS examination Holmes
abandoned his cross examination and
announced he would call DR.. Lehman as
d witness later.
Coroner Samuel II. Ashbridge was the
next witness. He read afedavits of Alice
Pietzel and Holmes when they identified
the body of Pietzel. In the affidavit
Holmes said that he last saw Pietzel
alive in November, 1898, and this con-
cluded the corners testimony.
Holmes asked the court if it would not
order two sessions day instead of three,
as he was afraid of breaking down under
the strain and becoming sick. He said
| that he was subject to sick headaches,
and had been suffering from one all day.
The court said the session would be held
tonight, and then Holiness request
would he considered.
At $50 the court adjourned until z
o'clock.
The court re-convened at seven. Before
any witness was called, Holmes stated to
the court that owing to the criticism
leyelled at his counsel for withdrawing,
he asked them to resume charge of the
case. In moment, Messrs. Shoemaker
and Rolan, the lawyers who withdrew
from the case yesterday came into court