St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-05
after Her DEATH.
Brutal Blows DWelt Catherine
Cling When Life Was
Extinct.
BLIXT'S STORY UNSHAKEMll
Drs. Nippert and Hill Prove
Damaging Witnesses for
Hayward.
BLIxT's STORY UNSHAKEM!l-
DOCTORS DAY IN COURT.
Erwin's Attempt to Prove
BlXt a Liar Fails Ut
terly.

day. after an interruption OF two
DAYS. Juror Dyer, whose illness ne
cessitated an adjournment last Fri
Cay, was promptly on hand, appar-
entity as we'll as ever The prisoner
entered the court room ten minutes
late. owing to a lost handcuff key,
which the deputies tried to find and
amply to the bracelets before taking
Harvard into court. The incident
furnished Hayward some diversion,
for he laughed heartily at the di-
lemma in which he found himself.
His attorneys, however, did not see
the humor of the thing, and were
embarrassed by it. Mr.. Erwin ap-
pealed TO the court, but was told to
go on with the examination of the
witness.
The witness was Dr.. Nippert, whose
cross-examinatiOn was not cOnclud-
ed when court adjourned Friday
The doctor proved a very damaging
witness for the theory Of the de-
Tense that the blows on Miss Cling
head had been made before death.
His testimony all tended to the op-
pOSite conclusion. He made an eX-
ceIIent witness. Erwin asked him
thousands of questions in regard to
the post norton, and exhausted all
his adrOitness in an endeaVOr to
neutralize the doctors judgment,
namely, that the fractures of the
skull had been made subsequent to
death by the gunshOt wound. DR..
Nippert's testimony was clear and
explicit on that point, and he reiter-
ated his opinion as often as Mr..
Erwin put the question to him. 1t
was about this one point that Mr..
Erwin lowered all day. If it could be
established that the fractures were
made before death ensued from the
bullet wound, then the story Of
BliXt, as to the manner in which he
committed the murder, could be
branded as a lie. Unfortunately
for the defense, nothing that was
said by DR.. Nippert or his colleague,
DR.. Hill, could be construed to war
rant such a contamination. BliXts
story, so far as the fractures to the
skull are concerned, remains uncOn-
tradicted by proof.
The examination of DR.. Nippert
/ consumed several hours. He was in
terrOgated closely on every detail
Of his examination Of the fractures,
and the entire proceedings were of
the most technical nature, and but
little understood by the crowd.
The formidable array of questions
which followed each other rapidly
! in Mr.. Erwin's cross-examination of
! this witness were all directed to the
/ one point. And however trivial, pom
! derous or wordy the questions might
be, the desire to discredit the theory
that the blows were produced after
! death threaded them all.
The testimony of Dr. Nippert is
simply this: The passage Of the bull
! let through the brain was the cause
of instantaneous death. Mr.. Erwin
! tried to show that the fractures were
made before death because an effu-
sion of blood could not occur as soon
as the blood stopped circulating.
( Dr.. Nippert swore positively that an
effusiOn can occur as long as there
is blood in the veins of the parts
/ confused, hence an effusion can oc-
cur after death, but not, of course,
/ to the extent it could before
death. Mr. Erwin argued that
the three fractures and the lacera-
| ton of the lip and the break
ing of the nose could not have oc-
Cured by falling on one plane. In
this DR.. Nippert agreed with him.
Mr.. Erwin tried to show that con-
tire coup could not be produced in
a dead body, and that in a living
body it would break the bone on
the other side, opposite to the side
on which the force was applied. and
asked if the dense membrane that
covers the brain (durameter) would
not have to be Iacerated. DR.. Nip
pert replied that it would not be
necessary to lacerate the durameter.
In reply to Mr.. Erwin's request
for d reason why he thought the
fractures were produced after death.
the doctor replied:
The lateral fractures of the skull
were produced after death for the
| reason that there was no effusion of
| blood between the bone and the
membrane that covers the inner side
Of the skull. There was a little effu-
sion Of blood in the broken bone it
| n E
slight effusion of blood-not more
than could be accounted for by the
| rupture of the small blood vessels.
| which contained some fluid even
! after death"
Mr.. Erwin tried to weaken the doc
tors testimony by inquiring as to his
experience in cases similar to the
one under examination. The doctor
said that he had seen numerous
| cases OF fractures before death. and
a few which were made after death
made during a post mOrtem exam
NATION, and having exactly the same
appearance as the fractures under
consideration.
In this connection it may be stated
that DR.. Nippert. on his first has+v
examination of Miss Ging's wounds
turned to DR.. Hill, who was assist
ing him, and said, before thew
knew anything about the case:
These fractures We're made after
the bullet was fired"
The testimony of DR.. Hill. which
followed, was but a repetition of
that of DR.. Nippert. His examina-
ton was brief, but covered sub
stantially the same ground, and the
questions put to him elected the
same answers.
Mr.. Erwin asked DR.. Hill one cues
ton which he did not put to DR..
Nippert, and that was as to the eff
fusion of blood around the bullet
wound. DR.. Hill replied that it was
caused by the force of the explosion
of the powder pressing the tissues
against the bone, and thereby LAGER
ating the tissues between the scalp
and the bone.