The San Francisco call., 1897-08-25
EXPERIMEuTED
ON A CORPSE
Experts Contradict the Tale
Of the Autopsy
Physician.
Think It Possible That Hoff-
man Fired the Fatal
Shot,
However, the Doctors Are Subjected
to a Close Gross Examination by
Attorney Aoh.

The entire morning session in tie hear
ing of the FigeI case was taken up with
the very severe cross-exsmina,ion of DIR.
Bunnell of the Receiving Hospital.
The witness stated that he had made a
close examination OF Mr.. Hoffman's s
wounds both before and afer death. He
had found the mouth OF The patient open
and thought at the time that both bullets
had lodged in the brain.
On being questioned he said that he had
made some experiments about ten days
ago on n cadaver at the University Of
California Medical College. He fred a
shot into the lett cheek from distance of
one and a half inches. This left powder
smudge, but did not SINCE the stubby
beard of the corpse. The wound was
round and less jagged than that in the
cheek of Hoffman. There were grains of
powder embedded in the cheek.
A shot in the right cheek from dis
tance of half an inch had virtually the
S anne effect as the first shot. The doctor
ad made no experiments with shots at
other distances, so could not testify as to
their effects.
He thought the effect of the wound in
Hoffman's head would be to knock him
down. The sphenoid bone was fractured
but there had been cases of patients get
ting up and walking after an injury of
that kind.
DR.. Bunnell said he had made the ex-
periments at the request of the defense
and that he expected to be paid for his
services a. an expert witness.
He said he thought Hoffman's death
was a case OF suicide and had so expressed
his opinion. He had told this to the at
taches of the hospital, DR.. Williams and
to Figel. He had visited the defendant
while he was in prison.
Judge Campbell asked: "Were you to
receive more or less pay according to the
outcome of the casa?"
General Barnes said he took the insinu-
alton implied in the question as direct
insult to himself. Judge Campbell ex-
planned that he had not intended to cast
any reflections at all, and he had merely
desired to ascertain what the witness was
to be paid.
In the examination of DR.. Bunnell by
Mr.. Ach there was considerable iencing
between the attorney and the witness.
Mr.. Ach concluded his cross-examination
by saying:
doctor, You are pretty positive wit
ness on the stand. Have you ever read an
essay on the value OF paid experts testi-
mony, especially that OF young physi.
cian?" The doctor replied that he had
not.
DR.. X. u. Williams teSlned tnab ne nao
considerable experience in gunshot
wounds. He had been police surgeon ior
two years, had served as autopsy physi-
clan and had been connected with the
City and County Hospital. He testified
that be had assisted DR.. Bunnell in per-
forming the experiments on the cadaver,
and coTro borated Bunnelrs testimony as
to the effect of the shots.
DR.. Williams further testified that he
thought it possible for Hoffman to have
inflicted the wounds. There was nothing
in the nature OF either to prevent the
possibility OF lf-infliction.
He said that the wounds of suicides are
generally in the temple. He had never
known of right-handed man shooting
himself in the Left cheek Or left side of the
head.
He thought the destruction or fracture
of the sphenoid bone would result eventu-
ally iii death. That bone articulates with
all other bones of the skull and binds
them together. a shot like that in the
cheek of Mr.. Hoffman would produce a
severe shock and might cause the one re-
ceiying it to fail.