The San Francisco call., 1897-08-26
A HUMAN ARM
FOR 4 TARGET
DR.. Shiels Tells of His Ex-
periments With a
Pistol.
Found That the Hair Was Not
Burned When the Weapon
Was Held Close.
he Agrees With Other Doctors for
the Defense That Suicide
Was Possible.


Williams was continued yes terday morn
ing in the Fige case. He testified that
the muscles of the body do not relax en-
,irely when Inconsistencies is produced
by gunshot wound.
He thought the wound in Hoffman's
cheek would have the effect OF producing
Inconsistencies, and TO int1ict the wound
in the temple after having inflicted the
one in the cheek the party must have
been conscious. In the opinion of wit.
ness, if Hoffman had inflicted the wound
in the cheek first he must have fired the
shot causing the wound in the temple i'm
mediately afterward.
Mr.. Ach asked the doctor in whose tes-
timony as to the wounds he would place
the most reliance-that OF the autopsy
physician, who had made a careful ex-
animation, or that of the physician of the
Receiving Hospital, who had made an ex-
animation lasting only ten minutes. This
was objected to, and Judge Campbell
ruled that it was the province OF the court
10 decide Us to the credibility of wit
nesses.
On being asked the witness said that in
testifying that he thought hoffman could
have inflicted the wounds on himself he
had not taken into consideration the
amount of blood lost nor the fact that the
deceased was a righ-handed man. He
thought that after being knocked down
by the shock from the wounds Mr.. Hoff-
man might have got up and walked from
one room 10 the O, her.
On redirect examination he stated that
an artery severed by a bullet does not
bleed so freely as when cut with a knife.
Mr. Ach remarked that from the amount
of blood found in the offices where Hoff-
man was shot he thought there must have
been rather profuse bleeding.
General Barnes replied that very little
blood went long way, and gave as an ex-
ample slight scratches in a prize-tight
causing proiuse bleeding without in any
wav weakening the man losing the blood.
DR.. George f. Shlels testified that he
was an associate professor OF surgery in
the medical department of the University
OF California. He had considerable ex.
perience in the use of firearms and had
made experiments to ascertain the effect
of firing revolver from different distances
at human body.
Asked to tell of these experiments be
said:
Il fred nine or ten shots into an
amputed human arm which had consider
able hair on il. When the revolver was
held half an inch from the arm there was
a smudge but n tattoo. At an inch there
q
singeing OF the hair At eight inches there
was a tattoo, but further than that there
was no smudge. There was no tattoo
ing at fourteen inches. Inc wound be-
came less jagged and smaller the farther
the pistol was held"
The witness had known of a case where
the sphenoid bone had been fractured, the
roof of the mouth torn away and the
brain injured, yet the patient had walked
and was conscious. He thought person
might lose as much as two quarts of blood
without becoming unconscious.
General Barnes asked DR.. Shiels the
same questions he has asked all the ex-
pert witnesses as 10 the distance the re-
yolver was held from Hoffman's head.
Judge Campbell again sustained the OBJ
ieciions to the questions.
DR.. Shiels said be thought 1t possible
that Hoffman's wounds were self-inhicted.
He also testified that suicides most ire-
quently shot themselves in the mouth,
and the wounds of homicideS are gener-
ally in the body.
In the cross-examination MIR. Ach asked
if the bullet found in Hoffman's stomach
could have faG.en there by force OF gravity
DR.. Shiels answered that it could not. but
on being closely questioned stated that
the patient might have involuntarily
swallowed the bullet.
The witness said he knew FIgel-had
met him on the night of Jnne l on the
boat as he wa going home.
Mr. Ach asked If IT wasn't a fact that
paid medical experts were inclined to show
bias for the side which employed them.
DR.. Shiels replied tnat it was unfortu-
nateiy true in some cases; but that if
counsel insinuated that an hOnora bic ply
sician would do such a thing he would
take it as gross insult.
DIR. Shiels further testified as to his ex-
periments on the arm that the hair had
been curled up little by the shots at close
range, but was not burned. The powder
smudges were easily washed off with a
sponge.
He said there was no fash perceptible
when the pistol was held close 10 the arm.
Mr.. Ach requested the doctor to try
further experiment with pistol held half
an inch distant from an object. The doc
tor Will testify to-day as to whether or not
he found that flash was perceptible.