The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-10-27

wounds.
.sAs you say, so it seems, % said DR..
Snow phlegmatically, 'sbnt before we
make d positive assertion let Us examine
farther. - With these words he took up
his probe. Passing it into one wound,
| he worked in silence for some time,
! Burrows endeavoring to command his
impatience. Finally he removed the in
strument and inserted it into the second
opening. With little manipulation it
passed specifically through the flesh
and then emerged again about six inches
from the entrance and toward the back.
At length the doctor spoke:
"I think, " said he, 3that you are cor
rect in your surmise and that two bull
lets have entered here. One can feel
with my probe; the other passed out, as
you see this second track indicates
Both wounds are close together. -
.sWill you extract the bullet?" asked
Burrows.
..Of course. It Will give US needed
clew as to the bore Of the weapon used. -
Thereupon he continued, determined to
complete the task before him. While he
was thus busily engaged Burrows stood
( looking from the window and was deep
I in thought over this last point in the
evidence.
In the talk between him and Mr..
Barnes both had thought that but one
bullet had found its mark in the dead
body. Now it was incontestably proved
that there were two wounds. How to
explain that in connection with what
they had already discovered was the
problem, and his astute mind quickly
evolved a theory to fit the case. 1t will
be remembered thas the pistols found
on the lawn had each enc empty shell,
and as but one shell had been picked up
in Virginia's room he concluded that
that weapon also had been fred only
once. The tracks in the snow seemed to
indicate that Virginia had met Harry
Lucas (whose name was on one Of the
pistols) and then left him togo to the
woods. Suppose, then, that Lucas had
fred his weapon at Lewis, and that the
ball had struck at the point where it
made but flesh wound, and then had
passed out? From this point Burrows
reasoned as follows: Lewis, finding
himself wounded, had taken the pre-
caution to write the name Of his sup
posed assailant on the paper which Mr..
Barnes thought that Virginia had taken
from the table. He had then retired to
his bed, as was evident from his being
in his nightdress. Then the man whom
Virginia had met across the river, and
who had unquestionably visited the
house afterward, as was easily shown by
his tracks, had entered and fred the
shot which proved fatal. |" AS he reach
ed this point in the case which he was
constructing to ft the facts he started
with new idea. ~As Virginia had
been cleaning a pistol, suppose that it
was her own weapon, and that it was
ahe WHO, having planned the deed with
Lucas, had finished it when she return
ed home and found her uncle still alive?
This seems more probable, because Lew
is might have left his own room to tell
her of his wound, when she came in,
whereas the man would have sought
him in his bedroom and have killed him
there. Two points occurred to him in
connection with his theory, and he ap-
preached the table where the doctor was
at work and asked:
1sCaa you tell from what distance
these shots were fred:"
ssI have just been looking into that
point. OF one thing ! am convinced, and
that is that one was fired at very close
range, for the cloth of the gown is
blackened with powder
(Which wound was that?"
..That is the curious part of it. There
is but one hole In the gown and there
are two wounds. cannot be sure which
bullet passed through the garment, be-
cause the wounds are SO close together. :"
This satisfied Burrows, and he came
to his second point If he could find the
suit Of clothes which the murdered man
had or when the first shot struck him,
and if he found bullet hole in the gar
ments, it would bear out his theory that
Lewis had received one bullet from
without, and ther had undressed, the
second and fatal shot coming after.
Burrows was nov anxious to search
for the suit Of clothes necessary to his
theory Of the crime, but was obliged to
wait until Dr. Snow had concluded his
investigation. This occupied some time,
for he very carefully made notes Of all
the results. However, at last the doctor
signifsd his readiness to dismiss the
case for the day. The two men left the
room together, DR.. Snow carefully lock-
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