Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-10-22
EXPERT TESTIMONY
Fridays Principal Witnesses in
White Murder Trial.
Pistol Must Have Been Held Three
Feet from Whites Head
Otherwise Hair AID Scalp Would Have Been
Burned More.


court came in at $50 for the trial of
Rose g. White for the murder of her
husband, last June.
Coroner E. M. Henderson was recall
ed by the government and testifie /
that the statement of the prisoner he
produced in court, yester Cay, was
written on the morning of June 18th
at the house of the Whites, as she
gave 1t; that it was read over to her
and she said it was correct; that be-
lo-e she made the statement she was
asked by Mr.. Heselton to state the
thing just as it happened, but if she
said anything to implicate herself it
might be used against her; that the
voluntary. He also testified that she
knew the witness was coroner and
that Mr.. Heselton was the county at
torney, and that they were there in
their official capacity; that she also
knew that the premises had been plac-
ed in the charge of John Gardiner by
Officer Ames, although she had not
then been arrested.
The written statement was objected
to by counsel for the defense, and also
oral testimony from the witness as to
what was said by the prisoner, on the
Iat Il 4
not entirely voluntary, and the OBJ
lection was sustained.
Ralph H. Hunt, called by the gov
ernment, testified that he was a ply
sician and surgeon, practicing at pres
ent at the Soldiers home as assistant
surgeon; that he was called to see
Everett White on the night of the
shooting and found him in low con-
dition with a wound in the left temple
about two inches above the ear, in the
hair, and also small opening in the
skull about inches upward and back
ward from the first wound. Formed
the opinion that the man was beyond
help. Was called later in the night
and found him dead. Assisted, the
next day, in making an autopsy.
Then found a bullet had gone into
the. skull and through a portion of the
brain and was stuck in the skull un-
| der the upper wound of the scalp, the
| latter scalp wound being a sort of
| slit, probably caused by piece of bone
| being driven through it. Powder
| grains were in the flesh of the upper
side of the face over an area that
could be covered by the hand, and
We're scattered; all of them could be
| counted. They were not wholly dis
| There was no burning of the hair OF
skin. No powder stains We're found
on the hands Witness had had exper-
inece in the matter of gunshot wounds
| From his experience in such matters
it was his opinion that the weapon
| which inflicted the wound on the de-
ceased was at a distance of between
5 and 4 feet, not inside of and prob
ably not over 4. If fired within 3 feet
the hair. in all probability, would bt
singed and the grains of powder woult
be much nearer together and in closer
proximity to the wound than in ths
present case, and about the woun;
would be marks of burning. and thu
hair in all probability would be scorch
1 ed. The closer the muzzle of the pis
tol to the skull the smaller the radiu
which would be filled by the powde
grains.
Waiter E. Eiwell testified that h
: had been the surgeon of the Soldiers
} home for the past four years and con
Quoted the autopsy of Everett White
He testified at length in regard to tn
| wound, substantially corroborating tn
last witness. He also said that