Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-08


incessant contact with the counter
leaves across the front of his trousers
an unmistakable line of wear, at a
level varying according to the height
of the individual. This line was not
present in the case of the man in the
cab. On the other hand. his waistcoat
is frayed at the level of the fourth but
ton from the top. Therefore / main
tain that he was in the habit of work
ing at desk. Now the trousers, al
though not new, are not baggy at the
knees, though free from the seams
which would suggest the effect of press
Ing or of trouser stretcher. Conclu-
sion. the desk is high one; for the
man stood at his work. Most men who
work standing at high desks are book
keepers of one kind or another. There
fore, as said before, this man was
probably bookkeeper. Now, as to his
salary; | do Tot pretend to know the
exact amount of it, of course. But
when man, who was evidently not a
dude, has his clothes made to order,
of imported material, and when his
linen, his hat and his shoes are of good
quality, it is fair to infer that the mans
income was comfortable.
Il proceed with the arrangement of
my data:
Secondly: the man in the cab died
OF wound caused by bullet fred t
very close quarters. Indeed, the weap-
on must have been held either against
the victims body, or, at any rate, very
near to it; for the coat is badly burned
by the powder"
"on these points at least" assented
DIR. Ihurston, II can agree with you.
The bullet probably penetrated the
upper lobe of the left lung"
YES" added Sturgis, "and it passed
out at the back, far below where it
went in"
What makes you think it passed
out? The wound in the back NAV
have been caused by another bullet
fred from the rear"
"That hypothesis might be tenable
were it not for this"
With these words the reporter pulled
out his watch, opened the case, and
with the blade of a penknife took from
the surface of the crystal minute OBJ.
Ject, which he handed to the physician
"Look at it," said he, pushing over
a magnifying glass.
DR.. Thurston examined the object
carefully.
ga splinter of BONE" he said, at last.
eyes. I found it on the surface of
the wound in the back How did it get
there?"
You are right" admitted the physi-
clan; sit must have come from. with
| in, Clipped from rib and carried out
by the bullet which entered from the
'front.'
Il think there can be; no doubt as to
that. Now, the bullet does not seem
| to have been detected in its course by
its contact with the rib, for, as fer as
have been able to judge by probing
the two wounds with my pencil, their
direction is the same. This is impor-
tant and brings me to point three,
which is illustrated by these diagrams
drawn to scale from the measurements
I took this afternoon"
AS he said these words, the reporter
| handed to his friend sheet of paper
| upon which he had drawn some ge.
| ometrical figures.
"The first of these diagrams. shows
the angle which the course of the bull.
let made with horizontal plane; the
second represents the inclination from
| right to left. The former of these an.
| giles is nearly and the latter not far
| from fortyfive degrees. The inclina.
ton from right to left shows that the
| shot was fired from the right side OF
| the dead man. Now then, one of two
things: Either it was fired by the man
himself, the weapon being held in his
right hand; or else it was fred by an
assassin who stood close to the vic
TINS right side. The first of these by
| potheses, considered by itself, is adj
missible; but it involves the assump
ton of an extremely awkward and I'M
usual position of the suicides hand
| while firing On the other hand, the
| dead man is tall-six feet one inch
and to fire down, at an angle of sixty
degrees, upon a man of his height, his
assailant would have to be colossus
or else to stand upon chair or in some
equally elevated position, unless the
victim happened to be seated when the
shot was fired"
Happened to be seated" exclaimed
Thurston, astounded, "why, of course
| he was seated, since he was in the
cab"
THAT brings up point four, which
is not the least puzzling of this in
teresting case" said Sturgis, impress
lively; "the shooting was not done il
the cab"
| "Not done in the cab!"
"No; otherwise the bullet would'have
remained in the cushions; and it was
not there"
ut might have fallen out into the
street at the time of the collision" sug'
gested Thurston.
mo; l searched every inch of space
in which it might have fallen. If il
had been there l should have found
it, for the spot was brilliantly Lighted
by an electric light, as you remem
her -