The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-08-24
REALISM in MURDER TRIALS.
CHASTITY Experiments and How One
Cost q LAWYER His Life.

The realism injected into the recent
Allgaier murder trial by the intro
duction. as evidence, Of photographs
showing the scene of the tragedy and
the relative position of the principals
and witnesses was something out Of the
ordinary, even in murder trials. 1t IL
common to introduce such grewsome
reminders as blood-stained linen, and
bullet bored coats as evidence. but post
mortem photographs are indeed a nov.
city.
The Luetgert case in Chicago was es.
pecially prolific in unsightly remnant.
of bones, supposed to be and finally
accepted as human.
But in all the domain Of criminal
tensity Of realism was ever attained
than in case at Memphis. Tenn,
about ten years ago.
The body of Mrs. Mary Person wa.
found in the back garden of her sub.
urban home. There was q hole in the
temple, and pistol by her side, one
barrel discharged. Neighbors had heard
shot shortly after midnight. The
husband and children testified that Mrs
Person had retired early the night be.
fore and was not missed till daylight.
The surface facts indicated suicide and
the coroner so declared it.
An observant reporter noticed that
while the ground everywhere was mud.
dy. as was the gown Of the dead
body, the soles Of the feet were as
clean as though fresh from the bath.
He argued that the woman was killed
where 1t was found. On this informa-
ton the attorney general Of Shelby
county, George B. Peters. ordered .
post mortem. The order was served
just as the funeral cortege was leav-
ing the house the following day. In
the meantime the husband was ar.
rested.
The post norton developed that there
were two exterior wounds. one made by
a pistol ball. The other might have
been the point Of exit. But this. It was
commended by the prosecution. had been
produced by blow. which had frac.
tured the skull and produced death, the
pistol ball having been fired into the
skull after the body had been placed
in the garden, to give the appearance
of suicide. There were no powder
burns, such as is almost invariably the
case in suicide by shooting. A small
iron bar. used as paper weight. was
missing from its usual place on the
desk of the accused. Person was in
dicted for murder in the first degree.
He employed eminent counsel and the
trial was highly interesting battle OF
legal talent and medical experts.
The defense's theory was that the
pictol ball had fractured the skull and
caused death. But the post-mortem
showed, not only an extensive fracture
of the skull. but fractures generally of
the nasal and other small facial bones.
pistol ball would merely bore q small
hole in its passage and could not pro-
duce such extensive fractures.
The first bit of realism was the in
PRODUCTION Of the top of the woman's
skull as evidence.
Then followed some Of the most re-
markable experiments ever made in
search Of evidence to substantiate the.
cries. Bodies of paupers and hospital
patients were procured and experts
banged away at their skulls. nfterward
noting the effects by surgical explora-
ton. They found extensive fractures
hard to achieve by such means. In
further endeavors pistol was firmly
tied to the head by bandages and then
exploded. Following these experiments
came various shootings of pistol balls
into heads and bodies Of the dead at
close range. to test the powder burn
theory.
These exercises were conducted in the
intervals of court. and not in the pres
ence Of the Jury. but the experiments
were explained to them in detail. and
the skulls exhibited at short range.
Ranged on the table. and marked
Exhibit A. B, c. and SO on down the
museum of anatomy. and the "exhib-
it's proved too much for the stomachs
of some OF the Jurors. most Of whom
were farmers.
The case ended In the conviction Of
Person Of lesser degree Of murder
than charged. He was sentenced to
five years in the penitentiary. but Sc.
cured new trial on technicality and
was never placed in jeopardy again.
A few months later Person. at the
age of 60, with married children. mar.
ried 15-year-old girl and narrowly
escaped being lynched by indignant
neighbors of the brides family.
The acme Of realism was reach. tho
by accident, in criminal trial few
years ago at Lebanon. o.
Two men had personal encounter
One of them. after vainly trying tc
draw his pistol from his hip pocket,
turned to flee. A moment later he fell.
shot in the small of the back. One
chamber of his pistol was found to have
been fired. His assailant was tried
for murder.
The defense commended that the man
had shot himself while trying to draw