The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-07-27

of imported material, and when his
linen, his hat and his shoes are of good
quality, 1t is fair to infer that the mans
income was comfortable.
II proceed with the arrangement of
my data:
"Secondlyi the man in the cab died
of wound caused by bullet fred at
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
DR.. Thurston, 81 can agree with you.
The bullet probably penetrated the
upper lobe Of the left lung"
YES" added Sturgis, land II passed
out at the back, far below where it
went in"
What makes you think it passed
outP The wound in the back may
have been caused by another bullet
| fired from the rear"
"That hypothesis might be tenable
were II not for this"
With these words the reporter pulled
ont his watch, opened the case. and
with the blade of 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 magrifying glass.
Dr.. Thurston examined the object
carefully.
"a splinter of bone" he said, at last.
"Nes. | found 1t on the surface of
! the wound in the back How did IT. get
there?"
You are right" admitted the physi-
sian; at must have come from with
in, clipped from "A rib and carried out
by the bullet which entered from the
| front"
81 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 far as l
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
l took this afternoon"
AS he said these words. the reporter
handed to his friend a sheet of paper
upon which he had drawn some ge-
ometrical figures.
THE first of these diagrams shows
the angle which the course CT the bull
let made with n horizontal plane, the
second represents the inclination from
right TO left Tie former of these an
! giles is nearly and the latter not far
from forty-fve 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 il was fred by the man
himself, the weapon being held IN his
right hand; or else II was fred by an
assassin who stood close TO the vic
TINS right side. The first of these n.y.
potheses, considered by itself, is adj
Inissible; but II involves the assump-
ton of an extremely awkward and IN
usual position OF the suicides hand
while firing. On the other hand, the
dead man IL 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 q 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
! ively; the shooting was not done in
the cab"
Not done in rAe cab!"
mo; otherwise the bullet wouldhave
remained in the cushions; and il was
not there"
ut might have fallen out into the
street at the time of the collision" sug-
gested Thurston.
mo; | searched every inch of space
in which it might have fallen. Ii it
had been there l should have found
it, for the spot was brilliantly lighted
by an electric light, as you remem-
! ber."
The physician pondered in silence for
few minutes.
With all due respect for the accu-
| racy of your observations. and for the
| rigorous logic of your inductions,
Sturgis," he asserted at last with de-
cision, II am positive that the man
died seated, for his limbs stifTened in
that position"
"Yes, INSERTED Sturgis, land fort
matter, l grant you that he breathed
his last in the cab; for in his death
struggles he clutched in his left hand
the cushion of the cab window, piece
of which remained in his dying grasp.
merely said that he was not Shot in
the cab"