Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-03-30
BULLET IS FOUND.
Post Mortem Examination of August
Stark Last Night Reveals the
Cause of Death.
Bullet Found Embedded in the Brain at
the Top of the Head, and is
Removed.
Victim Of the Murder Was Shot lust
Below the Eye, the Ball Passing
Through the Head.
coroners Inquest Progressing this After
noon, and Testimony of the
Jenkins Taken.
Contradictory Stories Of Father and Son
With Reference to Incidents
of the Matter.
Son Claims to Have Found the Body
Alone Monday Morning-Father
Says Sunday Afternoon.
(From Saturdays Daily.)

(FrOm Saturdays Daily.)
A post mortem examination of the
head of August Stark, the victim Of
what appears to be a cold blooded
murder last week, was made last night
by Drs. Ballard and Bentley at Webb
Brothers undertaking rooms and dis
closed clearly the manner in which
the young man met his death. After
the face of the victim, which was COW
cred with blood when the body was
first brought to the city, had been
washed and the large wound on the
face thoroughly examined the author
tiles came to the conclusion that this
alone would not have caused his death,
and were satisfied that close examina-
ton would reveal a bullet hole some-
where in the face. DR.. Ballard. at
the request of the coroner. made an
examination yesterday afternoon, aud
in probing about the eye, where there
was an area of sutfused blood, dis
covered a bullet hole, about an eighth
of an inch below the upper edge of the
lower lid and at a little distance from
the outer angle of the eye. So yield
ing and elastic was the skin of the
eyelid that it had fallen and completely
concealed the %puncture of the skin, to
any but a very close examination.
When the lower lid was drawn tense,
however, the puncture was plainly re-
vealed. Upon this discovery, it was
decided that a post mortem of the
head would be held last night as the
bullet had apparently found no exit.
AT the post mortem the scalp was cut
across the top of the head, from point
Of a to point of ear, and at almost
the first stroke of the knife, barring
the covering Of the skull, a fracture
was encountered, and such a contu-
sion as would apparently follow q
a blow. The skull was trephined and
this spot removed, and the bullet was
found with a probe imbedded at ads
lance Of about two inches from the
skull in the brain substance. From,
the appearance of the wound, the bull
let had had force enough to pass
through the head, strike the skull with
force enough to fracture it and had
then either glanced or lodged and
afterward it's weight caused it to sink
backward. The bullet was of 81
calibre, and its shape generally main
tanned, although it had passed through
the bones of the face and head. One
side was jagged and rough, the other
comparatively smooth. The bullet
and the section of the skull were pre-
served as evidence in the case. The
missile entered slightly below the left
eye, ranged upward and forward, with
an angle slightly to the right. and
struck the skull about an inch to the
right of the median line and about the
same distance back of a line drawn
from a to ear across the top of the
head.
This discovery bears out the theory
Of the officers that Stark was killed
with a revolver. They were satisfied
with this upon their return from Will
ton Wednesday. AS to the cause of the
other injury, they are in doubt. The
nose is broken, and it is possible either
that Stark was knocked down with
some heavy instrument before being
shot, or that the injury might have re-
suited from his fall after being shot.
The bullet had traversed the entire
width of the brain, so that death from
that wound was probably almost in
slant.
THE INQUEST.
Before Coroner White and the jury
this morning the examination of James
M. Jenkins and his son, Ira O. Jen-
kins, was conducted by States Attor-
ney Allen. The son was the first wit
ness examined. The principal de-
tails of his statement were that he and
Stark had been at Wilton on Friday
arriving there about noon; they had
ho1 a four 11ssr1c or1 10Pt %lo,,o ~
about 4 o'clock to return to the mine;
Stark had a pint of whiskey with him
but did not drink any of the liquor on
the way home; neither of them was
intoxicated. They reached home
before supper time, and unhitched the
team, had supper, and after chores and
some conversation went to bed; arose
in the morning; did some chores, had
breakfast and he and his father came
to town after some tools, which he
forgot to take back when he returned;
last saw Stark talking to his father
in front Of the house; his father told
Stark to do some work in the mine that
day; father and son remained in town
until Sunday; witness said he had
spent some money in town and lost
perhaps 500 gambling; got this money
from his father several days before for
a job of horse breaking he had done
last January; had also worked at Nc
Henry last winter and brought home
last fall about 5000 of which he had a
little left; when they reached home
late Sunday afternoon noticed that the
stock had not been fed; thought Stark
was at Wilton and thought little Of
his absence; did chores as usual. and
went to bed; in the morning went into
the mine to see what Stark had done
in the way of taking up track and other
work as directed; stumbled across
Stark's body in the mine, and ascer-
tanned that he was dead; went back
| and informed his fafhor. ond fhox,