Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1900-08-24

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 fired by the man
himself, the weapon being held in his
right hand; or else il was fired by an
assassin who stood close TO the VIC
Tins right side. The first of these hy-
potheses, considered by itself, is adj
missible; but il 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 10 be a colossus,
or else TO stand upon chair or in some
equally elevated position, unless the
victim happened to be seated when the
shot was fred"
Happened 10 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 in
the cab"
Not done in the cab!"
NO; otherwise the bullet would have
remained in the cushions; and it was
not there
1T might have fallen out into the
street at the time of the collision" sug-
gested Thurston.
NO; | searched every inch Of space
in which it nigh. have fallen. If 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, Il am positive that the man
died seated, for his limbs stiffened in
that position"
Yes, asserted Sturgis, and for that
matter 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, a piece
of which remained in his dying grasp.
| merely said that he was not shot in
the eau.
Then how did he get there ?" asked
the physician.
Your question is premature. my
dear fellow" replied Sturgis. smiling;
lit must remain unanswered for the
present. All we have established as
yet is that he did get there. And that
being the case. he must have been as
sisted; for, wounded as he was, he
could not, l take it, have climbed into
the cab by himself"
Certainly not" agreed Thurston.
Point five" resumed Sturgis, the
right arm was broken just above the
wrist"
Yes, said the physician. II thought
at first that the arm might have been
broken in the collision with the cable
car; but the discoloration of the flesh
proves conclusiyely that the fracture
occurred before death"
Precisely. Now, it is possible that
the man broke his arm when he fell.
after being shot; but the confused
wound looks 10 me as if il had been
made 10y a severe blow with some blunt
instrument"
Possibly" admitted Thurston.
This broken arm. if we can place
it in its proper chronological position.
may prove TO be of some Importance in
the chain of evidence" unused Stur-
gis. IF the fracture occurred before
the man was shot, that, of course. ex-
cludes the possibility of suicide; but.
on the other hand, it also brings in an
obstacle to the hypothesis of muir
der"
How SOP"
Because we have settled. YOU will
remember. that the shot was fred from
the right of the victim, and close to him.
Now, if he did not fire the shot himself
the Person who did must have reached
over his right arm TO do so. In that
case. unless the victim was asleep or
stupefieG. would he not instinctiveIv
have raised his arm il self-defense. and
thus detected the weapon upward ?"
Evidently"
well. it is idle to speculate on this
line for the present. Let us come to !
point SIX. You remember | called
your particular attention TO the cab
man. DO YOU still think he was only
drunk?"
NO replied Thurston; while he
had uEquestionably been drinking
heavily, he also showed symptoms of
poisoning"
Then the presumption is that he
had been drugged by those who wished |
20 place the wounded man in his cab. !
| observed him closely and I am salts
fed that he knows as little about his |
dead passenger as we do. He prob. |
ably knows less about him. at all /
events, than the young man in the /
seaiskin cap who gave the police the
slip during the excitement which fol. |
lowed the oXarfurpipo Of tho COL,