Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-07-23
THE COURSE OF THE FATAL BULLET
WITHIN INCH OF STRAIGHT LiHEi

nd r,rad Not Over or 10 Inches From
IN. Body-Dr. Hoiton aud Miller Tell
Of the Autopsy-POS~der Marx. Thick
About Jt-whst the Bladder showed ~
Ground for New Theory.
DIR II d Holton said he was sent fol-
nv Or Miller about $3.50 and vent &c
tno house but as the man was dead
he ONLY saw Mrs Starr AMI Cressev
and said nothing to the latter about
the accident as he was IN nervous
condition where it was not wise u
keen it befors him. In the forenoon
he went again and had charge Of the
autopsy, ut which Drs Miller, Con
land and Webster assisted. They
found the fatal wound in the abdomen
80 inches below and ~ inches 20
the right of the naval, aod with the
powder marks covering circle several
inches with grains very deeply en-.
bedded but with no indication OF
burning OF the skin, indicating in the
doctors Judgment that the mouth of
the pistol was or 10 inches away
when fred The other wound, f1eeh
one nearly in the top CT the right
shoulder, had powder marks also, put
not so plain, indicating that the re
volver was further away-l2 or 10
inches perhaps. The night shirt was
spotted with blood 10 both places.
They opened the abdomen and found
the course of the bullet backwarhs
ard slightly downuards towards tho
middle of the body and towards the
left, through ore of the small intes-
tines ana through the lilac artery.
then striking against the spine ana
then towards the right and into the
isaas muscle. where it was found. The
organs of the abdomen were all IN
healthy condition. The abdominal
cavity was filled With blood, three to
i've pints as they estimated, and the
man bled to death from the wound 10
the artery The point where the
bullet struck the spine was perhaps au
inch lower than where it entered IN
front.
The bladder. the doctor said, con-
tanned less than a tesspoonful OF
urine, indicating evacuation very
shortly before death. Here is ground
for new theory. The kidneys are
constantly secreting, drop by drop,
and in 10 minutes the DOCTOR said,
there might be more 10 the Bladder
than was found. Furthermore the
bladder is not entirely cleared by an
evacuation. SO it is not unlikely thst
Bristol got up for this purpose aud
being half asleep. went round after
wards to the front side of the bed.
and was tumbliug over Cressey to get
back, when the litter aroused and
began his shooting with the idea that
it vas burglar.
The doctor said there was no evi.
dence of liquor A bullet was found
on the floor under the bed, marked
for Identification and given to Chief
Hall. 1t had something about it that
they concluded was plastering. There
was a hols in the plastering above the
bed where it apparently struck ard
the pillows had pieces of clustering on
them
DR. A | Miller told of the results Of
the autopsy substantially the same
and gave Cressey's statement as made
to him and Wellman as Wellman had
done before When he was called
b bout 3 O'Clock. reaching there at 3 10
Bristol was gsspitg end his heart tiut.
tered once or twice. He looked
through the mans clothing for let
tiers to indicate the address for his
parents and fourd none There we're
q few spots on the floor on the right
hand side of the bed. He thought
Cressey took the revolver from the
bureau while he was telling the story
IF the tragedy.