The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-04-26

Wuilc 0ullLu WAS OuJSluo Lu0 mouse, ne
saw Davis inside through the window
the man looking as though he was
leaning up against the window. Smith
said there was no one present but him.
self. Dix anu Davis. He did not see
Davis have gun any other time than
when he was lying on the floor gripp.
ing his revolver.
DR.. George X. Mcdowell, who per.
formed the autopsy on the body OF
Davis, stated that in his opinion Dav.
is had come to his death as the result
of gunshot wound which entered
the body just above the left nipple,
piercing the aorta. He found the
body of healthy anu Quite large man.
Had large rupture on the left side
and several abrasions on the right
side of the forehead, one on the right
cneek and nose and slight abrasion
on the right temple. About two and
one-half inches above the left nipple
was small wound. The wound was
traced through the chest wall, the in.
ner margin of the left lung, the aorta
and left pulmonary vein, close to the
heart; the posterior margin of the
right lung through the lower margin
of the fifth rib on the right side, near
tne shoulder blade and into the mus
cles at the right back, behind the an
gle of the scapula. The cavities OF
the chest were filled VIII. fluid and
clotted blood both sides of the heart
were empty, except for few small
clots. There was fluid and clotted
blood in the sack around the heart.
The other organs were all in healthy
cOn0ltiOn.
The bullet the doctor found in the
body was exhibited. The doctor stat
ed that such wound as that produced
upon Davis would be fatal upon any
one, as it was almost the same as
going through lne heart.
Dix was asked to testify, but refused
on advice of his counsel, who said that
the case might get into the courts, in
which event he did not care to have
his client say anything which might
incriminate him.
The jury, which was composed of
w. H. Aughey j. T. Sayles, w. A.
Wells, Adam Airth, Herman Smith and
George Forest, brought in verdict to
the effect that Ben Davis came to his
death as a result of a gunshot wound
inflicted by seth Dix, and holding the
said Seth Dix responsible for the
crime.
The nat worn by Davis, soft felt,
is in the possession of the coroner.
1t contains two holes in the right side
and one in the front brim. 1t is be-
lieved that Davis was also shot as he
was in the act Of falling.
From Coroner Chapple it is learned
that the gun belonging to Davis was
found near him in the house. 1t was
0 44-calibre, having five barrels. One
cartridge was blank, while the other
four Swere loaded ones. 1t is not
thought that Davis shot at all, the
blank cartridge being accounted for
by reason of the fact that it is a Gus
tom of many to carry one blank
cartridge in their guns. Dix's revol-
yer showed that the five cartridges
mad been exploded, the coroner find
ing three of the bullets in the house,
another being taken from the body
of Davis, while tn eother one is unac-
counted for.
w. A. Wells, for whom Davis
worked, says that the man was very
peaceable fellow and had never been
known to have any trouble; that he
was a man about 55 years of age and
had been soldier in the regular army
for number of years previous to
coming to Billings. He had been in
and around Billings for the past ten
years or more.