The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-09-24
THE ASSASSIN
ON TRIAL

was put on trial here to day for the muI
der OF President Mckinley. He entered .
pisa Of guilty, but bis counsel urged thar
according to law such plea could not be
accepted and accordingly withdrew 1t.
substituting he plea Of not guilty. The
work Of enpannelling jury was then DO
gan, and at a.43 o'clock the twelfth man
was secured. Frederick Hsller, A ssistA nt
District Attorney. then presented the case
for the prosecution. and at the conclus ion
Vt his speech some witnesses were exam
ined.
Among these were three physicians. two
OF whom bud attended tho President dur
ing his last days while the other perform
ed the autopsy. The latter. DR.. Harvey
X. Gaylord, described the location Of the
wounds In the stomach and the direction
Of the bullet The cause Of the death was
attributed to the guushot wound. but.
fundamentally, he said. it was dus to the
changes back Of the stomach.
The presentation Of the governments
case began shortly before 8 o'clock. whom
Assistant District Attorney Halter began
to address the jury. His speech was brief
and msrely GU lined the circumstances In
which President Mckinley met his death
and the evidence the prosecution would
submit.
Evidence was ,hen taken. Samuel J.
Fields. chief on glossr Of the Exposition.
was the first witness and his evidence was
merely as to the relative positions In which
tho President and others stood. His cross
exalninatio brought out the fact that he
had no personal knowledge OF the loca
tlons occupied by the various persons with
the receiving party, but indicated them Us
he Fad been told they were placed.
Percy A. Bliss. the second witness testl
fled that on the day following the crime
he photographed the interior OF the
Temple of Music at tho District AttBrn
ey's request. The Photographs were not
objected to and were hand In as evidence.
DR.. Harvey II. Gaylord, Of buffalo, ties
tlfiod that he performed tho ausopsy. He
described the location OF the wounds In
the stomach and their direction.
Tho wounds in the stomach, be asserted
were nat necessarily the cause OF desth.
The fundamental cause was the changes
back Of the STOMACH. The actual cause
was absorption Of the broken down mat
ter Of the pancreas. Thore was nothing
known to medical science which would
have arrested the progress Of the changes
caused by the passage Of the bullet through
the pancteas
Judge Lewis closely cross examined DR..
Gay lord on the question whether antisep.
tics were used to prevent inflammation. The
doctor explained that inflammation result
cd from bacteria enter .ng tho wound and
that antissptics were used to kill these
germs. Judge Lewis tried to get Dr.. Gay
lord to gay that antiseptics were used to
pre- vent inflammation, Lut he declined to
admit it,
DR.. Herman 'Mynter was the next
witness. District Attorney Penney
questioned him closely regarding the
operation performed on President McKin
10y ut The exposition Hospital immediate.
~ aftor the shooting. Or. Myntor said
the surgeons found the bullet wound In
the left side of the abdominal cavity.
The President agreed to an operation at
once which was absolutely necessary to
save his life. DR.. Mann was selsc ed with
DR.. Myntar to perform the operation.
The abdomen was opened. 1t was difficult
to get at the wound In the back of the
ST. mach. The stomach was turned over
and bullet hole was found In the back
of that organ, They could not follow the
further course of the bullet aud as tie
Presidents temperature was rising 1t
was agreed by tho physicians present
that no further search for it was advisa-
Bile At that time,
DR.. Mynter then described tho period
of favorable symp.oms shown by the
patient his relapse and death. He CAV
the names Of all the doctors who were
associated with him in tho case and de.
scribed the result saying that 1t proved
first that there was no inflammation OF til,
bowels; second, that there was no injury
to the heart third, that there was gun
shot wound in the stomach. and TINT
there was gangrenous spot back OF the
stomach rs large as n silver dollar.
What was the cause Of doa.hy" asked
Mr.. Penney,
The cause Of death was blood poisoning
from the absorption of poisonous matter
eau cd bv tho gangrene. Primarily it was
the gun,hot wound.
DR.. Matthew ID. Mann, another of the
physicians who attended President Nc
kinlev. was the next witness. lie went
over the ground covered by DR.. Mynter.
and described the operation performed at
the Exposition hospital.
40 find the track Of the bullet back OF
the stomach" DR.. Mann explained, ut
would have bsen nscss ,ary to remove the
bowels from the abdominal cavity. The
Of that operation wonld prob
ably have resulted fatally, as the President
already had grown very weak as a result
Of the first operation.
"What caused Mr.. McKiniey's doathr,
nsked District Attorney Penney.
"Ths gunshot wound In the stomach
resulting from the bullet that passed
through both walls Of that organ an
lodged In the muscles Of the back"
DR.. Manns testimony was not concluded
Ut the adjournment.
Court adjourned at 4 o. until tome rrow
Immediately after the adjournment Of
SQUIRT q meeting Of the medical experts
was held in the office of District Attorney
Penney. The meeting lasted half an
hour.
DR.. Mac Donald was the fist to leave the
room When asked If 1t had been decided
H., ali ! ho n natura tn tho xrt tnAes atnnd