Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-09-27
CZOLCOSZ In COURT.
State Opens Case Against the
Presidents Assassin.
THE JURY is QUICKLY OBTAINED.
Plea of Guilty Not AIIoNvcd-Physi-
cinns on the stand Testify That
Gunshot Wound Caused
McIxinIey's Death.

BUFFALO, Sept. 24.-Leon +. Cool
gosz was placed on trial yesterday
morning. charged with the murder of
President William Mckinley. He en-
tered plea of guilty, which was sub
sequently changed to not guilty by di-
rection of the court.
All the events of the day tended to
indicate that the trial will be short.
There was not suspicion of a bubble
over any question whatever, and coun-
sci for both sides seemed to be in per-
feet harmony. Court convened at 10
o'clock, and the work of procuring
Jurors went on rapidly. Before two
hours had elapsed eight had been Sc
cured, and this in itself was an un-
precedented record in any murder trial
in the state Technicalities were not
raised, but it was noticeable that ev-
cry man who acknowledged that he
had not formed an opinion on the case
was excused by the district attorney.
Men who had formed an opinion or
stated that they were prejudiced, but
were willing to acknowledge that their
opinion could be changed by evidence,
were accepted by each side.
Justice Truman C. White, one of the
oldest and most experienced of the SUI
preme court judges, was on the bench.
Immediately after the opening of the
court and after the prisoner had plead
ed Justice Loran l.. Lewis. senior
counsel for the defendant, arose and
announced that, together with his col
leagues, former Justice Robert c. Titus,
and Mr.. Carlton e. Ladd, they were
ready to act in behalf of the prisoner.
81 thought it best" he said, ''for my
colleagues and myself that | should
say something regarding our presence
here as attorneys for the defendant.
AT the time my name was suggested L
was out of the city~and knew nothing
of what was transporting here with ref
erence to the selection of counsel for
the defendant. | was out of the city
at the time, and when the circum
stances of my selection were told to me
l was extremely reluctant to accept.
but the duty had been imposed, and
l considered it my duty in all the cir
cumstances to defend this man.
II ask that no evidence be presented
here-that the court will not permit the
acceptance of any evidence-unless it
would he accepted at the trial of the
most meagcr criminal in the land"
81 am familiar with these circum-
stances said Justice White in reply,
land | wish TO say that | will give you
every assurance that the prisoner will
have a fair and impartial trial and that
during the progress of the trial he will
receive such treatment as the law de-
mands in any criminal case"
The work of securing the jurors was
then undertaken with a CELEBRITY that
was amazing. Before the day was over
the entire panel had been sworn and
were seated in the box and had listened
to a description of the Temple of Mu
sic, where the crime occurred, had seen
photographs of the interior of that
structure and had been told by three
surgeons what caused the death of the
president and the result of the assas-
sins shot upon the various organs of
the body. They had also learned why
the fatal bullet has not been located.
The presentation of the governments
when Assistant District Attorney Hal
Ter began, with much deliberation, to
address the jury. His talk was very
brief and consumed scarcely five min
utes.
The first witness, Samuel ]. Fields,
chief engineer of the Pan-Amercan eX-
position, described the ground floor
plan of the Temple of Music and was
followed by Perry \. Bliss, Il photogra-
pher, who presented views of the inte-
rior of the building. The remainder of
the afternoon was taken up with the
testimony of three physicians, two Of
whom had attended the president DUR
ing his last days while the other per-
formed the autopsy. The latter, Dr.
Harvey X. Gaylord, was the first of the
trio to be called. He described the loca-
ton of the wounds in the stomach and
the direction of the bullet. The cause
of death was attributed to the gunshot
wound, but fundamentally, he said, it
was due to the changes back of the
stomach in the pancreas, caused by the
breaking down of the material of the
pancreas as Il result of the passage Of
the bullet.
Dr. Herman Mynter followed, and
his testimony was of great Importance
inasmuch as it brought out the fact
that the reason why the fatal bullet
had not been located at the autopsy
was because of the unwillingness Of
the presidents relatives to have the
body further mutilated by their instru-
ments.
DR.. Mynter and DR.. Mann, who fol-
lowed him, both testified that the pri-
NAL cause of death was the gunshot
wound in the stomach. One effect of
this wound was, they said, to cause
the gangrene to form in the paucreas,
and the spot of poisoned tissue was as
large as a silver dollar.
The prisoner Czolgosz during the
morning evinced no interest whatever
IN the proceedings, but as the testi-