The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-12-09
They Say Heat Won't Contract
Muscles Flexed by Death.
PRISONERS MOTHER RECALLED
She Tells of the Condition of the
Pickett Home After
the Fire.

tense, the crowds are noticeably larger
in Judge Elliotts courtroom. The pro-
! ceedings which were at FIRST quite ig-
nored by the public have now risen to the
dignity of real murder trial.
The testimony this morning was con-
fined entirely to that of Mrs. Pickett. Sr..
and two medical experts called to testi-
fly as to the action of heat and fire on the
human body. The evident purpose of the
defense in this line Of evidence is to sat-
| isfy the jury that Mrs. Pickett was burned
to death in the bathroom and was not
first murdered and then dragged to the
bathroom which was then set on fire in
order to cover the traces of crime.
Conditions After the Fire.
Mrs. H. c. Pickett. mother of the pris-
oner, resumed her testimony relating in
some detail the condition of the Pickett
apartments after the fire and telling of the
health OF her grandson, Reuben.
She said that the bed in which her son
/ and his wife had slept showed that it
Mrs Pickett's garments were on the floor
in position which indicated that she had
Just stepped out of them
Reuben, the little boy, had been i'll with
| dysentery for several days before the fire,
and she had herself treated the boy, as
well as giving hts mother the prescription.
Mrs. Pickett herself was not well, suffer-
ing from common malady. The witness
| testified that Mrs Pickett was about 5 feet
SVnh nhor l.
weight was from 105 to 110 pounds.
The witness had met Miss Ella Olson on
an interurban car. The latter had told
| the witness that when she opened the door
from her fat to the hallway she saw
| Pickett in the bathroom. Mrs. Pickett
also testified that Mrs Nelson had in
formed her that when she first looked
into the hall she saw Mr.. Pickett In the
bathroom.
Pickett ~aes Burned.
| The witness said that three Of Mr.. Pick
! ett's fingers showed burns Two of the
| fingers were blistered, the blisters being
| larger than a pea. He also had a burn
| on the ball of his foot, which she treated,
| The witness broke down completely
| while relating what she had done with the
clothing of her deceased daughter-in-law
and was Joined in the weeping by Mrs
Mahlke. sister of the late Mrs Pickett,
| and other members of the feminine con-
| tingent.
| Medical Experts Testify.
DR.. Thomas J. Gray, professor of sur
| gerry at the state university, testified that
/ hre would have no effect on the muscles
| OF dead body. On the other hand if the
| person was alive when attacked by fire
! the limbs would be found contracted due
| in the opinion of the witness, partly to
/ the agony caused by the burns and partly
1 to reflex muscular action.
| On cross examination the witness said
that even if the burning took place with
! In from one to five minutes of death there
would be no contraction, the conditions
| being the same as If the person had been
! dead longer.
! did you ever see a body which was
| burned within few minutes after
| death?" asked Mr.. Boardman
! The witness admitted that he had not.
! Then there came a long discussion be-
! tween the witness and County Attorney
| Boardman on the effect of heat on beef
| steak, fish and other animal foods.
| DR. William H. Caine, practicing ply
| sician and surgeon for twenty-six years,
who had made many observations of the
| effect Of fire on human bodies in the
Hinckley hre, said that if fire was applied
| to living muscular tissue it would con-
| tract In his opinion there would be
much less contraction, probably none if the
| fire was applied after death had ensued.
Theoretically, the application of intense
! heat to a body within from one to five
minutes after death would also cause a
| contraction but to what extent the wit
ness could not tell. In his opinion it
would be very small though this might de-
| pend on to what depth the fire or heat
| penetrated.
| Pickett Takes the Stand
After several minor witnesses had been
examined, the prisoner was finally sworn
| in his own behalf at 2:3O this afternoon
| Pickett was in sad state when he first
took the stand. His voice quivered so
that he could hardly be understood. For a
] time 1t looked as if he would be unable
to continue, but gradually he recovered
his composure and the control OF his voice.
His testimony was then given very clear
! ly until he approached the dreadful events
of the night, when his voice began to
| QuiYer again.
! He said he was awakened by a noise,
| but paid no attention to it. Later he
! thought he heard the call Reuben in a
low voice He thought this was his wife
speaking to her son Reuben in the bath
room Then he heard another call and
ran to the bathroom The door was closed
| but he forced it open with his shoulder.
| At this point in his story Pickett was
obliged to stop, and the scene was pa
thetic in the extreme. His mother was
weeping convulsively; likewise his wife
and sister. Over on the other side of tho
table, Mrs. Mahlke and the witnesses for
the state were all in various degrees of
weeping.
Pickett said that he was forced back by
the rush of flames but that he dropped on
his hands and knees and crawled into the
room He tried to raise his wife. The
heat was intense. He turned on the water
and splashed ia but that had no effect.
Just then a wash boiler fell down be
| hind him and impeded his work. He threw
the boiler into the hall Looking up then
he saw Mrs. Nelson standing in the door
way She said to him:
| For Gods sake, save the children"
| Mrs. Nelson and her sister, Miss Olson,
| looked mutely at each other when this
| testimony was given and shook their
| heads.
! Pickett ran and got his children and
| turned them over to Mrs. Nelspn while
| he ran to turn in an alarm.
81 ran up and down the streets scream
| ing" said the prisoner. Il don't know
what 1 said, but a man stopped me and
said he would turn in the alarm"