Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-12-31
Coroner Describes Course Of Ball Which
Went Through Window.
HOLE IN WINDOW HIGHER THAN IN CURTAIN
Says he Found Distinct Powder Burns on
the Lace Curtain.
MAKES EXPERIMENTS WITH REVOLVER
Asserts weapon Must he Held within
Eight Incheu 20 Produce Burns
and Even Closer TO Match
Those I'm Lille Home.

DAVID CITY. Neb., Dec. 3O,-(special.)
The attendance at tbe preliminary hearing
OF Mrs. Lena NJ. Lille was not as large
as yesterday the court room being only
comfortably hlled. Mrs Lille appeared
fresh and bright and was in a pleasant
mood.
Dr. NJ. V. B. Sample, county coroner. was
the first witness called.
He was at the hospital soon after Mr.
Lille was taken there and also after the
patient died. He made a close examna-
tion OF the wound and found the flesh
around the wound was blackened from
powder.
About thirty minutes after Mr.. Lille
died, witness and Drs. Buch and Stewart
held a post-mortem examination. They
found grains Of powder inside Of the skull.
Witness, by the use OF the skull OF an
adult person, demonstrated the course OF
the bullet. He said the bullet struck about
two inches in front of and slightly above
the right ear, and was found just behind
the left ear. and that a bullet passing
through the brain as this one did would
produce paralysis Immediately.
Bring Bullet Into Court.
The bullet that was found in Lilies
brain was identified by the coroner and
admitted in evidence, also the bullet found
lodged in a barn 800 feet from the Lille
residence and is claimed to be the bullet
which went through the window. He also
produced one procured from w. r. Heath
who says his revolver was stolen about
the time Mr.. Lille was murdered. and It
IS supposed was the revolver used by the
criminal All Of the bullets are exactly
the same.
Coroner Sample In his evidence also gave
a brief synopsis OF the testimony of Mrs.
Lille before the coroners jury.
Tries 10 show Discrepancies.
At the convening of the court this after
noon DR.. Sample was recalled and the di-
rect examination resumed. He testified thac
where the bullet went through the window
the lace curtain was powder burned and
that the bullet hole in the windowpane was
slightly higher. than the hole in the cur
tain. This was for the purpose of proving
that II was impossible for a man to stand
up and fire the shot that went through the
window. That the distance from the widow
TO the west side OF the bed was nifty nine
inches. This was on line with the bullet
hole through the window. Witness also
testified as to the statements made by Mrs.
LILLE with reference to the loaning OF
money.
The cross examination of DR.. Sample was
very rigid and every point in his evidence
on direct examination was gone over thor
oughly, but did not weaken his testimony
in the least. This is claimed to be one
Of the principal witnesses for the state.
County Attorney Walllng says they will
introduce several other witnesses to cor
roborate the evidence of DR.. Sample. and he
thinks some OF the members of the cor
oner's jury will testify even more certain
than has DR.. Sample. The attorneys for
the state claim that when the evidence is
all produced the defendant will be held to
dhe district court by Judge skiles.
Experiments with Pistols.
The attorney for the defense is equally
confident of an acquital. On redirect ex-
animation the doctor stated he had made
some experiments as to how near a pistol
must be to an object to powder burn; that
the experiments were with different kinds
and sizes OF revolvers and different grades
OF powder. He was assisted by the cor
oner's jury He demonstrated that to pow
der-burn a piece OF lace curtain the re-
volver must be not further than eight
inches away. and this burn was very slight;
that to burn similar to the powder-burn on
the lace curtain in the Lille home the pis-
tol must be as close as six inches, aud that
10 powder burn a vindowglass the pistol
must be as close as three inches.
When court adjourned the examination
of DR.. Sample was not concluded.
Mrs. Lille says that the reports pub
lished in today's paper that the Lilies aud
Hills had intermarried several times, is an
error, and requests that the same be cor
rected Sam Lille. brother of Harvey
married her sister. and this was the only
two marriages between the Hill and Lii
lie families. Also that she has only hve
relatives living In David City.