The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-03-18

LLt l-LtC' &hAt -iA-tt A
in his opinion. what caused Miss Crop
scv's death. The defense objected
strenuously. The court asked the Wit |
ness if he had an opinion satisfactory
to himself and was told that he had
The question was finally withdrawn by
the prosecution.
Mr.. Aydlett took the witness again and
asked him long questions out Of a medi-
cal book, reading from the authority. |
and asking the witness whether the
statements were true. Having been CT
the stand a day and a half the witness
was ordered aside at 12:15 o'clock.
DR.. J. F. WOOD TESTIF1ES.
Then DR.. j. f. Wood. a man Of strik-
ing appearance. large, physique and
strong face. was called. Witness said
he was - years old. graduated from. the
Washington University, Baltimore, now
the College of Physicians and Surgeons,
and had been practicing medicine abour
thirty years. Though he didn't say SO
on the stand, he used to be Colonel Of q
State military regiment, and they say
he was a fine looking officer. He is now
health officer for Pasquotank county.
DR.. Wood said he was Ella Cropsey's
physician, he knew her well, and saw
| her quite often. BY virtue Of his posi-
IlOu he was tue Ollttl III Nldls e VI LIN
grand jury. He told of having been
summoned to the clubhouse, where the
| body lay stretched on a table, and said
he could easily recognize NelTs face.
He found no external marks of violence.
DR.. Wood vouched for Miss Cropsey's
chastity.
His statement about the absence of
water from the stomach, lungs and pleu-
raj cavity and the bloodless condition of
the heart, was like that of DR.. Fearing.
He said there were no symptoms of
| drowning. He declared there was not
| found any photograph or other token of
friendship.
This will have a bearing on the case
| later on.
He told of the scalp being removed
| and the finding of a tablespoonful of
clothed blood at a confusion on the left
temple. He said the membrane there
was slightly bruised. 1t was DR.. Woods
| opinion that the blow was struck by a
heavy round instrument that was Gov
cred.
Nh. Ward got the witness to say that
he knew what a black Jack was, but was
not allowed to give his opinion as to
whether that weapon made the confusion.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
1h8rG was a larger crowd III the al
ternoon. District Attorney Ward con-
tinued the examination of DR.. Wood.
The witness desired to change a morn
ing statement about clotted blood on the
temple to dark fluid blood. He said he
inspected and felt the temple on each
side, but there was no outside sign of
violence. The face was sodden, the
skin natural after the cuticle vas re-
moved.
Witness had never before seen a body
which had lain in the water thirty-seven
days. He could not say how much gas
would cause a body to rise, but said the
rapidity of its generation depended upon
the temperature of the weather.
Witness said in case of a drowned
person who had been in the water thirty
seven days, he should expect to find
water in the stomach, lungs and pleural
cavity. He estimated that fifty per. cent
of drowned people have water in the
lungs. most of the rest having water in
the pleural cavity. Water would not
penetrate the stomach until decomposi-
ton came. Mr. Ward led up very clar-
erly to "a question and answer. which tell
in substance the meaning of his whole
testimony, and, also that of DR.. Fearing.
Mr.. Ward: Should the jury find as u
fact that the body of this woman had
lain in the water thirty-seyen days, that
she had been stricken a blow on the left
temple and there was a tablespoonful
of blood underneath the stain at the lett
temple. the membrane of the bone in
jured, ana should they further find there
was no water in the tomach, no blood
in the heart, either side, no water n
the lungs, no water in the pleural cavity.
hny, ~ our orininn Ala tIT- IN n ~
come to her death?'
DR.. Wood: Il think, sir, a blow stun
ned the woman, and while in a stunned
condition, she was thrown into the
water
There were objections to the question
and answer.
Mr.. Ward withdrew a question concern
ing what sort of injury would have been
made had it been received from jumping
overheard.
On cross examination by Mr.. Aydlett,
the witness said Miss Cropsey had a full
suit of hair. and had it been combed
over the temple would have been a pro-
lection against an external wound. He
said no one symptom by itself was con
elusive evidence that the girl was not
drowned.
The doctor said there would be no diff
| tltICt III tit tIidi dtbcI Vi the NOuAiI
if it had been received twenty minutes
before or at the time of her being thrown
into the water.
OTHER WITNESSES CALLED.
DR.. W. j. Lumsden was called as an
expert. He said he was IS years old
had practiced thirty-two years, grad
uated at the University of Medicine in
Baltimore, and had taken post graduate
courses elsewhere. Questioned as to his
competency as an expert, he replied ha
was not on drowning, where the body
had been in the water so long. He had
heard evidence from DR.. Fearing and
DR.. Wood and he did not think he would
do for an expert. DR.. Lumsden was al
lowed to stand aside.
j. H. Leroy, a coroner's iuryman. was
called. He told of being summoned by
Coroner Fearing and the examination o.
Internal organs. He corroborated what
the doctors had said. He saw the pink
ish dents on the left temple, the skin
removal and the dark blood that came
out. Mr.. Leroy said be knew about the