Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-03
Member of 0oroner's Jury Also Placed on
Stand by the State.
MAKE SOME EXPERIMENTS WITH REVOLVER
Conclude Weapon Was Close to Head Of
Victim and Alse to Window.
DEFENDANT TALKS TO A BEE REPORTER
Tells How she waa SweRted by Cor
Oner's Jury at Time when she
Was uI-Points ont Some
inaccuracies.

DAVID CITY. Neb.. Jan. Especial
Telegram. when court convened this
morning the room was filled TO its utmost
capacity, showing conclusively that interest
in the Lille murder case had not dimi-
nlshed during the recess Mrs. Lille ar
rived at the court room accompanied by
her parents, Mrs. Geisinger, her sister, ana
Sam Lille.
DR.. S. c. Beede was the first witness. He
said
Il was called to the Lille residence on
October "a arrived there about $3.50 in the
morning. found Mr.. Lille breathing heavily.
gasping, lying on his back. with his head
thrown somewhat to the south. | asked
Mrs. Lille from which direction the bullet
had been fired. She answered from the
west side OF the bed. We removed the pa
tient to the hospital. when we enlarged the
opening In the skull.
Found grains of powder in the edge Of
the wound and for about one eighth OF an
inch around the wound. We also made in
cisions for the purpose OF locating and re-
moving the bullet. From what had been
told as to the direction the bullet had been
fired l supposed the bullet would be found
on the right side OF the head.
Fired at Close Range.
'T assisted DR.. Sample in the autopsy
that was made
THE bullet entered the skull about one
and one-half inches in front OF and a little
above the right ear and was found in the
base of the brain and about one inch behind
the left ear
AT the time thought the bullet had
been fired from a distance of about two
feet or more. The fracture Of the skull
would indicate that It was fred from
closer range"
The doctor, by the use OF the skull OF an
adult person, demonstrated to the court the
point where the bullet entered the head
and also where 1t was found.
On cross-examination the doctor said
when he arrived at the Lille house that
morning 1t was about daylight; that his
opinion as to the distance the shot was
fired is based on the powder burn and that
when he first saw Mr.. lille that morning
his head was lying straight; there might
have been variation Of an Inch.
On indirect examination the doctor said
that in his opinion the pistol must have
been very close or Immediately against
| the skull.
DR.. II. Il. Burdick was the next witness
called He is a partner in the David City
and examined the wound In Lilies skull
With the use Of the skull of an adult per-
son the doctor demonstrated u the court
| the point whore the bullet struck and
| where Il was found The witness sub
stantiated the testimony OF DR.. Beede.
Testimony Before Coroner.
! Long before court convened this after
noon the large room was crowded and
many were unable to get in hearing
distance and remained in the Railways.
| John d. Sprague was the first witness. He
was a member Of the coroner's Jury.
"Our attention was called to the wound
! in Lilies head by the coroner l remained
/ there during the entire time Of the autopsy.
| Mrs. Lille was a witness before the cor
oners Jury; she described the manner in
which the killing was done. She said she
was awakened by a man standing by the
! bed pointing a gun at her: she rolled on
! the bed just as he shot. She got up imme-
dlately and went into the girls room
! called them and told them that a man had
shot Harve. She said he was a man about
the size OF Mr.. Lille. She could plainly
see the man, but she could not distinguish
his features that he might have had .
mustache. but was sure he did not have
whiskers II he wore a mask II was a Tight
fitting one. She said the man stood about
half way lengthways Of the bed and about
one foot from the bed on the west side.
I'm showing the coroner's jury the posi-.
tion OF the burglar, she stood almost erect
possibly leaning little forward. thinl
she said the head OF the bed was out from
the wall about ten inches and the foot OF
the bed about two feet. The distance from
where Mrs. Lille said the man stood tc
/ he Win Io oh H. q, A..
curtain to the window glass is from foui
to six inches. The second time we we're IL
the bedroom we examined the hole in tn,
curtain, window and screen closely. One o
the jurors held a revolver over the bed
placed a man on the bed. placed another OF
the other side Of the bed to take the pIac,
OF Mrs Lille and I took a pencil and thu
pencil was slightly elevated, that is, tn
outside WAS a trihe higher than the hole II
the glass. The hole in the glass was
round hole and the hole in the screen wa
smaller. The screen was not torn"
Identity window and Curtain.
The window was brought into court an,
partly Identified by the witness. The win
dow glass Is powder burned about twt
inches in diameter. The powder burn 4
still plain on the glass. The window cur
tain was also produced and identified a
the curtain taken from the window In tn
Lille bedroom. The hole in the curtain
made by the bullet ls about half incl
in diameter. The powder burn on tn
curtain is from three 20 four lnche
in diameter. The window and curtain wer
admitted In evidence.
Witness gave an outline OF the tests mad
by the coroner's jury as to the distance
of powder burns on window glass and lac
curtains. His evidence in this respect wa
substantially the same that OF Corone
Sample. The window sash, glass and cur
tain which was used in making the test
by the cOrorers jury was introduced Il
evidence and witness portrayed TO tn
court the position OF the window and cur
tain in making the tests In the test mad
at distance OF six inches and more ther
: was no dlscoloration Of the glass or curtain
but at a distance Of three inches the pow
der burn was about the same as on IN
glass and curtain In the Lille home.
The attention Of the witness was calie