Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-29
Afternoon Session.

Afternoon Session.
Al tho afternoon session, winch De-
gan at > o'clock, the usudl hour. DIR.
Smith was called upon to resume his
PLACE on the stand and crosS-cXalnl-
nation by the senior counsel 1Or the
defence was continued. The witness
stated that during the noon recess. he
nadc an examination of the scalp OF
Northy and he testified that he had
located the crucial inCision extending
one inch near the bullet wound. Wit
ntss also stated that he found trace
of curled-up hairs about the wound.
Witness thought that many of the
hairs about the wound We're oblitcrat-
ell by the action of decomposition
Witness said that in his examination
of Northy he found the pupil of the
right eye normal and that III the left
optic, unnatural in appearance which
would indicate that Il nervous diStur-
tance WAS present upon the left side.
The continued cross-exdmination of
this witness was particularly severe.
Counsel Heath required the witness to
rcpcat his conversation with Mrs.
Cooper held in the home of Mrs. Rosie
Cooper on the day of the shooting.
Q-"Are these the exact wCrds?'
Ayes, sir"
The court reporter was requested to
read the testimony given by the wit
ress in the direct examination and 1t
was found to be the same as given at
this time in crosS-examination.
Q-"You undertook to tell me that
conversation in this court house did
you not?"
Ayes. SIR
Odd you tell it then exactly as
you have told it today?"
Ayes, sir"
The witness was required to de-
scribe in greater detail the procedure
at the autopsy. Witness thought that
W hen the autopsy was performed. the
scalp was first removed from the head
and then the top of the skull was
sawed off. Witness thought that the
brain was then removed intact and the
course of the bullet may have been
p-obed at this time. Witness was not
sure, he said.
Q-"Is this one probe the only one
you have?'
Ayes. sir"
Q-"How long is this probe?"
A-"Thrce and onc-half inches
long
Q-"How long nave you been prac-
ticing medicine and surgery with only
one probe"
A-"Oh, cannot tell"
Dwell, about how long would
you say?"
A-"Perhaps Is years"
Q-"And with just one probe. 312
inches long"
Ayes, sir"
Nearly one hour was consumed in
Counsel Hcath's examination of the
knowledge possessed of the human
brain by the witness. Interest in the
proceedings Jagged and quite a number
OF spectat tors left the court room.
At this point a half-hours recess
WAS taken and when court came in
Dr. Smith resumed the stand under
cross examination. The witness was
required t. fit the brain casts in the
skull of the dead Northy. and explain
in greater detail the injury sustained
wren the bullet entered the brain.
great deal of the testimony given
ny inc Witness unucr OSS-eXamlra
ton was in corroboration of the tes-
timony given by DR.. Sturtevant on
Monday and Tue Sday. The testimony
of the witness was purely technical in
expression and it abounded il. terms
understood only by medical practition-
crs OF those familiar with terms used
in the science of medicine and anato-
my.
The witness was then examined on
his opinion as to whether or not he
could identify the right and left in
ternal capsule of the brain of Northy
If they had been exposed to view by
dissection of the two hemiSpheres of
the brain. Witness answered: "I
dent know whether I could or not I"
The counsel for the defence continued
ttis line of questioning to de-
termine whether or not the Witness
was capable of testifying that one or
both of the interior capsules of
Northys brain were punctured or in
jured by the bullet which traced a
course through the brain as has AL
ready been described. The examina-
ton was very long drawn out and NOT
especially interesting.
A considerable portion of the Iast
hour Of the afternoon session was
consumed in DR.. Smiths examination
of the brain casts and of his comnara.