The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-04-18
Singed Hair on Northy's
Head, Declares Expert
INDICATES SUICIDE.
Cooper Trial Expert on Bullets Course
Puts Brain in Skull--Says Poor
Fit Makes Question Very
Difficult Problem.

Augusta, Me-, April 1s.-The defence
of Alice L. Cooper, charged With the
murder OF Charles d. Northey, Jf,
scored 4 strong point yesterday after
noon IN the testimony Of Prof. On ".
Knight, who said that he had found that
some Of the young mans hairs had lccn
singed, blackened, cured and marked
with powder.
This would serve to show that when
Northey was shot, the weapon MAS held
close to- his head and would support the
defence theory OF suicide.
DR.. Denis A. Ridley, who treated Mrs.
Cooper before and after The tragedy,
took the stand early in the afternoon.
Q.--How many times did Yoa treat
Mrs. Cooper before the tragedy A.
Three times.
q When the last times A-Octo-
Der 3.
Q.-What did yon treat her fort A..
First for headaches and Last two
times for sleeplessness.
This was brought out to show that
Mrs Cooper was afraid Of Morthey aud
did not sleep for few weeks lreyioas
10 the tragedy.
! - AFiSSNVi tNHiEih4 tliAAbDNBtiaHt4 ttfA
chemist. was next called He had t.,sti-
fled as an expert in about twenty five
cases, including the Terrio riurler case.
Professor knight said he lad exaInin-
ed some OF Northey's hair. The dia-
aneter Of atnatural hair from Northey's
.haifa Mas, 276-tn0, 600 Of an linen.
Itfe'I found among Northey's hair some
hairs with blood on them. examined
the hairs on the seven Slides and found
six OF them singed, two bearing powder
marks and one curled hy heat. IN en-
velope No. 40, which confirmed ten hairs.
nine were singed. Under the definition
of singeing, given by Dr.. Whittier, one
hsir WAS singed, two probably singcd
AMI eight curled. Nine were ,iarSAned.
There vas powder grain on ore hair
and what i should call j powder stain
on eDother.
Il photographed one Of the hairs,
wnlnl was Of peculiar siss3e and WAS
plainly singed.
II had but one story TO tell. That i
the reason | was not hrokea .!Gwn in
nv eross-eSamination.N
Mrs. Cooper made this statement To-
dav on her way TO court. !icr husband,
pfrs ShtObE anu ltttiE fftttlf W 1fsHU itNat
mvn. walked by her side. The slender,
palg faced woman smiled 1t MIN, Shaved
lref white even teeth AMI gave him a
glow from her wonderful eyes.
sizes, that is SOL believe iny wife
toll the truth" he said noidiag his
her 70 emphasize her wafis
Dr. Frederick III. tierrisa vi Portland,
the first medical expert 10 lie called by
the defence, who was on Tue stand d
the time of adjournment Moiilsy after
.'eon. resumed his testimony on direct
examination by Counsel Heath. lie WAS
required to take the skull Of Northay
and At into il the preserved brain with
which the experiment was made hy DR..
+. n: Whittier OF Bowdoin College, q
medical expert for the state, and ey
plain 10 the jury the construction 81
the brain and its various functions.
The witness testified that the forma-
in brain was an exceedingly poor ft
for the skull of the dead man. IL
fitted the entire brain into the Northey
skull for the inspection OF the jury.
The brain, placed in the skull Of
Nofthey, was given TO each member OF
the panel for examination. 1t was then
tNfuONftl ttpHi Vic oAtil anu tNAHihtN ~
the formalin solution.
Tue witness testified that lie could not
tell through what parts Of the brain of
Charles Northey the bullet entered. The
track OF the bullet, he believed, was
above the corpus eallosum and going to
a part OF the opposite half OF the braiu
and out All g,mshot wounds whether
the bullet passes entirely through the
brain do not always cause a complete
paralysis oil the body and not always
death, and shot from revolver, as
was used in this ease, would not neces.
sarily tause death, he said.
This testimony was directly opposite
10 that given by the medical experts
called by the state.
The medical testimony presented by
the defence i nearly completed, and il
it probable that the defence will rest its
ease tomorrow night,