The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-11-27
SAY GIRL WAS KILLED
Physicians Declare Grace Brown
Was Beaten Before Being
Thrown Into Water.
POINTS SCORED BY DEFENSE

GiIIette's Lawyers Compel Admission
That Dlscoloration Under Eye Could
Have Been Caused by Decomposition.
Symptoms Suggestive of Drowning In
Ordinary Gases, Says Doctor.
Herkimer, N Y, Nov. 27.-Two phy-
sicians who were present at the autop-
sy held On Grace Browns body went
on the stand at the Gillette murder
trial and testified that in their opinion
the girl received blows before entering
the water that were sufficient to cause
death and which did cause death in
this case
DR.. A. o. Douglas and DIR. g. n.
Douglas, both of Little Falls, but not
relatives, declared under oath that
Grace Brown was not drowned It was
their opinion that she died from blows
which killed or rendered her uncon-
scious before her body was dropped in
to Big Moose lake, They declare that
there was not enough water in the
lungs of the body to warrant theory
of drowning.
Injuries Described.
The substance of their testimony,
which occupied the entire day. was
that Grace Brown received one blow
that cut her upper lip and loosened a
tooth, thar another blow discolored her
cheek and ruptured a blood vessel
within it and that third and more Sc
we're blow on the scalp caused blood
clot to form on the brain. The blood
clot on the brain, the physicians swore.
was sufficient in itself to have caused
death.
The condition of the girls eyes. nose.
mouth, lungs and bronchial tubes was
carefully gone over in rigid cross ex-
animation by former Senator Mills,
Gillette's senior counsel.
Tennis Racket Heavy Enough.
DR.. A. O. Douglas said during this
questioning that there were many
symptoms about Grace Browns body
which in ordinary cases would be sug-
gestive of drowning, but he still clung
to the declaration that Grace Brown
died from blows received before inn
mersion He saiz Gillette's tennis
racket was suaiciersly heavy to cause
the injuries he found
The witness for the state had to al
NIT that several Of the conditions in
/ tbe body shown by the autopsy, in
which he took part, were indications Of
drowning
The condition of the girls lungs did
not indicate drowning" said DR.. Doug
las This was stricken out.
Mr., Mills finally forced the witness
TO admit that the discoloration under
the left eye could have been caused by
8ecolnposition. This was considered a
decided victory for Gillette.
Browning of Girl Suggested.
BY cross questioning Mr. Mills elicit
ed the admission that every abnormal
condition formed in the body could
have been caused by drowning strug-
giles.
One Of the answers OF the witness
which caused d sensation was to the
following question:
Doctor. couldn't this mark under the
left eye have been made after the per-
son had entered the water3' ''Yes.''
"Was the scalp cut?7 me"
1.-THE skull fhactured?" mo"
ANY bones broken?' "No.p
In the opinion of many DIR. Douglas
testimony as given on the direct exam
ination had been made to appear in
very different light when the cross ex-
animation was over.
Defense to Have Expert.
In his questioning Mr. Mills was
prompted by DR.. A. Walter Suiter,
local physician of some prominence,
who will be an expert witness for. the
defense.
Mr.. Mills made an effort to prove
that Grace Browns body might have
received the injuries noticeable at the
inquest by coming in contact with the
overturned skiff as her body rose TO
the top of the water.
The questions seemed to indicate
that the defense will seek to show that
the bruises found on Grace Browns
body We're caused by humping against
the bottom of the boat when she rose
tn the Sl1rfaoo Shrno fitpoc fto,. falling