The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-03-31

EXPLAINS.
Bullet Fired Into NOrthy's
N Remains
RESULTS As EVIDENCE
Cooper Trial Testimony Given by Pro-
lessor of Bowdoin--He Explains
Angle at Which Death
Shot Was Fired

Augusta, Me-, March 3I--With the
revolver that killed Charles D. Northey
held in one hand, and the skull of the
dead boy IN the other, Professor Whit
tier Of Bowdoin college, at the trial
OF Mrs. Alice 4 Cooper for the alleged
murder of the victim Of the tragedy,
showed how, according TO his expert
inents, the weapon had been held when
the death bullet was fred.
~ should say" said the witness, "that
the downward angle is about ten degrees
from the horizontal and the backward
angle about thirty degrees,
Mrs. Cooper, who has shown such REL
Iharkable control under the terrific strain
through which she has passed. gazed at
che skull Of her dead friend with blanch-
ing face Dr. Whittier undid the fasten.
ing about it, took the top Off and re-
yealed the brain Of another man that
had been fitted into it. Then the ac-
ciscd woman's head sank and she bid
the sight from her eyes with her hand
kerchief
As a result Of the firing of FIVE shots
from the revolver into the head OF a dead
man, Professor Whittier testified that
the bullets fired foot or more distant
from the human target did not SINCE
the hair nor leave any powder marks.
Az il has been testified that both
singed hair and powder marks were
found on Northcy's head, the prosecu-
ti0n win urge the testimony al evidence
that Mrs. Cooper stood very near 70
her victim when she fired the shot,
while the defense will argue that il
goes 70 prove their contention that
Northey shot himself.
Or. Whittier said he used the Coop
FER revolver and fired five shots at the
head of the corpse, from distances OF
one foot, six inches, three inches, one
inch and three feet
"'rhe first shot, said the witness,
fired at distance OF one foot, entered
the skull on the right side just behind
and above the ear. | found grains Of
powder on the hair, but no sineed hair
and no powder ON the flesh.
"The second shot, fred at q distance
OF six inches, entered the skull AN inch
from the ear ] found siDged hair and
powder embedded in the tissue and on
the hair
s'rhe third shot, fred at distance
Of three inches, showed hair singed and
powder on the hair and in flesh,
"The fourth shot was fred at a dis
lance Of three inches, and showed hair
singed and burned and large amount OF
powder was embedded in the flesh
THE fifth shot was fired from a dis
lance OF three feet. The hair was curled
in the wound / made no microscopic
examination of the hair or tissues. The
hair was not sinpedR
Professor Whittier says that he took
fifty or sixty hairs FROM Northey's head
and had mounted seven Ok them on
slides.
DIR. Whittier further testified that he
had experimental to see whether singed
hair and powder marks on flesh would
be destroyed by decomposition.
II fired revolver at the body Of a
rabbit from distance of three inches,
he said, sand on examination found
marked singeing of hair and powder i'm.
bedded in the flesh.
Then ! buried the body. and a month
later dug it up. There was practically
no change. The hair was still singel
and the powder marks were still in The
flesh
rhis testimony was given 20 offset
the theory that it is believed that the
defense will present that singed haiI
and powder marks disappeared while
Northey's body WAS buried