Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-16
FIND BULLET
THAT CAUSED
WOMAN DEATH
Missile Battered, CAL
y iber Unknown
Besold Prosecution VIII Probably End
Today and Defense Will Begin,
Though Its Nature Is
Not Known

The prosecution I'm the trial of Anton
Besold. the Bavarian butcher charged
with the murder of his wife, will prob
ably close its case this morning and
the arduous work of the defense VIII
begin with the afternoon.
Yesterday something in the nature
of sensation was sprung when Mrs
Besod's skull was produced in court
and was found to contain a small hole
in the back near the base of the brain.
When the body wa exhumed and
the skull examined, both at the grave
side and during tie preliminary ex-
animation, there were but two holes In
the head one where the bullet entered
at the left temple, small neat hole
the other where 1t broke the skull In
the right temple and lodged there, so
that yesterday both attorneys and
court officers were surprised when the
little hole in the hack Of the skull was
discovered. 1t might have been caused
by accidentally hitting the skull
against some hard substance and a
further investigation of 1t will be made.
Any suicide theory that might have
been advanced in the case received a
severe Jolt yesterday when 1t came to
the examination of the skull. Mrs.
Besold was right handed. Her left
hand at the time of her death was
almost useless from the recent opera
ton on the bones of her left arm.
She was suffering from tuberculosis OF
the bones and could not have raised
her hand to her head, for she wore a
heavy bandage near the elbow. The
shot that killed her was fired from the
left side, entering the left temple, ac-
cording to the testimony. When a
person commits suicide the bullet in
variably ranges upward, because in
placing the point of the revolver to
the temple there is a tendency to have
the butt Of the gun lower than the
muzzle to avoid cramping the wrist.
The bullet that killed Mrs. Besold was
fired from revolver or rifle that
pointed slightly downward. for the
leaden pellet came out on the right
side of the skull lower than on the
left, probably showing that whoever
fired the shot was taller than the wo-
man, so that the murdere's hand rest
ed at lower altitude than his shoulder
when he fired the fatal shot.
Dr. Campbell, the autopsy surgeon,
yesterday created u sensation in court
when he produced a bullet which he
testified he had taken from the skull.
He stated in evidence that the bullet
had broken the right temporal bone,
but had dropped back in the skull in
stead of outside, as its force had been
spent by contact with the skull bones.
The bullet was of caliber anywhere
from 80 to 80. the exact size being
indeterminate because of it's battered
condition. But 1t was probably a 80
bullet from the testimony of expert
gun men who were in court. Besold
was known to carry a revolver of that
size.
Many witnesses testified during the
day, most of them being northerners,
who testified of Besold telling them
that his wife had died of tuberculosis.
The rings. valued at $500, and a
feather boa, valued at $50, which had
belonged to Mrs. Besold, were intro
duced in evidence.
Besold throughout the day took a
keen interest in the proceedings and
continually suggested questions to his
attorneys. He seemed in good spirits
and laughed occasionally.
The corpus deficit has not yet been
proven nor has the defense even in
timated what it's course would be. The
only portion of proof which the prose-
cution will be unable to furnish will
be q witness to the shooting, but the
chain of circumstantial evidence is
apparently complete.