The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-14
BODY IS EXHUMED
MOTHER OF SUTTON VIEWS HIS
REMAINS.
Attorneys Declare He Did Not XIII
Himself, But Surgeons Are Ret
icent-Will Make On
cial ReDOrt.

Washington, D. c., Sept. 13.-When
the body of Lieutenant James N. SUIT
ton. Jr., the young marine officer, who
met his death about two years ago at
Annapolis, was exhumed at Arlington
Cemetery this afternoon an autopsy
performed by physicians representing
the Navy Department and young SUIT
tons mother, disclosed the fact that
no bones were broken, although a con-
fusion was found over the right eye.
1t has been Mrs. Sutton's contention
that her sons arm had been broken in
the fight which preceded his death,
and that this being the case, the shot
which ended his life, could not have
been self-inflicted.
Dr. George Tulley Vaughan, of this
city, who. represented Mrs. Sutton at
the autopsy, said tonight that the bull
let wound which caused his death was
three inches above the right ear and
was clean cut. There was no indica-
ton that the hair and scalp had been
burned by powder
Surgeon Spear, who represented the
Navy Department declined to make a
statement tonight, saying that ne in
tended to make a report direct to the
Navy Department.
Attorney Van Dyke, assistant coun-
sci for Mrs. Sutton. said tonight that
he was convinced that the shot had
been fired at least five feet from the
officers head and that the wound show
ed conclusively that 1t was a physical
impossibility for Sutton to have fired
the shot.
While the Sutton attorneys are said
to have made their plans for the next
step in the case, they declined to dis
cuss them tonight.
DIR. vaughan Will make a full writ
ten report of the findings of the au-
topsy to Mrs. Sutton tomorrow. He
issued the following statement tonight
for the press:
"I found the body in a fair state of
preservation, except a softening of the
chest trunk and arms. 1 found no
homes broken. There was a confusion.
or bruise over the right eye, about
two and a half inches by one and a
half inches. The bullet wound In the
scalp was three inches above the right
ear. There was no sign of burning of
the hair. There were two or three
cuts in connection with the bullet
wound. one in the scalp near the bull
let hole and the other about the mid
die of the scalp This last cut may have
been made at the post mortem, or by
blunt instrument before death"
Attorney Van Dyke said the autopsy
disclosed that neither the arms or any
ribs were broken. The bullet hole was
made bV ullet Oo-CdilDIe
yolyer. he said. A 3S-calibre revolver
was found beside the body. MT Van
Dyke said that after consultation with
specialists in gun shot wounds, he was
convinced that the shot was fired at
least five feet from the victims head.
If II had been fired at close range, he
said, the bullet would have cracked
the skull and gone through the head.
Present at the grave when the body
was disinterred were Mrs. sutton, sew
eral friends, her attorneys. several
surgeons and a number of newspaper
men. Mrs. sutton was the first per-
son to look upon the face of her dead
son when the casket was opened. AZ
ter leaving the store room, where the
body lay, she said to the newspaper
men who were waiting outside:
"I want you newspaper men to go
in there and see for yourselves that
his poor head Is crushed"
After viewing the body, the news
paper men were excluded and the sur
geons began the autopsy.
The attorneys for Mrs. Sutton want
ed to take away the scalp to use 1t as
evidence. and also TO take some pho
tographs of the body. but the Navy
Department officials refused to allow
either
After the autopsy had been complet-
ed. the body was placed in new coffin
provided by the government and was