Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-10-02
EV OEMCE GIVEN FOR CITY
Experts Testify in Case Brought
by J. A. Leary's Administrator.
Nothing, in Their Opinion, TO Prove
That Nr. Lcnry Was KILLED by n
High Tension Electric
Current.

Fridays session of the Leary case of
alleged cectrocution against the city
was uneventful. Counsel for the city con-
tlnued to put on witnesses and seemed to
strengthen the clty's case materially.
Stress was laid upon the facts attending
the death and particul~rly the clrcum-
stance that the deceased remained stand
ing long enough after his daughter heard
his groans for her to cross from the store
through the meat market and on going
down the stairs speak to him before he
topplcd over. Another thing dwelt upon
was the blister upon the hand of the
deceased
The electrical expert called by the de-
Tense, f. i. Fairbanks Of Boston, was
on the stand when court began the morn
ing session. He was called upon to an
swer number Of Hypothetical questions
relating to the manner OF death, and the
blister found upon the hand of the de-
ceased He testified that man killed by
, a high -tenson current would not have re-
NAMED standing so long. He also gave 1t
as his opinion that any current Of deadly
and dangerous proportions would have
burned away the flesh of the hand instead
of causing mere blister.
on cross-examination Mr.. Fairbanks
was given the fixture found in the dead
mans hand and requested to take it
apart. AS he took it apart attention was
called to the fiber Insulation guarding
various parts from the current. His
opinion seemed to be hat this fixture
might have been the best once and was
not dangerous for a current of 10i volts,
but that prescnt-day porcelain fixtures
had made the old type obsolete.
After Mr.. Fairbanks had testified, Pr
nest O'Bricn Of Rutland was called to the
stand and testified to being told by DR..
Dalton that the family of the deceased
told him that MIR. Leary had suffered
from heart trouble. II. H. Hickok testi-
fled to the same facts.
At thcafternoon session the testimony of
Psychologists was taken Or f. T.. Clark,
after peerng for some time through a
gigantic microscope announced that he
did not know that the Cross-scction of the
blister from Mr. Leary'4 hand indicated
anything at all. He lad been asked
whether it indicated the effect of a deadly
and dangerous current. and indicated a
negative to that question.
In order that the jury might understand
the anatomy of a burned hand, DR. Clark
exhibited to the jury various charts show
ing the structure of the skin. These he
eXpounded at some length to the jury
DR.. Clark was of the opinion that the
blister In question could not have been
caused by a high tension wire as that
would have destroyed the flesh more
deeply.
~ iary, In
ra ted in many essentials by DIR. John Nc
Craze of Montreal, "a professor in McGill
College medical school. DR.. McCrae testi-
fed that the immobilty of the victim be-
| fore falling was common element in a
certain type of cases of angina pectors
| and the presence of sclerosis in the corol-
| larry arteries was a further indication of
death from angina pectoris He further
said that he had never heard of a high
! tension current causin~ a blister