The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-10-31

didn t see Richards when he first went |
in and didn t know what he did at /
that time Witness thought Richards |
must have been in the restaurant - /.
or Il minutes He admitted that he
didn t see anything that he could de |
scribe definitely and felt sure that if
Field had been in front Of Richards |
(between Richards and the spot where
the witness STOOD he could not have
seen him. Oakes could not identify
Grow as the man who was standing
near him when the assault took place.
Herbert Rhoades of Bellows Falls
told of going mp Rockingham street
about Q clock the evening Of Aug. 3
and seeing Field in the doorway Of
the restaurant He stopped a minute
and talked with Field. who appeared
to be in a perfectly natural condition
and did not complain Of having sus-
tanned an injury.
Mrs. Nettic NJ Howard. an cmploye
Of l.. T. Loyell, saw both Mr.. and Mrs.
Field in the stable about 9 clock the
evening of Aug 9. She heard both Of
them talking and felt sure that Field
acted naturally and complained Of no
/ III Jury. There was no cross -eXamina-
| tion
Mrs. Mary II. Oakes Of Bellows Falls
/ also saw the Fields in Lowell S stable
/ that evening and heard them talking.
| Mr.. Field did not talk as ii there was
anything the matter with him. On
| cross examination the witness said she
heard Mrs. Field mention her black
ieve.
The next witness called was Dr.
/ Charles l.. Scuddcr Of Boston, a sur
geon at the Massachusetts General
hospital and author of a text book on
the treatment OF fractures which nc
said was considered an authority Dr.
Scudder said he had looked into the
case under inquiry and had III mind
the injuries that Field received. He
said tho blow that caused the fracture
iof the skull must have been one of
considerable force and must ncceSSari-
lv have caused concussion. which he
defined at length as distinguished from
compression. The blow. he said. must
have caused uncousciousnes>: in other
words, the person must have been COM
IpleteIv Knocked out for matter Of
hours rather than minutes. In his opiu-
ion it would have been absolutely i'm
ipossible for the person receiving the
blow 10 have acted a. some OF the
fpreViOuS witnesses had testified he had
acted afterward. lie had never seen
such a fracture produced bv fist blow
and thought that a person would have
had to have been pushed with great
violence against an object in order 10
iproduce II that way. The fact that the
tsEju of thc head was not injured iudi-
lcated 10 him that no sharp instrument
tcaused the fracture and he thought the
.nerve centers controlling the power of
motion must have been affected al
least Indirectly If the man had re
covered consciousness the witness
thought he would have experienced
considerable pain.
Dr. SENDER was cTts ss-cxamincd bv
Attorney General Brown as to how
soon person receiving sueh a blow
might have recovered consciousness af-
ter losing it, Tue doctor thought it
/, wogli have been more than nm hour
He admitted that the thickness OF
the skull would have TO do with tn,
force necessary to produce the frac
, ture. I'm his opinion man ~uiierin.
from such a blow might be able 10 un
deIstand what was said to him. hut
would not be able TO reply He al
mlttcd that a physician OF cNpericuc,
who had attended the ease would b,
T. better able to Judge il than himself
On further examination by Mr. Mo
u loney. Dr. Scudder said that othe
y cases in which the after effects nigh
4 have been different did not alter hi
: opinion about the case under consider
y alton. and that he had in mind whei
Itestifvug that Field : skull was thin
l ner than that of the average man. II,
said the fracture was one Of the thick
: er portions of the skull.
Or. James I. Q Bricu. Below
Falls physician who was present at tn
> Eautopsy, remembered seeing a bloo
' clot on the top OF the head under tn
) scalp, and expressed the opinion tina
Field must have lost consciousness In
. mediately after receiving the blow. ]
: his opinion, if the blow had been d5
!, liYered at D. m, the man would no
I" have been able to walk or appea
naturally ut amy time during the ever
: ing. Cross-eXamined by Attorney GeI
! eral Brown, Dr. 0 'Brien said he didn
believe the man receiving the bio
: would ever have been able to walk {
: talk although he might have been ahI
to understand what was said to him.
= Dr. William L. Iazelton OF BELOW
= Fails did not attend the autopsy an
! had never seen George Field but e,
- pressed the opinion that the blow .
\ described must have been Of considc
=, able force, that the person reccivin
=" it would have been knock ked ont = IL
= mediatciy and that it was inconccivi
bic that there would be no loss of CO..
sciousness. In response to question
by the attorney general Dr. HazeltC
ne said he didn t believe the man ev,
IS recovered consciousness after he ":
II struck
~ DR.. Edward Kirkland of Bellov
r Falls saw the autopsy and thought Il
IS blow that caused the fracture of Il
at skull would have produced immedia
he unconsciousness. He was not positi'
te rs to how long the condition wou
le. last. but felt sure that the man wou
" not have been able TO walk. talk