The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-01
Witnesses Go Into Detail
About Initiation Cere-
mony and Actions Of
Gustin and Kenny
PHYSICIANS GIVE
EXPERT TESTIMONY
ON ELECTRIC SHOCK
All Find 1t Difficult to Understand
Just How Deaths We're Caused.
Think Bodies Embalmed
Too Hastily

10 the best OF MS belleI ana knoWleuSF,
David U. williams, secretary of the local
lodge of the Loyal order of Moose, was
tIrning the crank OF the electric generator
which is alleged to have electrocuted Don
aid A. Kenny and Christopher c. Gustin
on Thursday night, July "a, during their
initiation, according to the testimony of
DIR. L. C. Neill, lodge physician of the
Moose order, before the coroners jury
yesterday afternoon in the second di-
vision of the criminal court room. Drs
Neill proved reluctant witness.
The inquest into the mysterious deaths
of Kenny and Gustin was begun at
promptly 10 o'clock by Coroner c. L.
Spain Attorneys for the Gustin and Ken
ny families were not admitted, and the
inquest was held behind closed doors.
At the afternoon session the court room
Of the second division of the criminal
court was taken, and Mr.. Spain allowed
all the newspaper men in to the proceed
ings.
Yesterday 10 witnesses in all were
examined by the jurymen, coroner and
assistant solicitor. The testimony OF
the medical men showed that both
Kenny and Gustin were in the best of
health and that while they would not
positively state that electrocution was
the cause of death there were many
signs that pointed to such a cause They
all agreed with the exception of DR..
Nein that the apparently hasty en-
balming had rendered impossible find
ing exactly whether the shock they
received at Moose hall had caused
death.
Embalmer Gives Testimony
Other features of the inquest in
cluded the testimony of Earle A.
Spangler, embalmer at Shaw's, who re-
peated his charges that DR.. l.. c. Neill,
the lodge physician, had directed him
to attend to the Kenny body and leave
Gustin's alone as another ambulance
was coming for that. 1t was brought
out that the other ambulance was
Johns, but that they were unable to
make the run and turned the call over
10 Shaw, who made 1t for the Johns
An Interesting part of the
testimony was the various stunts"
that were described by the witnesses as
pertaining TO The initiation practices of
the Moose.
The iurymen smiled rcminiseentIy
when witnesses told of walking the hot
sands and. of the booking ring,'s while
the "dancing mat" the quick shave"
and the branding test" were all de-
scribed and their effects on the ne
ophytes explained. From the testimony
it appeared as though the side work" as
it was called was one electric shock
after another when one was initiated
in the Moose Under oath DR.. L. C. Neill
testified that all the electric parapher-
MALTA had been secured from the local
lodge OF Elks, the Elks having discon-
tinued these methods of initiation.
Spain Pleased With Jury
The jury was empaneled by Coroner
c. l.. Spain and sworn at 1910 o'clock.
AS Coroner Spain paraphrased 1t: 1T
was the best jury that had ever been
gathered together in jefferson county,"
Their names follow: Ben NJ Jacobs,
Robert Holtam, w c. Hill, ID. E. Haes-
ten, j. E. Nolan and W. A. Lester.
Charles NJ Burris of 2201 Fifth avenue
was called as the first witness.
The Burris testimony was to the effect
that he was q member of the Cincinnati
Ledge of Moose and that on Thursday
night, July "a, he went to Moose hall at
1S071b Fourth avenue, north, and assisted
in the initiation by acting as conductor
which he explained consisted of bringing
in candidates. Burris testified that as
he brought in Christopher GUSTS, he was
asked
You are not going to kill me are your
mo, no, but if we do We'll send some
flowers to the funeral" was the joking
reply of Burris.
Burrs stated that he did not see the
so-called fitting board and that the first
thing he knew of any trouble was when
he saw members of the lodge working
over Gustin. He said the magnetic had
been used In the branding test and that
it was applied only for a second He
also said that about l6 men had gone
through before Gustin. Asked If drinks
were served in Moose hall on that night
witness replied In the affirmative.
Solicitor Hugh Locke closely questioned
MIR. Burris but the only further infor-
nation gained was that the branding
test was not called for in the ritual OF
the Moose order.
Expert Electrician Called
The second witness called was Frank p
Lawrence. an expert electrician Mr.
Lawrence testified that from 1860 to 2990
volts were necessary with about three
amperes to kill man. However. Mr.
Lawrence later said that a man could he
killed by a much smaller voltage than
that under certain circumstances. He ein-
phatically stated that he was not willing
to risk a shock from the small electrical
generator identified as the one used in
Moose hall in initiating the candida tes.
but would not state under the close ques-
tioning of Mr. Locke that it was power
full enough to cause death.
Mr.. Lawrence stated that the faster the
crank was turned in the small generator
the greater the voltage He said that a
damp skin would be a much better con
ductor than a dry one and that the cur
rent was more sever the longer applied
also that he had seen a man killed by a
shock of 220 volts.
The witness testified that he had made
repairs on the generator used by the
Moose and another of their electric de-
vices and that IN his opinion it would
not kill man, but he was unwilling to
sit down and be strapped and have the
current turned on him. The generator
he said. would not cause burn and the
sudden application of high voltage would
not be more severe than if gradually ap-
piled.
j. M. Miller Examined
j. B. Miller, member of the Moose
and present at the killing of Kenny and
Gustin, did not feve-i much. He said
that when the branding test was given
him he felt a tickling sensation. but that
it was not serious. The first he knew