The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-08

by DR.. Cleshorn. The brain was re-
moved. When the autopsy was
finished the body, and especially the
battered head, was 40 treated by the
undertaken as to partially disguise the
injuries that had caused Hollis death.
Today, when the newspapermen In
spected the body, II was observed that
the skull had undoubtedly been frac-
tured. The break ran from the base
of the nose to the center OF the top
of the head, inclning slightly to tho
right. II was indeed just such frac-
ture as might have been caused by
hard fan. But there was another
rev injury which provoked comment.
1t was a small. elliptical hole just
above the right eyebrow, something
nf the sort of hole that bullet fred
= at an angle could have made The
edges Of this wound were clean. The
hole itself had been filled with putty.
In fact. the undertaken said that he
had placed putty in IL TO improve the
appearance OF the head. Asked IL
this was an unusual proceeding, ne
said no. that he had often used
ar1ificial means to better the appear
ance of corpse.
Many Doubtful Circumstances.
with all of these things in mind
the excited shouts in the jail just
after Holt came to death. the hrst
story told by Ryan, the hasty autopsy.
the queer wound over the right eye,
and the means taken to disguise IL, the
persistent story (which even reached
District Attorney Lewis J. SMITH that
there had been an explosion at the
moment of Hollis death---the news
paper men asked District Attorney
Smith frankly this evening IL he be-
lieved that Holt had committed
suicide by jumping from the roof OF
1.-THE steel cell block, or had killed him.
self by means of pistol or fulminat-
ling cap? Did he believe the story
told by the Jail guards, and was he
willing TO accept IL without further
Investigation The District Attorney
said unreservedly that he believed
the story and that he saw no reason
for further investigation of the cir
lcumAsnces of the death: He pro-
duced a formal report which he had
drawn up and signed. and which Will
be submitted TO the coroner tomorrow
afternoon when the coroner, Walter
r. Jones holds the inquest at Hemp
stead. Mr.. smith had set forth these
facts as they were reported TO him.
He had particularly and specifi-
caIIy ordered that Holt be watched
every minute He had directed that
all of the mans clothes except rough
: sbir; he taken fron him for. fear that
}
= hang himself. He had directed that
: no utensils except a tin cup for water
/ he allowed In Hollis cell He had
: given no orders concerning the locking
OF the cell dorr, or other doors. be-
= cause that was the business OF the
warden, william Huise.
ON Tuesday night at 1890 O'Clock
said the district attorneys statement
: he received a message that Holt had
, i .4tt irtd nv
( thing in his cell" Presumably. though
, Mr. smith did not say so. that message
/ came direct from The jail. He went
TO the iail as soon az possible, by
midnight. and he found Hollis body
/ lying in a narrow corridor between
, the Jail wall and the cell block. IL
/ was within about fifteen feet of the
( south wall Of the JAN, ana CON
, siderable distance from the cell In
, which Holt had been confinedb.
No Evidence of Explosion.
The examination of DR.. CleEhorn,
/. continued the report, showed that
Holt's skull was fractured. There
was no evidence of an explosion hav-
ing taken place. Ryan, the saard on
duty, Informed the district attorney
that lust preceding the suicide, ne,
p~ar Mad observed that. Holt was
sleeping soundiy on the bunk In cell
3 of the west tier Ryan says he
heard Holt snoring A sound from
the east tier disturbed the guard. ne
} told Mr.. smith. and he hurried TO the
. east tier to stop the noise. AZ ne
turned back he heard noise IKE
. an explosion. He ran back. found
Hollis cell empty. searched around ~
t the gloom, and finally stumbled over
the body where IL lay outside of the
! steel cage.
Coroned Jones. Undertaken Cornell
and Dr. CIeghorn were summoned,
said Mr. Smiths report. DR.. Greg
horn performed the autopsy at hemp
stead and decided absolutely that
Holt had died from fractured Skull
caused by his fail from the roof OF
i the cell cake TO the cement floor or the
corridor.
Il That was as far as the report went
hut Mr.. smith, under questioning. SAID
) t,,at there could be no doubt that Ho't
) haa found an opportunity to leave
!, mis- cell, undetected. had opened the
unlocked cell door and the unlocked
corridor door. had walked around ou'-
: side of the cell cage, had cifmoer the
natural ladder afforded by the regular
barring of the cell cage. had gained
the roof OF the cell cage. fourteen
feet above the Jail noor, ana then had
leaped head first to the floor II was
Il sa4g asassas.s, apsalan.. that r. ts. wet w
from over duty perhaps, had gone 70
sleep while sitting in front OF Hoits
cell. Smith said 1t was nonsense 10
! suppose that Holt had shot himself
or dynamited himself, or, In fact,
that his death had, been caused by
) means other than officially reported.
But. he was asked. don't you
intend to order formal inyestiga-
| tionq Are you satisfied that 1t was
all right to leave both doors unlock
ed. all right for Ryan TO leave his
post or go to sleep. all right 10 have
a nasty autopsy and enforce such
secrecy: that everything, in fact was
ali right
Ryan Loses His Job.
Quite satisfied" said the district
attorney. "Of course, Ryan will pot
be allowed to guard anybody else"
There were very angry people in
Mineola and the country around today
when II became known that because
of laundering methods Holt had been
permitted TO kill himself. Some or
the angry ones recalled that jerry
Ryan, a man OF more than sixty years,
was not regular Jail guard, but
merely court bailiff, Before Sheriff
.is. c. Petit left Mineola 20 start for
Bhs San Francisco exposition he ask