The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-07

facts to be true:
First, there had been a quarrel be-
tween Ellis and the Colonel on the
afternoon after Thornton's return.
This was sworn to by little colored
boy, in CARROTS employ, who had
overheard the high words, and the
Coloners threat to disinherit Ellis.
The boy also said that, far from hav-
ing turned Thornton out of his home
a second time, the colonel had affec-
tionately invited him to take up his
residence there on the morrow. he
had been afraid to substantiate Thorn
toms statements to this effect. made
at the trial. This established strong
motive for the murder having been
committed by Ellis.
Secondly, the bullet fired from the
fixed rifle by the foreman Of the jury
| was of plain lead, tipped with nickel.
The bullet that had killed Colonel
Garrett, while Of the same caliber,
had a slightly thinner coating. This
fact, while not necessarily suspicious,
induced me to call in "a friend, an ex.
pert in mechanics.
What would be the effect on the
flight of thinner bullet?' | asked
1T would not carry quite so far, on
account of the smaller initial momen-
tum." he answered.
| Then" | said. after explaining the
situation, IF the bullet fired by the
foreman fell at certain fixed point,
a slightly lighter bullet"
| would have to be fired a little
nearer to fall at the same point" he
replied.
But that proves nothing" l said in
despair.
He smiled Everything is capable
of proof he answered. Have you
the experts opinions given at the
| trials?"
| Well, we sent for the records.
shall never forget how, with only a
| week of life for Thornton, with the
| girls pleading face ever before me,
and her confidence that almost UNI
nerved me. we debated the pros and
cons of ballistics.
In all that mass of detail it was
hard to set a ringer upon the salient
point. 1t was not until the third day
| that the expert hit on fact which
was to change the entire situation
The court experts, men hired by the
state, had traced the course of the
bullet with exactitude, from the mo.
| Z Iar ho rsH h 20 =.
rett The rifle had been, as | said
fixed; consequently it had been inn
possible to sight it. It was fired at
point-blank range, but the rife was
fixed at an upward slant of nine de-
grees, which was the equivalent OF
800 yards sighting. The bullet had
then, travelled at an upward slant OF
nine degrees until it reached the exact
center of the distance; then it had
described fall of nine degrees as il
went on its course, until it pierced
Garrett through the throat.
Replying to question, the leading
expert had compared the flight of the
bullet to the rebound of billiard bal
from the cushion.
"The angle of incidence is equal tc
the angle of rebound" he had ex
planned. THE angle at which bull
let fred, or stone thrown, rises, Is
that at which 1t falls"
Hes wrong!" shouted my friend
excitedly. 1--WE have him, Heard
That law has been shown to be in
correct"
How"
Because the billiard ball runs on ,
level surface with an equal gravity
attraction everywhere. The falling
bullet, with a lessening momentum, II
more strongly attracted by the eartf
than the rising bullet. Watt"
He covered a whole sheet with fig
ures. "a bullet rising at an angle o
nine degrees" he announced, will
fall at an angle of thirteen"
More steeply?'
"Perceptibly."
Then it was fired from a close
range!"
He covered the back of the shee
with further figuring. "At seven hun
dred and twenty-seven yards" he an
swered.
We traced the yards out from the II
brary window. I remember the curl
Gus group of onlookers, and Eli
|, among them. coldly skeptical. TIL
bee line took us past the edge of tn
, wall of the buffers cabin and w
halted in an open space between tn
house and the trees.
THE bullet was fired from here,
announced the expert
And the trail had led us nowhere
Nothing had been proved. nothing dis
proved. We stared at each other Il
bitter humiliation.
Suddenly light came to me. "Yo
haven't allowed for the different bu
lett" I shouted.
Whose make? How many grains
He pulled paper book from his pocl
ct and in moment we were both ca
culating.
Seven hundred and two yards, les
five inches he said
How we measured back those FEY
, PAGES. / recollect the change in E
|, lis looks, the sneers. We halted a
the extreme angle of the rebuilt cabiI
, My friend measured the inches up tn
, wall. We saw round hole in the mic
!, die of brick outside the butler
. spare room.
!, ! saw Ellis Tomlinson hurry int
the house. and, hardly yet understand
ing what had occurred, rushed afte
. him. He slammed the door and trie
, to bolt it, but forced it open. | wa
Just too late. | heard a shot and