The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-10

First. there had been quarrel De-
tween Ellis and the Colonel OF the
afternoon after Tho-uton's return
Tits was swo-n 20 By little colored
boz. II Gzrrsus employ, -ho lad
overheard the high words. and the
ColoasTs threat 70 disinhs-it Ellis
The bog also said that fa- from hsT-
tng turned Thornton ont Of his home
: second tine, the colonel had alec
aonstsly invited hin 10 take Up his
residence there OF the Do-To~- he
had been afraid 10 subs-aatisIe Thorn.
tons statements 70 this effect made
at the trial This established strong
motive 70, the murder having been
committed By Ella
Secondly, the buIle. fred from the
txsd rife By the foreman Of the Jury
vas Of plain lead tipped With nickel
Tie bullet TIA. had killed Colonel
Garrett while % the same czliber.
had = slightly thinner coating. This
fact, while not necessarily suspicious,
induced ne 10 call il friend, an e1.
Pert II mechanics
VIVA, would be the effect OF the
fight Of thinner bullet" asked
II would no. carry quite so far. IN
account 0! the smaller initial monen-
tun. he answered
Then. said after explaining the
situation. Z the bullet fired b. The
foreman fell al a certain fixed point,
a slightly lighter bullet
Would have 10 be fred . little
nearer 10 tan a TIE same point be
replied
Bp, ,ha, prorss nothing said IN
despair
H smiled everything IS capable
Of proof. he answered Hare you
the experts opinions gwen at the
.-iaisS~
Wen. we sent fo- the records |
shall never forget how. with only a
week Of life for Thornton. with the
girls pleading face ever before ne,
and her confidence that almost IN
ne-ved ne. re debated the pros and
cons Of ballistics.
II al that mass OF detail il was
hard 10 set niger upon the salient
point It was not until the third day
that the expert bit on fact which
was to change the entire situation.
The cour. experts. men hired by the
state, had traced the course of the
bullet with eIactitude. from the mo-
{. irs. - {, Lss
rett The rife had been. as said.
fixed: consequently it had been i'm.
possible 10 sight IL II vas fred at
point-blank range, but the rife was
fixed at an upward slant OF nine de-
grees, which was the equivalent Of
500 yards sighting. The bullet had.
then, travelled al an upward slant Of
nine degrees until ii reached the exact
center OF the distance: then it had
described a fall of nine degrees as it
went on its course. until it pierced
Garrett through the throat
Replying TO a question. the leading
expert had compared the fight Of the
bullet to the rebound Of a billiard ball
from the cushion.
The angle Of incidence lie equal TO
the angle Of rebound" he had ex.
planned. The angle at which a bull.
let fred, or stone thrown. rises. is
that at which it falls
Hes wrong" shouted my friend
excitedly. We have him. Heard.
That law has been shown to be in.
correct"
How
because the billiard ball runs on q
level surface with an equal gravity
attraction everywhere. The falling
bullet, with lessening momentum. is
, more strongly attracted by the earth
than the rising bullet. Wait"
He covered a whole sheet with fg.
! ures. a bullet rising at an angle Of
nine degrees" he announced, will
fall at an angle Of thirteen"
More s,eeply.-
"Perceptibly-
Then it was fred from a closer
range.-
He covered the back Of the sheet
with further figuring AT seven hun.
dred and twenty-seven yards" he an.
svered
We traced the yards out from the Ii.
brary window. remember the curl.
Gus group OF onlookers, and Ellis
among them. ooldly skeptical. The
bee line took Us past the edge Of the
wall Of the buffers cabin and we
halted in an open space between the
house and the trees.
The bullet was fred from here
announced the expert
And the trail had led US nowhere
Nothing had been proved. nothing dis.
! proved. We stared al each other In
bitter humiliation.
Suddenly light came to me You
haven't allowed for the different bull.
lett ! shouted.
Whose make. How many grains -
He pulled paper book from his peck.
et and in a moment We were both cal.
culatinr.
Seven hundred and two yards. less
Eve inches he said.
How we measured back those few
PAGES ] recollect the change in El.
lis looks, the sneers- We halted a.
, the extreme angle Of the rebuilt cabin
My friend measured the inches Up the
van. We saw a round hole in the mid.
die OF a brick outside the buffers
/ spare room.
saw Ellis Tonlinson hurry into
ne house. and. hardly yet understand.
ing VIA, had occurred. ! rushed after
him He slammed the door and tried
TO bolt i. but ! forced it open. I was
Just too late. I heard a shot and a