The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-08


vestigations proved the following
facts to be true:
First, there had been 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
Colonel's threat to disinherit Ellis.
The boy also said that, far from hav-
ing turned Thornton out Of his home
q second time, the colonel had a1ec-
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 slightly thinner coating. This
fact, while not necessarily suspicious,
induced me to call in 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,
Slightly lighter bullet"
would have to be fired little
nearer to fall at the same point" he
replied.
But that proves nothing" 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. l
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 un-
nerved me, we debated the pros and
cons of ballistics.
In all that mass of detail ii was
hard to set a finger 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-
ment it left the rifle until it hit Gar
rett. The rifle had been, as | said,
fixed; consequently it had been i'm.
possible to sight it. 1t was fired at
point-blank range, but the rifle 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 1t had
described 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 flight of the
bullet to the rebound of billiard ball
from the cushion.
"The angle Of incidence is equal to
the angle of rebound" he had ex-
planned. THE angle at which a bull
let fired. or stone thrown, rises. is
that at which it 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 a
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. Watt"
He covered a whole sheet with fig
ures. "A bullet rising at an angle of
nine degrees" he announced, will
fall at an angle of thirteen"
More steeply?"
"Perceptibly."
Then 1t was fired from a closer
range!"
He covered the back of the sheet
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 Ellis
among them, coldly 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 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 in
bitter humiliation.
Suddenly light came to me. You
haven't allowed for the different bull
lett" I shouted.
Whose make? How many grains ?"
He pulled paper book from his peck.
ct and in moment we were both cal.
culating.
Seven hundred and two yards, less
five inches" he said.
How we measured back those few
PAGES! ! recollect the change in e.
lis looks, the sneers. :. We halted at
the extreme angle of the rebuilt cabin.
My friend measured the inches up the
wall. We saw a round hole in the mid.
die Of brick outside the buffers
spare room.
l saw Ellis Tomlinson hurry into
the house, and. hardly yet understand.
ing what had occurred, / rushed after
him. He slammed the door and tried
to bolt it, but forced IL omen II was