Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-09-25
MEANS, ARRAIGNED
FOR KING MURDER,
|. PLEADS NOT GUILTY
Coroner'S Physician Says Wild
ow Could Not Have Fired
Fatal Shot-Uhdertaker and
Others Testify at Hearing

CONCORD, N. c., Sept 24.-Dr. Will
liam H. Burmeister. chief coroner's
physician of Cook county, Illinois, testi-
fed today at the preliminary hearing
of CASTOR B. Means that in his optimism
it would have been impossible for Mrs.
Maude A. King to have held the pistol
which inflicted the fatal wound in the
back of her head near here August 20.
Means. who is charged with the MUIR
der of Mrs. King, testified at the coro-
ners inquest that Mrs. King accident
ally shot herself. ,..
P DR. Burmeister also said there was
no evidence of powder burns around the
wound He was the second witness.
UNDERTAKINGS TESTIMONY.
l.. A. Wellington, undertaken who
handled Mrs. Kings body, was the first
witness to be called by the state. He
told of being called by Alton Means to
prepare Mrs. Kings body the night of
the alleged murder and of shipping. in
a Theoretically sealed casket ina steel
case, to Asheville in company with At
ton and CASTOR Means, August 30th.
The questions here indicated the state
believes there was a discussion between
CASTOR Means and Mrs. Anne L. Robin
POSITION OF Mrs. Kings body
The casket. Weddington said. was
opened there for Mrs, Robinson and then
taken to Chicago at b. CT. Means order.
"All he said was we have decided to
take the body to Chicago, said Wed
dington.
Means went with the body to the grave
yard in Chicago, sticking close by it, the
witness said.
cI KipO had m,
heeled slippers when she stumbled and
fell. discharging the pistol. he says, ac-
cidentally killing her. Wellington tes-
titled Mrs. King had on no slippers or.
anything but hose on her feet when he
got the body the night of her death
He remembered that because he exam
ined her broken ankle.
Wellington said it was either Gas
ton Means or Mrs Melvin who sug-
gested the party stop al Cincinnati en-
route to Chicago ito get some flowers"
DR. VIM. Burmeister. chief of the cor
oner's physician of Chicago, who has
the bullet taken from Mrs Kings head
al the midnight autopsy in Chicago aft
er the authorities suspicious were
aroused, then took the stand.
His testimony is expected to prove
that Mrs. King could not have died ac-
cidentally or by her own hand as Means
says she did.
He described the autopsy
DESCRIBES WOUND.
Burmeister, in describing the wound
told how the bullet entered two inches
above and two behind the left ear and
described a circle conforming to the
contour of the skull as 1t raced through
the millionaire woman's brain.
Burmeister swore that Mrs. Kings
arms were not long enough for her TO
hold the gun far enough away to infict
the death wound and leave no powder
burns
Resides" said he, "she was right
handed and wouldn't have shot herself
on the left side of the head, anyhow"
The defense here questioned Burmeis-
ters qualification as a gunshot expert.
The court said he could answer
Burmeister swore:
1T is my opinion that the deceased
could not have fired the shot that killed
her from a gun in her own hand"
The lead and steel bullet fragments
taken from Mrs. Kings brain were here
introduced. 1t was, Burmeister said, a
25-caliber steel-jacket bullet such as
could be fred from rs Colt automatic
pistol"
CASTOR Means gun was a 25-caliber
Colt automatic 1t was introduced in
evidence.
TELLS OF TESTS.
Burmeister bolstered these assertions
by declaring that tests on plotting paper
with a 25-caliber Colt automatic showed
that at ten inches distance powder burns
showed on the paper, and that Mrs.
King, on whom there were no powder
burns, could not have held a gun more
than ten inches behind her ear and fired
il so the bullet would have entered her
head as it did.
Z. T. Canister for the defense. tried to
batter down Burmeister's statement but
failed. He asked Burmeister If he hadn't
decided these tests before ne made the
autopsy. This precipitated a sharp tilt
between Canister and Solicitor Clement
as to Canster's abuse of the witness.
Canister claimed the right TO impeach the
witness II he could, and proceeded
DIR. Burmeister testified that Mrs
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