Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-04
DEFENSE FLO0RED
BY STATES MOVE
Prosecution in Means Case Sud-
denly Rests Without Call
ing New Witnesses.
DOCUMENTS READ
Defense Endeavors to Prove
Claim of Suicidal or Accidental
Shooting of Mrs. King.
TBy Associated prcss a

BY Associated Prcssl
CONCORD. y. g., December 3.-The
state, having sprung the biggest sur
Prise OF the trial of CASTOR +. Means
Charged with the murder Of Mrs. Maudc
a. King, when il rested its case two
hours after court convened this morn
Ing. the defense consumed the major
Lorton OF the day in presenting the
testimony of nearly dozen Of its
witnesses. including Colonel W. g.
Means and Miss Belle Means, father
and sister, respectively. Of the defend
ant and half Il dozen North Carolina
physicians who declared on oath that.
in their opinion. based upon their Sci
entihc knowledge. experience and OBJ
servation. Mrs. King could have in
h!cted the wound that caused her
death.
Some Of these physicians went so
far as TO say they believed the deceased
did FIRE the fatal shot. some of them
thought she could have done so acci-
dentally. but not Intentionally. while
some of them refused TO say whether
they thought she could have shot her
self Intentionally in the way indicated
by the evidence as to the manner in
which the act was committed Most
OF them described experimental tests
which they had made or observed with
a .2o-caliber Colt automatic pistol the
kind with which Mrs. King was killed.
according TO the evidence, in firing at
paper ink blotters at various distances.
both directly and through a hair
switch.
They described the result as oh
served on the blotters and the hair
Generally the blotters showed powder
grains at any distance up to fourteen
inches. the grains being imbedded in
the paper when fired at distance OF
six inches or less, when the hair was
not used. When the hair was put up
against the blotters, there were no
powder grains in the paper. but the
Fair showed the effects of the powder
when the firing was done with the
muZzlc OF the pistol three inches or
less from IT, w. II. Gibson, a Concord
lumberman. told of similar expert
mcnts.
AFTON MEANS AND LAWYER
PRESENT TO SEE TESTS
The physicians admitted on cross
examination that Alton Means, brother
cf the defendant, was present and took
part in the tests and in one Or two in
stances Lee Crowcll, of counsel for the
defense. was present. The State de-
mandcd production in court of the blot
tcrs upon which the experiments we're
made. but they were not produced. Dr.
w. II. Wadswor;h demonstrated to the
jury, with a pistol of tho type in evil
dence in hand. how he believed the
fatal shot could have been fired. hold
ing the automatic in reverse position
in the left hand, extended at arm s
length. with the pistol pointing at the
lack OF the head
He Was given physical assistance by
Judge +. T. Osborne. OF counsel for the
defense. 10 which the state Vigorously
objected and the objection was sus-
tanned by Judge l.. e. Cline, presiding
Solicitor Hayden Clement challenged
the witness to make the demonstration
unassisted, and he admitted that he
could not know when he had the wea-
pom in the riSh; direction to point at
his head without a mirror or assist
ancc.
Other physicians testifyne were Drs
w. D. Reed. w. y. Pennington. J. \.
Hartsell. s. w. Rankin. all OF Concord.
and II. NJ. Wilder OF Charlotte.
l.. y. Weddinston. the undertake er
who prepared the cody of Mrs. King
for burial, and Jim Simpson. his assis-
tant. were called by the defense and
testified that they found a black
smoke ke-like mark diagonally across the
back OF her left hand, running from a
point near the knucklc joint of the
forefinger
w G. Means. Concord lawyer and
father of the defendant. went on the
stand this afternoon and told Of cir
cumstances just before AMI after the
killing Of Mrs. King. and swore that
Mrs. King suggested that the party
take the rife and the little pistol" on
the fatal target practice party which
went to Blackwelder Spring on the
evening of August 90.
MRS. KING ENTHUSIASTIC
OVER HER NARKSMANSHIP
Colonel Means testified that Mrs.
King was enthusiastic for several days
prior to the tragedy, over the progress
she was making in marksmanship with
her pistol.
Judge Cline ruled out the evidence
of the telephone conversation which
the witness described as on the night
Of the tragedy when he said some one,
who claimed TO be n newspaper man.
told him there would have to be a
coroner's inquest. He now believed the
voice over the telephone was that of
{. B. Ambrose. Mr.. Ambrose is an
agent Of the Department Of Justice.
IL was the telephone conversation.
Colonel Means explained. which prompt
cd him TO go that night with his son.
Alton Means. and others, to the scene
OF the shooting, where one slipper and
the pistol were found lying close to-
Eether near the forked sycamore tree
at the spring. He said that when the
party returned to his home in the au-
tomobiie after Inc shooting, bringing
the body OF Mrs. King with them, "A
womans large black hat. trampled and
was In the foot of the car.
1t was taken to his back porch,
where II remained until several days
afterwards. when he told his daughter
to burn 1t; she told him later she had
done so. This accounts for tho fact