New-York tribune., 1917-12-04
Doctors Disagree
On Powder Marks
Smudge on Mrs. Kings S
Finger May Save Life
Of the Accused
IStdf Correspondence


when the state rested its case with
Means voyagins mystcriously some
where on Chesapeake Bay
a final offensive, in which the prose
oution literally bombardcd the jury
with bankbooks, deposit slips and
other documents indicative Of Means's
nflucnce at the expense of Mrs. Maude
A. King, ended suddenly with the in
PRODUCTION of cryptic correspondence
which Means addressed TO the woman
while he supposedly was sailing on
Chesapeake Bay on a secret mission.
The correspondence, bristling with met
aphor and mysticism, actually was in
dited BY Means from his Park Avenue,
New York, apartment and sent by him
TO his wife in Asheville, with ins:ruc-
tions to "slip it quietly under Maude's
door"
Most Of the chesapeake Bay" cor
respondencc was referved by the state
for presentation in case Means takes
the stand Just enough Of il was in
troduced to-day 20 create in the minds
Of the jurors a mystery which, Il al
lowed to 90 unexplained by Means, can
not fail to damage his chances for ac-
ouittal. Il was shown that Mrs Julie
Means. the accused mans wife, had tel
egraphed him from Asheville that
"Maude IS nervous and restless and
that he should wire encouragement "
Whereupon Means instructed his
brother, Alton, to send the following
telegram 10 Mrs. King:
Mysterious kilograms
Bud on boat in Chesapeake Bay.
He has located party. All is we'll"
"The state now rests" announced
Prosecutor Clement, following the in
PRODUCTION of these kilograms over the
reiterated protests Of the Means law
yers.
The move took the defence entirely
by surprise. The presence in court Of
d score Of witnesses whom the prosecu-
tion had summoned from all over the
county, but not called to the stand, had
been regarded by the opposing counsel
as indicating that the state had much
more evidence TO present.
The defending lawyers admitted
Yesterday TO newspaper men their
plans were incomplete, and. this ad-
mission, together with the desire OF
the prosecution not TO muddle the jury
by an excess Of complicated evidence,
inspired the states sudden move to-
day.
The strategy took Means and his
lawyers completely by surprise. Fol
lowing a vain appeal 10 Judge cine
for delay Of several hours, hur-
ried conference was held in an ante
room and messengers dispatched 10
round I'D whatever witnesses we're
within reach.
Jim Simpson. the undertaker's as
sistant who prepared Mrs. Kings body
fo1 burial. was located brought 20
the courtroom and examined on re-
buttal By the defence In the mean
time six local physicians who had
agreed 20 testify as experts for Means
were found and brought, one by one,
TO the courtroom. Their testimony
was in direct contradiction TO that OF
Dr.. William II. Burmeister Coroners
pbvsician. Of Chicago who performed
The autopsy on the body Of Mrs. King
II was directly at variance with that
OF DR.. Otto II. Schultz, medical as
sistant 10 the New York District At
torney.
Doctors Contradict Doctors
All the hurriedly summoned doctors
were certain that the once wealthy
widow could have shot herself. Some
thought She might have done so acci-
dentally. but not Intentionally. Others
were equally certain that the wound
could have been inflicted by her either
way. All had made tests with n .25
calibre Colt automatic revolver, such as
killed Mrs. King. All had fred at blot
ting paper az various ranges, and all
had failed 10 find powder stains or
burns on the paper at a range exceeding
three inches. All, after making the tests.
had failed 20 preserve the blottcrs az
which thew fred. The unanimity of the
expert testimony was perfect I'm so far
as Il related 20 the possibility Of the
tragedy at Blackwclder Spring being an
accident.
DR.. Wilder attacked Or. Burmoister's
conclusion that the bullet which killed
the woman had passed horizontally
through the skull from a point two
inches above the left ear 10 another
thrce-eightns OF an inch above the
superorbital ridge and slightly to the
right OF the external angle Of the left
eye. The bullet, he maintained. had
been DETECTED after 10 had entered the
"a fFt-.
usual. A prominent lawyer Of this
state, on being shot with a dum-dum
bullet in the centre Of the forehead.
had escaped with comparatively slight
injuries, the bullet having slipped
around under the scalp and come out
on the back Of the head. This story
revived so many memories OF freak
shots IN the doctors mind that Judge
Cline had 20 restrain the recital.
Shot Might Paralyze
The distrscting question as 10 how
long a person could stand on his left
leg after his right one was dead was
propounded by Prosecutor Clement 10
DR.. William VI. Wadsworth without
avail. The doctor had agreed with the
testimony Of DR.. Burmeister that
shot such as killed Mrs. King would re-
suit in immediate paralysis Of the en-
tire muscular system Of the right side
He did not agree with the Chicago
physicians view that lack Of control Of
the left side muscles would follow mo-
mentarily
The witr~ess maintained that enough
time would elapse before this develop
ment % allow Mrs. King 20 have broken