Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-11-25

ktOIIf
principals arc dead. What actu-
ally happened will mover be aocur-
ately known. From q careful con-
sideration OF the evidence, how
/ ever, the foregoing theory OF the
nature and sequence of events
seems logical.
Woman Shot Thrice.
Tho remains OF Mrs. Dudley were
/ first removed to the hOeIler undor-
taking paTl0rs, but following n tel
egram Saturday evening from the
dead wuman's mother at Peoria,
( they were transferred to tho Whee-
Ian rooms. Thare, at s o'clock Sat-
urday evening q post moTtem ex-
animation was held by DR.. J. G.
! Souders, and Il was discovered tat
| the murder victim had been shot
at least three times. There were
two bullet holes IN her neck, one
| through the lobe of the right ear,
and another through the feshy part
[ Of the right forearm, the latter two
1 presumed to have been made by one
ball. What is thought to have been
/ the first shot entered the neck from
the rear. squarely at the base of
the skull. It was evidently dis
I charged at q downward angle of
perhaps 10 degrees, the ball trav-
ersing such a course to the left,
/ severing the jugular vein and leav-
/ ing the body just below the left ear.
One bullet fiattened against the
skull, where it was found and re-
moved. 1t is estimated that this
wound could have been inflicted
by only a direct hit, as in case of
I firing from Immediately above and
straight downward. That the
wounds in the ear and arm were
caused by the same shot is the opin-
ion Of DR.. Souders. 1t is presum-
ed that through nervousness the
murderers' aim faltered, the ball
missing the head for which it evil
/ IDENTIFY was intended and passing
( through the lobe of the ear and
feshy part of the forearm and into
| the floor. There We're two powder
. burns upon the neck, proving that
I the shots had been fired at close
} range.
I Previous Theory Discrejiited.
( Due to the bIOOd-stained condition
/ Of Mrs. Dudley when found, it was
impossible to tell from a cursOry
/ examination whether she had been
shot more than once. Only one
wound, that under the left ear, was
/ plainly visible. From its location,
/ a pool Of blood before the dresser.
and the state Of disrobement of Mrs
Dudley. it was the natural conclu-
sion that she had been shot while
standing before the mirror and had
staggered back to fall into the low
I rocking chair.
/ This theory is disproven by the
/ fact that at least three shots must
have been fired and that one shoe
had been taken off by the victim
and was found within a foot of the
chair in which she presumably was
sitting when killed. The pool of
I blood in front Of the dresser is ac-
counted for by the supposition that
upon the first shot, Mrs. Dudley
pitched forward, falling, her head
upon her right arm, face down upon
the floor, blood which must have
spurted from the severed jugular
vein scattering the floor in front
of the mirror. To account for the
/ blood which the slayer undoubtedly
/ had upon his hands, for the paper
upon which he wrote his note of
! confession was found stained ard
spotted, the theory is advanced that
perhaps filed with pity or remorse,
the murderer lifted his victim into
the chair in which she was found
at Il so by Mrs. Willhite and Mrs.
| Roe.
The women fed screaming from
the house, and a passing fireman
ran in to discover what was wrong.
/ He found the bullet-riddled body of
! Mrs Dudley still warm, but all
signs of life were absent. The po-
| lice were called, who, after ascer-
tanning that life was extinct, sum
mOned Coroner John G.. Miller.
/ Shots Unheard.
/ None in the ueighborhood of the
shooting heard the shots and the
/ exact time of the killing probably
will never be known. Search for
TIT perpetrator of the deed was at
once begun by the police. A neigh
( Dor living in the rear of the Dudley
{ home Mrs. Hazel Huffman, testified
( that she saw Dudley leave the house
.
about Il o'clock He was describ-
/ ed as wearing a red sweater under
a blue serge coat, blue serge trous-
eTs and a cap Of dark material. Of
ficers at once proceeded to the Rock
Island Southern station at the foot
of Fourth avenue and searched the
outgoing cars. No one answering
Dudiey's description had been seen
to approach the station or TO board
car.
Gun Missing.
A minute search at the scene of
the crime failed to reveal the gun
used by Dudley in doing the shoot
ing, and twas suspected that he
carried it away with him 1t is
thought that the hunted man used
the same weapon on himself, but at
a late hour it had not been located.
Coroner Miller stated today that
the wound in Dudley's forehead was
a minor one, the bullet merely
blowing a short distance along the
skull under the scalp, from where
it was removed yesterday. Phvsi-
clans declared that of itself the in
jury was insufficient to cause death
1t is said to be possible that after
his attempt to shoot himself, Dudley
might have wandered for blocks he
fore being struck by the train.
Such an explanation would account
for the disappearance of the pistol
DR.. Souders said that from the size
Of the ball which he removed from