Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1922-10-14
THE CORONER'S OPINION

Dr. Whitfield said today his opiit
ION that the woman was eleclrocutc''
was based on conditions he 1ound. ie
said he found several severe Durhs o''
tho loft hand and arm Of the body. onc
burn was OH the back Of the hand at
tho base of the thumb, another OH inc
hazel, of the wrist near the front, YET
another on the finger next to the llttse
finger on which there was Il gold ring
the burn being around the ring; ana
there also was a burn on the left fore
arm near the elbow. An injury on
the forehead where 1t struck the llooi
when the body fell. was evident
The head was found lying In cor
ner between the telephone ana the
lamp. one hand grasped the telephone
receiver and the other the stem or
the ornamental lamp. The top OF ms
lamp was damaged when the lamp tell
and was lying across the body. me
desk on which the telephone stood was
damaged probably by the fall OF the
body. One Of the legs OF the desk was
broken Off.
SURE 1T WAS ELECTROCUTlON.
DR.. Whitfield said that he was Ger
tain that the woman was eleclrocu'eo
though how, il could not be dctermlh.
cd. lie said he had summoned elcctfl
cal INSPECTORS from the telephone AMI
mower companies and the city clcctrr
cal department and they had pro-
nounccd the wires and transformers
i'm good condition. There was no from
bic with tho telephone, he said, be-
causo il was used while he was thcro
and any current which would have
burned the woman rs she was burned
would, in his opinion have burned the
telephone out and any current or Such
strength would have burned the insnl
tation of the wires if it had passed.
through them.
NORMAL WIRES, PHONE co SAYS.
Telephone officials said today that
a thorough test Of the line and con-
Meeting lines showed them to be in
normal condition and working order
Manager Tanner said that the phone
current consists OF only four volts.
officials OF the power company saiu
that the voltage Of electric wires, such
as were in the apartment was usually
l15 to 145 and in exceptional cases /!
reached voltage Of $40 and that the
current used in legal electrocutiona
ranged from $500 to more than 2,003
volts.
EXPERT MAKES COMMENT
a well-known electrical expert whr
is frequently called in cases in courts
in which the most expert knowledge
Of electricity is required said today
after all the facts had been explained
to him:
"I think that it was probable that
caused her death if her hands were
covered with soapy water and she had
a weak heart.
The presence Of I've in the SOAP
water furnish an excellent conductor
Of the electricity into the body ana
if only the fraction OF an ampero
reaches vital organ it sometimes
causes death.
The voltage sends the current
through the body and the extra stimu
lation Of the electricity causes the
muscles to contract and tho blood yes
sells to he squeezed so that the heart
Is greatly taxed and if weak, it will
succomb. Tho burns, however, would
indicate that high voltage affecting
weak heart caused instant death and
that the burns were caused slowly by
the current Mt certain contacts. "The
woman had been washing something
at the sink in the kitchen and she went
to the telephone with wet hands.
Street car officials said they did not bo
'leVe that the current in the electric
lamp could not have caused death and