The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-03-21

as he answered, ut may be foolish,
but it's murder. True. he has the
gun In his hand; and that makes It
look something like suicide. l agree /;
but that's just what someone wanted
us to think"
This statement seemed to make
Roche angry. His face flushed and
he sneered. "Oh. come now. how do
you expect to prove thatY
BARLEY did not answer but simply
pointed to the gun. think we all
looked at 1t rather foolishly. as II
we expected to find In 1t. by some
miracle, q clue to his statement.
AS we did not speak. he replied,
Roche. you think that the fact he IL
found dead with the gun in his hand.
| proves that he committed suicide. But
to me. that gun and the way 1t is held,
| proves murder Not only murder, but
| that the gun was placed in his hand
| after death. Look at the way the
| hand graSps the revolver. 1t Is not
held SO firmly but that with some
effort it can be removed. The testi-
mony of all medlco-legallsts Is that In
cases Of suicide or of accidents the
attitudes and acts of the person
whose life Is suddenly ended are con-
tinued for some seconds after DEATH"
Roche was listening uttentively. but
Bartley's last words were little over
his head. Perceiving that he did not
understand. BARLEY explained at
greater length:
What | mean by that Is simply
this: In cases of suicide or where a
man shoots himself by accident and
dies suddenly, the hant clutches the
weapon so tightly that after death 1t
Is almost impossible to loosen his
grip. There Is u muscular spasm that
follows death which causes the hand
to grip the weapon ever. more tightly
than in life. Most medico-legal books
agree that a weapon So held is the
best evidence Of suicide"
Roche was not willing to accept this |
statement. That's u fine theory" lie :
sneeied. Just the sort of thing |
you city detectives dig up. You have
got to have more than that to make
me think he was murdered"
Barley gave little shrus of his
shoulders. as II bored by the whole
thing AS you wish | had an idea
you might want more evidence than
that" He paused. ard we waited
breathlessly for his next words.
Look at his eyes. They are tightly
closed. 1t is recognized fact by all
medical men that. when death comes
by violence. the eyes of the victim
are wide open and staring. On the
other hand. in cases where death
comes slowly, they may be half shut.
In neither Instance are they ever fully
closed. When we find u case where
the eyes are tightly closed. we know
that someone has closed them, ind
that 1t was done after the man was
dead.
Here we find the eyes closed. II
lie committed suicide. they would be
open. If he had been murdered. they
would be open also. Though the fact
they are closed does not help us to
iecide between murder and suicide. IL
lies point to the fact that someone
las been in the room and closed them
litter he died. May we not suppose
hat the same person that placed the
,un In his hand to make his death
Ippear to be suicide. was also the one
who closed his eyes. not knowing that
ley should have remained open, no
natter how lie died?'
He paused, as if waiting for some ,
me TO speak, then as no one did, lie
continued:
But that Is not all. Roche. You :
hould use your common sense Here T
) Slyke, dead, with both hands By
is sides, and the bedciollIes up
round his neck and over his chin.
'Ou don't expect me to believe that
e could have shot himself. pulled the !
lothes around his neck. and then
laced his arms by his sides. He did
ot have time enough for that; he /,
led Instantly, without even strug-
lie. A second utter the shot was fired,
his world was over as far as he was
Ii was someone else who Z
those things. Someone who :.
ished his death tn appear to he sui !
de. and In trying to do that rather :,
verdid the whole thing. No | do
Ot think there is tie slightest doubt
the world but that he was muir |
cred"
Roche had long since lost his con.
lent air. He said nothing though,
zen when Burnley had finished The
IctOr. TOO. had listened with interest,
# ! WAS not altogether sure that he "a
holly agreed with Bartley's reason 4,
&. in
But. If Slyke was murdered" the q.
,ctor asked. "why should all this -
ouble have been taken to make II T,
ok like suicide?" ye
BARLEY. who was bending over the m
ID examining the body. did moi an n
YER until he Strengthened up again.
king" he said In grave voice. II
n sure this is murder, not suicide
lie person who killed him wished us
I.,If h< l-flI lad a,