The Filer record. (Filer, Idaho) 1919-1930, 1923-05-17

to 10 TO the house and examine the
body. because. as coroner. King him
self could not testify at the inquest.
In terms more scientific than plain.
he described how Slyke met his death.
a death which. he said. must have
been instantaneous. as the bullet had
lodged In the brain
Doctor. do you think the wound
could have been self-lnfiictedT' came
the question.
The doctor paused. then answered
thoughtfully. THAT Is very hard to
answer. SO far as the wound itself
is concerned. II could have been self
inflicted. But other things that were
brought TO my attention cause me
10 believe that IL could not have been
SO inflicted"
The room stiffened into attention
II was the first hint they had had
that Slyke might have been murdered.
Explain your answer. What do
you mean by other things ware
brought TO your attention'r
The doctor replied slowly. The
facts l will mention were brought TO
my attention by Mr.. John BARLEY. the
famous criminal Investigator. whom
found at the house when l arrived"
At the mention of Bartiey's nams q
little murmur OF surprise went over
the room. Half way down the room
the reporters, for the first time, were
writing hurrledly, and In q minute .
telegraph boy went out with a mass
OF kilograms Within an hour the TACT
that BARLEY was working ON the case
would be In all the newspaper Offices
In New York.
The doctor continued: MIR. BARLEY
aided me in making my examination
Of tina body. The wound was, as 1
have said, one that man could have
easily inflicted upon himself. but such
wound causes death within few
seconds after II Is made. l thought
at first sight that II was suicide. but
Mr.. BARLEY pointed out that the
hands OF the dead man, one OF which
held the revolver. were under the bed
clothes and that they were pulled up
smoothly around his neck. IL would
have been impossible for Mr.. Slyks
himself TO have done that. l mean
he could not have killed himself and
then placed his arms under the
clothes, after first pulling them up
around his chin. He would not have
had time before he died. had he fired
the shot. AS Mr.. BARLEY pointed out
and as | should have thought OF for
myself-in cases OF violent death the
eyes are open. Mr.. Sykes eyes were
almost closed. How they were closed
after death. Miss Potter has just told
us"
Again there came a murmur OF rs
constituent. The ctor's statement
had been entirely unexpected by most
of the audience. For the first time
It was suggested that, instead OF
Sykes having killed himself, he had
been murdered. Al awaited eagerly
further Developments.
"Then you would say that Mr.. Slyke
was murdered9' came the question.
The doctors answer was a long
time In coming.
81 hardly know what 10 say. What
Mr. BARLEY pointed out to me causes
me TO behave that Mr.. Slyke was
killed. or course, there is posi-
blIIty that the wound might have been
seIf-inhIcted, and someone else ar
ranged the bedclothes around his neck
after he was dead"
He paused again, then continued
THAT might have been done, but the
chances are that he did not kill him
self. / cannot positively state, how
ever. whether II was suicide or muir
der"
His hesitation started a long argu'
ment between him. the coroner. and
the district attorney. If Slyke had
killed himself. then someone else must
have pulled up the bedclothes and ar
ranged the body. what had been the
person's reason for doing III II. on
the other hand. he had been murdered
then n very definite attempt had been
made TO make II look like suicide. The
revolver In the dead mans hand came
under discussion. and Doctor Webster
said that. though II could be placed In
a persons hand after death. any
trained eye could detect the fact. His
evidence, while II had for the first
time suggested that murder might
have been committed. had yet done IT.
tie to clear up the mystery. could
see by the doubt and bewilderment In
their faces that his uncertainty as 10
whether II was murder or suicide had
communicated itself 20 the audience.
They looked eagerly about for the next
witness. wondering what his testimony
wouid disclose. There was little enough.
as I knew too well. that any witness
could tell that would throw Hight on
Sykes death.
The coroner glanced al a piece Of
paper and said: "will Mr.. John Bart.
icy kindly take the staDdT'
.cTo BE coNTISUED)