The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-01-19
OutoftheDa

ley. It's suicide. He has the gun
In bis hand"
BARLEY gave him an amused glance
: as he answered, at may be foolish
but It's murder. True. he has tht
gun in his hand; and that makes I
look something like suicide. | 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 that"
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. clue to his statement
AS we did not speak. he replied.
Roche, you think that the fact he is
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. It is not
held so firmly but that with some
effort it can be removed. The testi-
mony of all medico-legalists 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 attentively. but
Do tfIn xrsc, lac
his head. Perceving 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 hand clutches the
weapon so tightly that after death it
Is almost impossible to loosen his
grip. There is "A muscular spasm that
follows death which causes the hand
to grip the weapon even more tightly
than in life. Most medico-legal books
agree that weapon so held is the
best evidence of suicide"
Roche was not willing to accept this
statement. THAT'S a fine theory" he |
sneered. Just the sort of a thing
you city detectives dig up. You have
got to have more than that to make
me think he was murdered"
BARLEY gave little shrug of his
shoulders. as if bored by the whole
thing. las you wish | had an idea
you might want more evidence than
that" He paused. and we waited
breathessly for his next words.
Look at his eyes. They are tightly
closed. 1t is a recognized fact by all
medical ,Aen 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
:losed. When we find case where
he eyes are tightly closed, we know
hat someone has closed them, and
hat 1t was done after the nun was
lead.
Here we find the eyes closed. If
lie committed suicide. they would be
pen. IL he had been murdered, they
WOULD be open also. Though the fact
hey are closed does not help us to
ecide between murder and suicide, il
: es point 10 the fact that someone
as been in the room and closed them
fter he died. May we not suppose
nat the same person that placed the
I'm in his hand to make his death
ppear TO be suicide. was also the one
no closed his eyes. not knowing that
icy should have remained open. no
after how he died?
He paused, as If waiting for some
ne TO speak. then as no one did, he
,ntinued:
But that is not ALL Roche. You =
lould use your common sense. Here
Slyke, dead. with both hands by
S sides, and the bedclothes up
ound his neck and over his chin.
)u don't expect me to believe that
could have shot himself, pulled the
othes around his neck and then
aced his arms by his sides. He did
I have time enough for that; he S,
ed instantly. without even strug- lh
:. a SecOnu ditef lHe SuOt was frel, -
Is world was over as far as he was
ncerned. 1t was someone else who
ranged those things. Someone who In
shed his death to appear to be sui G.
lie. and in trying to do that rather 81
erdid the whole thing. No. do \,
| think there is the slightest doubt O,
the world but that he was MUIR a.
ed"
Roche had long since lost his con-
ant air He said nothing though. IS
n when BARLEY had finished The pi
tor. too. had listened with interest,
| was not altogether sure that he
oily agreed with Bartley's reason 81,
But. If Slyke was murdered" the
tor asked. "why should all this
Ible have been taken to make IL a..
< like sulcide?" o.
'artley, who was bending over the
examining the body. did not an ,
r until he Strengthened up again. -,
King" he said in grave voice, 81 do,
sure this is murder. not suicide. -
person who killed him wished us A