Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1923-04-07
O11tofthe Darkness


In his hand"
BARLEY gave him an amused glance
as he answered, III may be foolish,
but its 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 10 think"
This statement seemed to make
Roche angry. His face flushed and
he sueered. "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 it rather foolishly, as II
we expected to find in il. by some
miracle. a 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 ii 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 II is not
held SO firmly but that with some
effort it can be removed The testl-
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 attentiyely, but
Bartley's last words were a 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 OF where
man shoots himself by accident and
dies suddenly, the hand clutches the
weapon so tightly that after death II
IS almost impossible to loosen his
grip. There is muscular spaSm that
follows death which causes the hand
to grip the weapon even more tightly
than in life. Most medicolegal 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 thing
you city detectives dig up. You have
got to have more than that to make
me think he was murdered"
BARLEY gave a 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
breathlessly for his next words.
Look at his eyes. They are tightly
closed. 1t is a recognized fact by all
medical nen 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 a case where
the eyes are tightly closed, we know
that someone has closed them, and
tnat It was Zone after the man was
dead
Here we find the eyes closed. II
he committed suicide, they would be
open. If lie had been murdered they
woulo be open also. Though the fact
they are closed does Lot help us to
decide between murder and suicide, il
does point 70 the fact that someone
has been ia the room ami closed them
after he died. May we not suppose
that the same person that placed the
gun In his hand 10 make his death
appear 10 be suicide, was also the one
who closed his eyes, not knowing that
they should have remained open, no
matter how he died2"
de paused, as If waiting for some
one to speak. then as no one did, he
continued;
but that is not all, Roche. You
should use your common sense Here
is Slyke, dead, with both hands by
his sides, and the bedclolhes W
around his neck and over his chm.
You don't expect me TO believe that
be could have shot himself, pulled the
clothes around bis neck. and then
placed his arms by his sides. He did
not have time enough for that: lie
died instantly, without even a strug-
gle. A second after the shot was fired.
This world was over as far as he was
concerned, was someone else who
arranged those things Someone WHO
wished his death to appear 10 be sui
eide, and in trying to DO thar rather
overIjd the whole thing No, I do
not think there is the slightest doubt
IA The world but that be was muir
dered."
Roche had long since lost his con
fdent air He said nothing, though.
even when BARLEY had finished. Tie
doctor TOO, had listened with interest.
yet was not altogether sure that be
wholly agreed with BarIeys reason
Ing
"Bnt Il Slyke was murdered" the
aocto- asked, "why Should an this
trouble have Deen taken to make ii
look Ike suicide?"
hartley. who was bending ever the
bed examining Tile body did NOT an
ewar until lie Strengthened vi acaiu