Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-27
GOVERNMENT RESTS
IN BAKER CASE TO
ARRANGE GUN TEST
Jury to See Test Bullets
Fired From Four Different
RevoIvers Today.
PROSECUTION PINS ALL
ON GODDARD Experiment
Directed Verdict of Acquittal to Be
Asked if U. S. Ballistics
Expert Fails.

The Government rested its case
shortly after o'clock this afternoon
in the trial of Herbert M. Campbell
on a charge of numbering Mary Baker
following arrangements by the court for
an extraordinary ballistics test, in which
Col. Calvin Goddard, noted expert, will
endeavor to prove the infallibility OF
bullet identification.
With completion of the prosecution
presentation of evidence against the
Virginia realty man, Justice Jesse G.
Adkins, presiding in Criminal Division
2 of the District Supreme Court, re-
cessed court pending arrangements for
staging the demonstration before the
jury.
Under the plans as approved by the
court, the Jury will adjourn to build
ing across the street from the court
house later today to witness the firing
of test bullets through four different
reyolvers. one OF them the Campbell
gun. which Col. Goddard and DR.. VIII
mer Souder have testified fired the SHOTS
into the body of Mary Baker: Col.
Goddard will be excluded during the mr.
ing of the bullets. The slugs Will be
marked by the jury or by some one
in their presence, so that tney may
check later on the report which the
Chicago ballistics expert makes regard
ing his examination.
Guns to Be Scrambled"
The bullets and guns will be "scram-
bled" and turned over to Goddard, VINO
claims he will be able to tell, with the
aid of a microscope, from which gun
each of the test bullets emerged. God
dard will make a detailed study In LIZ.
Souder's laboratory at the Bureau OF
Standards, in the presence OF deputy
marshal, and then will return TO ire
court room and make demonStraIlon
before the jury of his findings
In announcing the Governments m
&ention to close its case, the prosecutor
obtained permission of the court 10
recall Goddard to the stand following
the test and to question also MRS. Hop-
ert A. Turnbull of 1424 r street, Wlle
OF q soldier, who Is alleged 70 No.
seen Mary Bakers car parked OUTSIDE
Arlington Cemetery ON the evening OF
April IL, last, supposed date OF her
death. The sudden decision OF the
Government to rest its case left eight
other witnesses, originally summoned,
Lieut.. John H. Fowler, police bal
iistics expert, testified early this after
noon to having taken Campbells gun
and the fatal bullets to DR.. Souder for
examination.
Collins Enters Protest.
Shortly before Prosecutor Collins told
newspaper men he had protested to Jus
tice Adkins against what he termed as
s.an effort by Albert H. Hamilton, de-
tense criminologist, to shove tsst bui-
let into the muzzle of one OF the guns
selected for use in the court balllstlcs
test" The prosecutor declared the JUS
tice agreed that Hamilton should not
have done so.'' Apparently the Incl
dent now is closed, and spectators In
the court room knew nothing of 1t.
According to Collins, Hamilton picked
up one of trio of guns which Lieut.
John Fowler had collected to submit ia
Col. Goddard for the ballistics expert
ment, and placed bullet in the muzzle
in an effort to press it into the barrel
Collins Immediately protested in v.gor-
Gus language, and Hamilton discontin-
ued the attempt. A newspaper man
who witnessed the incident said that
Hamilton explained he merely desired to
get an impression of the barrel on 9
bullet, but that the prosecutor insisted
Hamilton had no right to handle what
might become Government evidence.
DIR. Souder Question.
DR.. Wilmer Souder, ballistics expert
of the Bureau of Standards, dis
played to the jury series of micro
photographs, which, he asserted, proved
that the bullets removed from the
Baker girls body came from the 80
caliber gun turned over to police by the
Virginia realty dealer. Col. Goddard
made similar report to the jury last
week.
Preliminary to the demonstration. later
today, Col. Goddard will make a test
of the bullets at the Bureau of Stand
ards, where full facilities for complete
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