The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-09
NOW co ON WITH THE STORY
CHAPTER XXVITT

 volted at the verythought of the bar barrie farce of an inquest-the small morgue chapel crowded to the doors with goggle-eyed, blood-lov- ing humanity; the stretchcr with it's sheeted corpse; reporters, avid for sensation and primed with questions which, If answered by indiscrcet wit nesses, would defeat the efforts of police and district attorney; news photographers with their unsuitable cameras aimed at every arriving per son connected with the case in any way.
 Mercifully, this particular in quest upon the body of Juanita Leigh Selim promised to be quickly over. For Coroner Price, in confer ence with District Attorney Sander son. Special Investigator Sander son, Special Investigator Dundee and Captain Strawn of the homi- eide squad, had gladly agreed to call only those witnesses and ex- tract from them only such informal tion as the authorities deemed ad- visable
 Lydia Carr, whose black veil had defeated the news camera levcled at her poor, scared face, was the first witness called by Coroner Price. and she was required for the single purpose Of identifying the body as that of her mistress. TO two perfunctory questions-"Have you any information to give to this jury regarding the cause and man ner of the deceased's death?" and Have you any personal Knowledge of the identity of any person, man or woman. of whom the deceased stood in fear of her life ?"-Lydia answered d flat "No," and was then dismissed.
 Karen Marshall, looking far too young to be the wife of the elderly ex-judge, Hugo Marshall. was the second witness called. Dr Price guided her gently to a brief recital of her discovery of the dead body of her hostess, emphasizing only the fact that, so far as she could see, the bedroom was unoccupied except by the corpse at the time of the discovery.
 He then handed her the photo static copy of blueprint of the ground floor of the Selm house, with penciled ring drawn around the bedroom. Karen falteringly identified 1t, as well as the pencil- drawn furniture. and was imme- diately dismissed - to the disap- pointment of the packed rows of spectators and reporters.
 Dr Price himself took the stand next and described, in technical terms, the wound which had caused death and the caliber of the bullet he had extra cted from the dead woman's heart.
 'I find. also, from the autopsy" he concluded. that the bullet trav- eled a downward. slanting path. l should add, moreover, that l have made exact mathematical calcula- tions, using the position of the body and of the wound as d basis, and found that line drawn from the wound, and extended, at the cor rect slant. ends at point 51.8 inches high, upon the right-hand side of the frame of the window nearest the porch door, And he obligingly passed the marked blue print among the jury. When it was in his own hands again, he added: "It Is i'm mDosisblc to state the exact distance the bullet traVeled, more nearly than to say the shot was fired along the line l have indi- cated, at q distance of not more than 15 feet and not less than l0."
 Captain Strawn rose and was permitted to question the witness
 "Dr Price. that blueprint shows that the bedroom is 11 feet in width, don't it?'
 That Is correct"
 Have you also measured the height of that window sill from the floor?"
 q have" the coroner answered. "rhe height from floor to sill is 2G inches"
 Now, doctor. from your calcula- tions, would it be possible for q man crouching in the open window to fire a shot along the path you have calculated 7"
 Tt would" Dr Price answered. But as 1 have pointed out it is impossible for me to say at "X- actIy what distance from the body the shot was fired"
 But StraWn, of course, was amply satisfied. And so were Dundee and the district attorney. for it suited their purposes admirably for the public to be convinced at this time that an intruding gunman had murdered Nita Selim.
 Captain Strawn, sworn in, told briefly of his being called to the scene of the crime, of the activities of Carraway, the fingerprint cx-