Quintus Oakes: A Detective StoryJackson, Charles Ross
General
Quintus Oakes: A Detective Story
Jackson, Charles Ross
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction
Then the milkman who discovered the body related his story. He had come
up the hill from the station and saw the body near the top of the hill.
He saw the wound from his seat on the wagon, for, realizing what had
happened, he did not alight. Fear had seized him. He knew he was perhaps
watched by the assassin, so he had lashed his horses and rushed for the
town and aid. The little boy who had ridden by his side was brave and
cool in the court-room; the Chief of Police had his arm on his shoulder
in a fatherly way. He corroborated the milkman's story, and said he was
scared even more than his uncle, the driver.
One or two others certified to the finding of the body and spoke of the
stranger, Mr. Clark, who had reached the place first, and of the wild
run from the town.
Then came the coroner's physician, who certified to the nature of the
bullet, a large one undoubtedly. Then he said in a courteous,
professional way: "Gentlemen, we have by accident among us Dr. Moore
from New York, who witnessed the finding of the body, and who has viewed
the injury. Dr. Moore is a well-known surgeon, and perhaps he will favor
us with an opinion--only an opinion--of the nature of the weapon used."
The coroner bowed and motioned to Dr. Moore, by my side. The physician
hesitated a moment, then advanced before the crowd of strangers. He was
a surgical lecturer, but this was an unusual audience.
"Dr. Moore, you have seen many wounds from firearms, have you not?
Please state where."
Dr. Moore answered in his pleasant voice: "I have seen quite a number in
hospital service in the last ten years, and very many in Cuba during the
Spanish War."
A murmur arose--the crowd hung on every word.
"State what your opinion is, please," said the coroner.
"To begin with," said Moore, "the bullet entered the breast; the point
of entrance is large, about the size of a 44-bullet. I know it entered
there, because a part of the coat was carried into the wound. It came
out at the back under the right shoulder-blade and pierced that bone,
tearing it partly away from its muscles. In piercing the bone it also
fractured it, and made a large hole of exit, as was to be expected."
"Explain, please."
"Under some circumstances a bullet losing its speed pushes the tissues
before it and makes a larger hole of exit than entrance, especially if
it shatters the bone."
"What do you think of the nature of the weapon used?"
"In my opinion it was certainly no modern pistol or rifle; they are of
smaller calibre and the powder used gives greater velocity, and less
tearing is evidenced."
"How is that?"
"Well, a small bullet going at great speed makes a clean hole usually,
at ordinary range. This was a large bullet, going only at moderate
speed."
"Could a rifle have done it?"
"Yes, if fired at a long distance, so that the speed was slackening."
"What seems the probable weapon to you?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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