"I went to the pond along the undisturbed ground at the side of the spur path. In the pond, submerged, I saw the body of a woman dressed in a light blue skirt and jacket and white blouse. Later in the day I measured the pond and found the maximum depth to be forty-two inches; a high-water line on the banks indicated that when full the greatest depth would be about five feet. On August 17th, however, the inlet was a mere trickle, the outlet practically dry--there's probably some underground drainage. Before stepping into the water I saw that the woman's arms were somewhat extended, and the hands were not clenched as I have seen them in other drowning cases." "You have seen a number of them, Sergeant?" "I have, sir. Boating, swimming accidents, a few suicides." "You stepped into the pond?" "I did. On lifting the body I found that rigor was complete, and post-mortem lividity noticeable in the face and hands." "Please explain those terms for the jury, will you?" "Rigor mortis is the stiffening that takes place, usually from two to six hours after death, and may continue from twelve to forty-eight hours. Post-mortem lividity is a discoloration caused by the settling of the blood to whatever parts of the body are lowest when the heart action ceases." "Did that trickle into the pond create any current?" "No, sir, hardly a ripple. Too small." "Later on did you check the temperature of the water?" "Yes--evening after dark. The weather that Monday evening was about like the evening before. The pond water at 9 P.M. Monday was at 68 degrees Fahrenheit." "Was the water clear?" "Some roiling, before I stepped in. The bottom has a layer of dead leaves and silt. Miss Welsh told me she had gone into the pond--her skirt was wet. I'd also noticed (I forgot to say) that Dr. Chalmers' slacks were quite wet, consistent with what he told me. The body was that of a woman in the early twenties, of slight build, about five feet two. Since there was no question of life remaining, I let it back into the water, to disturb the situation as little as possible before examination by my superiors. The foam on the lips was noticeable, but less than one expects to see in a drowning." "What is the significance of foam on the lips, in a drowning?" "Well, sir, a medical expert--" "Just drawing on your own experience and police training." "Well, it means a struggle for air. Air and water mix with the secretions of nose and throat." "So, if a body not breathing enters the water, you won't see foam?" "That's correct, sir." "And in this case there was some, but less than normal?" "Sir, I don't think I'm qualified to say what would be normal." "Well, again, Sergeant, I just want to draw on your police experience. You said, I think, 'less than one expects to see'--correct?" "Yes, sir, I can go that far, but it's only a--a layman's opinion. I've been with the state police only three years altogether. In that time I haven't seen any _large_ number of drowning cases."