"Murdering him?" The statement had caused a rise from the rest of the auditors. The doctor laughed. "Well, perhaps I used too sentimental a phrase. I should have said, acting out a murder. You can't very well murder a dead man. The fellow he was killing already was a corpse. "You mean--" "Just what I'm saying. There were two or three assistants. Pretty big doctors, I learned later, all of them from Boston. They had taken a cadaver from the refrigerator and stood it in a certain position. Then the one man had struck it on the head with the mallet with all the force he could summon. Of course it knocked the corpse down--I'm telling you, it was gruesome, even to an interne! The last I saw of them, the doctors were working with their microscopes--evidently to see what effect the blow had produced." "What was the idea?" "Never found out. They're pretty close-mouthed about that sort of thing. You see, opposite sides in a trial are always carrying out experiments and trying their level best to keep the other fellow from knowing what's going on. I found out later that the door was supposed to have been locked. I passed through about ten minutes later and saw them working on another human body--evidently one of a number that they had been trying the tests on. About that time some one heard me and came out like a bullet. The next thing I knew, everything was closed. How long the experiments had been going on, I couldn't say. I do know, however, that they didn't leave there until about three o'clock in the morning." "You--you don't know who the men were?" Houston, forcing himself to be casual, had asked the question. The young doctor shook his head. "No--except that they were from Boston. At least, the doctors were. One of the nurses knew them. I suppose the other man was a district attorney--they usually are around somewhere during an experiment." "You never learned with what murder case it was connected?" "No--the fact is, it passed pretty much out of my mind, as far as the details were concerned. Although I'll never forget the picture." "Pardon me for asking questions. I--I--just happen to come from Boston and was trying to recall such a case. You don't remember what time of the year it was, or how long ago?" "Yes, I do. It was in the summer, along about two or two and a half years ago."