1891.] MICKOSCOFICAL JOURNAL. 223 



The disappearance of the garment from its accustomed place was 

 soon discovered, and the newspapers again pretended to see in it the 

 sinister hand of the assassin making way with proofs of his guilt. 



Within a few hours after its capture it was delivered to me for a mi- 

 nute and critical study. It had evidently been worn and handled a good 

 deal since it passed out of its owner's hands. It had even been care- 

 fully brushed (as was afterward proven at the trial, a party having testi- 

 fied to having worn it while on a ride of several miles across countiy, 

 and having cleaned the mud oft' before starting and after coming back) . 



The problems presented to me were : 



1. To discover, if possible, the remains of the clay that was rubbed 

 oft' the wheel by the coat. 



2. The relative position of the pistol in the pocket ; that is, whether 

 it was resting hammer upward or hammer downward. 



3. The relative position of the pocket toward the balance of the 

 garment, or, in other words, whether the pocket was hanging naturally, 

 or whether it was thrust upward by the hand and brought near the 

 point of exit of the ball when the shot was fired. 



4. As a corollary to the foregoing, whether the muzzle of the pistol 

 was jammed into the corner of the pocket, as would be contended by 

 the prosecution, or whether it was a little way from the corner. 



5. Whether the muzzle of the pistol was in close proximity to the 

 lining and body of the garment at the moment of explosion, or some 

 distance from it. 



The first question was easily settled with a loupe, amplifying about 

 two or three diameters. Under the nap of the garment, away from 

 the effects of brushing, remains of the band of clay were found. But 

 how to settle the balance was another matter. 



The coat itself was of chinchilla cotton warp, and heavy wool weft; 

 the lining was of silk and cotton stuft', faced with satin. The pocket 

 was of heavy twilled wool and cotton goods. There was some cotton 

 batting, and finally some heavy linen stiftening, " buckram," I believe 

 the tailors call it, and the ball, in its flight, and a portion of the flame 

 had passed along all of these, which embrace, as stated, cotton, linen, 

 silk, and woollen fibres, or nearly all of those used in textile fabrics. 

 Both the ball and the flame must have left a record of their path. That 

 of the former was comparatively easy to trace. It had torn a triangu- 

 lar hole in the corner of the pocket and had emerged from the chin- 

 chilla just where the satin facing was sewed to it, making a clean, round 

 hole not much larger than a small lead-pencil, or say a quarter of an 

 inch in diameter. 



You will understand that in such examinations the expert is not al- 

 lowed to mutilate the garment in any manner, except by order of the 

 court or by the consent of all parties in interest. Under the circum- 

 stances, we could get neither of these, and hence die examination was 

 rendered far more difficult than it would otherwise have been. 



On turning the pocket inside outward I found on either side of the 

 same, near the bottom, a faint stain, which, so far as inspection with 

 the naked eye went, might have been caused by iron-rust, by liquids, 

 or by a scorch. Constant handling and rubbing of the walls together 

 had worn off' all charred material. With the tube of the microscope 

 removed from the stand, and armed with a two-inch eye-piece and a 



