But if the
knife was washed, how do you account for the bloodstains on it?"
"Apparently the knife was not washed, only the hands."
"But is not that highly improbable?"
"No, I think not."
"You say that there was no struggle, and that death was practically
instantaneous, but yet the deceased had torn out a lock of the
murderess's hair. Are not those two statements inconsistent with one
another?"
"No. The hair was probably grasped convulsively at the moment of death.
At any rate, the hair was undoubtedly in the dead woman's hand."
"Is it possible to identify positively the hair of any individual?"
"No. Not with certainty. But this is very peculiar hair."
The solicitor sat down, and, Dr. Hart having been called, and having
briefly confirmed the evidence of his principal, the coroner announced:
"The next witness, gentleman, is Dr. Thorndyke, who was present almost
accidentally, but was actually the first on the scene of the murder. He
has since made an examination of the body, and will, no doubt, be able
to throw some further light on this horrible crime."
Thorndyke stood up, and, having been sworn, laid on the table a small
box with a leather handle.
Pages:
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380