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Authors: James Gould Cozzens
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whether or not he is an expert on gunshot wounds.'
'I ask an exception,' said Harry Wurts.
'Exception granted,' said Judge Vredenburgh. 'Proceed, Mr. Coates.'
Abner said, 'Are you an expert in bullet wounds, Doctor Hill?'
'I never said I was,' said Doctor Hill. He gave Abner an offended look.
'Or in the calibre of bullets?'
'I don't pretend to be, Mr. Coates.'
'That's all, thank you.'
'If you please!' said Harry Wurts, starting up. 'You have had experience in examining bullet wounds, have you not, Doctor?'
I have examined them, yes.' Doctor Hill plainly viewed this deferential approach with suspicion. He felt that the Commonwealth was now against him, and Harry for him; and he had no idea what was going on. Resentful, he suspected that a plot to impair his dignity had been joined.
'More than once?' said Harry Wurts.
'More than once. Certainly.'
'You were a doctor in the army, were you not?'
'During the last war. Yes.'
'You saw gunshot wounds then?'
'Yes. I have also seen a certain number during the hunting season.' The jury laughed.
Judge Vredenburgh said, 'That is no laughing matter,' but he smiled.
Harry Wurts smiled too. 'In short, Doctor,' he said, 'when you answered the question of the learned assistant district attorney you meant that while you did not pretend to know it all —'
Bunting said, 'I object to counsel's telling the witness what the witness means.'
'Correction,' Harry Wurts said. 'In short, Doctor, your experience has familiarized you perfectly with bullet wounds?'
'I think I may say that I am familiar with them.'
'When you stated that, in your opinion, the wounds, bullet wounds, in Frederick Zollicoffer's body were the same size, that was a conclusion you formed on examining and comparing the wounds at the time of the postmortem?'
'Quite so.'
'And you are still of the same opinion?'
'I am.'
'I have no more questions,' Harry Wurts said.
Bunting said, 'That is all, Doctor Hill .' He looked at the clock above the door to the Attorneys' Room. He said to Abner, 'Quarter of four.' He looked at his list of witnesses. 'I think we could get through with Mrs. Z. if she behaves herself. If she makes a mess of it, it would be all to the good if Harry can't cross-examine until to-morrow morning. We'll let Cholendenko wait.' Ida Cholendenko, the Zollicoffers' servant, had presented a little problem. Though, in one sense, her testimony corroborated Mrs. Zollicoffer 's, she could testify to events preceding by a few minutes on that night of the kidnapping anything Mrs. Zollicoffer could testify to.
Abner said, 'There's this about it, Marty. If Harry wrecks Mrs. Z., it would be handy to have Cholendenko. She could straighten some of it up; and I don't think Harry could do a thing with her.'
'We'll need her,' Bunting said. He turned and looked sharply at Mrs. Zollicoffer, pushed his chair back, and arising, called out her name. To Abner, he said, 'Look through that folder and get what she said about the telephone calls. Just lay it open so I can look at it if I need to.'
Mrs. Zollicoffer sat first in the row of the Commonwealth's witnesses, with Mrs. Meade in the tipstaffs chair beside her. Mrs. Zollicoffer hesitated, dazed and quailing; and Mrs. Meade confirmed Abner's guess. Mrs. Meade, with gentle solicitude, arose and helped Mrs. Zollicoffer to arise. Though she did no more than her duty, her duty now served the Commonwealth in a way the record would not show. The jurors all looked at Mrs. Meade, who made a good figure. Her white hair was tidily waved. Mrs. Meade wore a blue skirt, and a blue jacket which did not differ from the jacket the men wore, with the word tipstaff embroidered on the sleeve, and the silver badge pinned to the breast; but Mrs. Meade wore with it a white blouse with a lace-edged open collar, pretty and neat. She was the widow of a former clerk of the Orphans Court, and came of good people, and looked it. Sympathetically showing Mrs. Zollicoffer how to go, even giving Mrs.
'I ask an exception,' said Harry Wurts.
'Exception granted,' said Judge Vredenburgh. 'Proceed, Mr. Coates.'
Abner said, 'Are you an expert in bullet wounds, Doctor Hill?'
'I never said I was,' said Doctor Hill. He gave Abner an offended look.
'Or in the calibre of bullets?'
'I don't pretend to be, Mr. Coates.'
'That's all, thank you.'
'If you please!' said Harry Wurts, starting up. 'You have had experience in examining bullet wounds, have you not, Doctor?'
I have examined them, yes.' Doctor Hill plainly viewed this deferential approach with suspicion. He felt that the Commonwealth was now against him, and Harry for him; and he had no idea what was going on. Resentful, he suspected that a plot to impair his dignity had been joined.
'More than once?' said Harry Wurts.
'More than once. Certainly.'
'You were a doctor in the army, were you not?'
'During the last war. Yes.'
'You saw gunshot wounds then?'
'Yes. I have also seen a certain number during the hunting season.' The jury laughed.
Judge Vredenburgh said, 'That is no laughing matter,' but he smiled.
Harry Wurts smiled too. 'In short, Doctor,' he said, 'when you answered the question of the learned assistant district attorney you meant that while you did not pretend to know it all —'
Bunting said, 'I object to counsel's telling the witness what the witness means.'
'Correction,' Harry Wurts said. 'In short, Doctor, your experience has familiarized you perfectly with bullet wounds?'
'I think I may say that I am familiar with them.'
'When you stated that, in your opinion, the wounds, bullet wounds, in Frederick Zollicoffer's body were the same size, that was a conclusion you formed on examining and comparing the wounds at the time of the postmortem?'
'Quite so.'
'And you are still of the same opinion?'
'I am.'
'I have no more questions,' Harry Wurts said.
Bunting said, 'That is all, Doctor Hill .' He looked at the clock above the door to the Attorneys' Room. He said to Abner, 'Quarter of four.' He looked at his list of witnesses. 'I think we could get through with Mrs. Z. if she behaves herself. If she makes a mess of it, it would be all to the good if Harry can't cross-examine until to-morrow morning. We'll let Cholendenko wait.' Ida Cholendenko, the Zollicoffers' servant, had presented a little problem. Though, in one sense, her testimony corroborated Mrs. Zollicoffer 's, she could testify to events preceding by a few minutes on that night of the kidnapping anything Mrs. Zollicoffer could testify to.
Abner said, 'There's this about it, Marty. If Harry wrecks Mrs. Z., it would be handy to have Cholendenko. She could straighten some of it up; and I don't think Harry could do a thing with her.'
'We'll need her,' Bunting said. He turned and looked sharply at Mrs. Zollicoffer, pushed his chair back, and arising, called out her name. To Abner, he said, 'Look through that folder and get what she said about the telephone calls. Just lay it open so I can look at it if I need to.'
Mrs. Zollicoffer sat first in the row of the Commonwealth's witnesses, with Mrs. Meade in the tipstaffs chair beside her. Mrs. Zollicoffer hesitated, dazed and quailing; and Mrs. Meade confirmed Abner's guess. Mrs. Meade, with gentle solicitude, arose and helped Mrs. Zollicoffer to arise. Though she did no more than her duty, her duty now served the Commonwealth in a way the record would not show. The jurors all looked at Mrs. Meade, who made a good figure. Her white hair was tidily waved. Mrs. Meade wore a blue skirt, and a blue jacket which did not differ from the jacket the men wore, with the word tipstaff embroidered on the sleeve, and the silver badge pinned to the breast; but Mrs. Meade wore with it a white blouse with a lace-edged open collar, pretty and neat. She was the widow of a former clerk of the Orphans Court, and came of good people, and looked it. Sympathetically showing Mrs. Zollicoffer how to go, even giving Mrs.
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