american tragedy

Chapter 114

Chapter 311
There is one glaring deficiency in the autopsy and subsequent results.The joint report presented by five doctors said: "The mouth and nose were injured, the tip of the nose seemed to have been slightly blown, the lips were swollen, one front tooth was loose, and the mucous membrane inside the lip was scratched", but they all believed that the fatal injuries were not these, the main The wound was on the head (consistent with what Clyde mentioned in his first confession), and he was hit like a "sharp object" and was seriously injured.The most critical thing was a heavy blow, which caused "fractures and internal bleeding, which may be fatal factors."

However, the fact that the lungs sank in the water confirmed that Roberta was alive when she fell into the water, and that she drowned, as Clyde said.No other signs of violence or struggle were found, although her gestures suggested she was trying to grab something.Maybe it's the ship's side? Then Clyde's confession has some credibility, and the situation at the scene is obviously in his favour.However, everyone, including Mason, agreed that what all the circumstances made clear was that while he didn't completely kill her and throw her into the water, he probably beat her unconscious first.

But what was he hitting with? Mason had to find a way to get it out of Clyde's mouth.

Suddenly, he had a flash of thought: Although the law expressly prohibits extortion of confessions, he can take Clyde to the place where he committed the crime. Even if he cannot be forced to confide anything clearly, he may be able to find some clues from his behavior , such as finding out the suit and the weapon with which he hit Roberta.

In this way, after being imprisoned for two days, Clyde was escorted to Great Berton again, accompanied by Kraut, Haight, Mason, Bray, Earle, Sheriff Newcomb and Slack.He walked slowly over the places he had walked on that dreadful day.Kraut follows Mason's orders and "plays the good guy" in order to win his goodwill so that he can make a full confession.His advice: Now that the evidence is overwhelming, any jury will find him guilty, but if you confess to Mason, you might get a sentence of life or just 20 years. "If you go on like you are now, you will definitely go to the electric chair!"

But the fear that enveloped Clyde by Bear Lake did not dissipate, and he remained silent.Besides, he didn't hit her—at least not on purpose, so why would he admit to hitting her? Besides, they haven't thought of cameras yet, why should he say it himself?

While the county surveyors were on the lake to accurately measure the distance between where Roberta sank and Clyde came ashore, Earl Newcombe suddenly found Mason with a great discovery.Not far from where Clyde changed his wet clothes, the camera tripod he had hidden under a log was found, rusty and moldy.Mason and the others thought that the weight of the thing would knock Roberta over the head enough that he could carry her to the boat and throw her into the water.Clyde turned even paler when he saw the tripod, but he still denied it.Mason immediately decided to re-examine all the witnesses to see if anyone remembered that Clyde had a tripod or a camera.

Before dark, they confirmed that the guide who drove Clyde and Roberta, the watchman who saw Clyde put the suitcase on board, and the hostess at the Grass Lake Hotel who saw them set off from the hotel to the railway station were all in the same boat. As proof, Clyde had a "bunch of yellow sticks" strapped to his suitcase, which must have been a tripod.

Burton Burleigh then deduced that the thing Clyde had hit her with might not have been a tripod, but probably something heavier, namely a camera.According to it, the side of the camera can explain the scar on the top of the head, and the plane can explain the scar on her face.Hearing this conclusion, without letting Clyde know, Mason found a few people who could dive among the forest residents in this area, and sneaked in near the place where Roberta's body was found.With a lot of rewards, six people searched the bottom of the lake for a whole day, and finally a man named Jack Boca found the camera.There was still a roll of film in the camera after the inspection.After the chemical experts washed it out, they found that several of them were of Roberta, some were sitting on a log, some were standing by the side of a boat, and one was holding a branch.The photos were all blurry because the film was soaked.The dimensions of the widest side of the camera fit perfectly with the scars on Roberta's face.Based on this, it is almost certain that this is the murder weapon used by Clyde.

But there was no blood on the camera.The boat had been sent to Bridgeburg, and there was no blood on the bottom, sides, or carpet.

Burton Burleigh was cunning—a man like him was not rare in the twenty-odd counties in this remote forest region.He thought to himself that if he or anyone else cut a finger and dripped blood on the blanket, or the side of the boat and the side of the camera, it would be easier if there was indisputable evidence to be found.A few hairs from Roberta's head, wrapped around the side of the camera, or around the oars that wrap around her veil, would be a piece of cake, too.After thinking about it, he actually went to Luz Funeral Home to get some hair.He was so convinced that Clyde killed the girl in a brutal way, how could he let this stubborn, vain liar escape because of a lack of evidence? If Mason noticed that these oar racks or camera covers the hair in it, then he can't run away!

So, the day Mason and Hayter measured the distance of Roberta's head scar again, Burleigh wrapped two strands of Roberta's hair between the shutter and lens of the camera.It wasn't long before Mason and Height stumbled across the hair, wondering why they hadn't seen it before.From this they concluded that Clyde's crimes were convincing, and Mason immediately declared that, in his opinion, the facts of the case were settled, that he knew every step of the way, and that he could appear in court tomorrow.

However, because the evidence was already available, Mason decided instead to not mention the camera, at least not yet, and to keep everyone in the know silent.If Clyde resolutely refuses to admit that he brought this camera, and his lawyer does not know the evidence, then the camera and the photos inside will be taken out in court. Dovetailing with this fact, it can be described as a heavy blow, as much as a bolt from the blue for Clyde! It's perfect!

And he was responsible for collecting the evidence, and he was the most appropriate person to present it.He is going to get in touch with the governor and ask the Supreme Court to hold a special session in this district, and the grand jury in this district will also hold a special session.Once that request was granted, he could call a grand jury; if it found Clyde guilty, he could go to court within a month, or six weeks.But there was one thing he wouldn't reveal anyway, and that was his nomination for the November election, and this was a god-given opportunity for him.If there is no special session, then as usual, the Supreme Court will hold a session until January next year, when he has already resigned.Even if he might be elected to the district judge, he would not be able to try the case himself.The matter of Clyde aroused strong indignation in public opinion, and a timely trial would be considered fair and reasonable by the local people.So why did he drag it out any longer, while the prisoner was locked up and tried to escape? What's more, if Mason tried himself, his national prestige, judicial, political and social status would be greatly improved.

(End of this chapter)