There were two post-mortems held by Coroner Tingley, of Newport over the remains of the headless body of Pearl Bryan. The first held on the Monday following the finding of the body and the second, which was ordered for the purpose of deciding whether the murder was committed where the body was found or the head cut off after death had been caused by the administering of anaesthetics. Dr. Charles S. Phythian of Newport, conducted both post-mortems a.s.sisted by Drs. Robert Carothers, J. L. Phythian, J. O. Jenkins, W. S. Tingley, C. B. Schoolfield and J.
H. Fishbach. The unanimity of opinion was that life was not extinct when the wounds from which the blood found egress were inflicted.
Dr. Charles Phythian said:
"The post-mortem shows beyond a doubt that Pearl Bryan died by the knife and was conscious when she was killed."
"Had she been dead when she was taken to the Highlands the blood in her body would have been somewhat coagulated no matter how soon after dissolution she was taken there, and while there would have been a great flow of it if she had been placed there within a short time after death there must have been a slight coagulation which would have caused at least a small quant.i.ty of blood to remain in the body."
"The cut on the left hand shows that she fought with her murderer. The cut goes clear to the bone and proves that she did not receive it by making the weak attempt at defense that a person in a semi-comatose condition would have made."
As was brought out at the first post-mortem there was absolutely not a drop of blood in the body of the woman; all of it had flowed from her.
Not a drop of blood was found in the veins nor was any found in the arteries or heart. Every organ of the body was found in perfect and healthy condition. The blood vessels were entirely devoid of any blood, and all the surgeons gave as their opinion that the girl had bled to death, for had life been extinct before bleeding began the blood vessels would not have been emptied.
A microscopic observation was made of the body in hope of discovering a puncture that might be construed as the place where the needle of the hypodermic-syringe had been inserted, but no such puncture had been discovered, though subjected to the most careful examination with the strongest gla.s.ses.
Fred Bryan a brother of the murdered woman and Mrs. Stanley, a sister, together with a number of friends from Greencastle, Ind., arrived in Cincinnati Friday, for the purpose of fully identifying the remains, and having them removed from the Newport morgue to Greencastle for interment. The identification was complete, and permission having been obtained from the authorities, the headless body was prepared for interment and removed to the undertaking establishment of John P. Epply, in Cincinnati.
The body was clothed in a cream white silk dress, the same that the girl had worn when she graduated from the high school in 1892 at Greencastle.
The feet were incased in dainty satin slippers.
The casket was one of the most beautiful of its kind made. It was white cloth-covered, and trimmed with cord and ta.s.sel. The handles were of burnished silver. In the center of the casket lid, on a silver plate, was the name "Pearl."
Inside the casket was full-satin-lined, and handsomely trimmed. The absence of the head was made scarcely noticeable the placing of a square satin pillow in the head on the casket down to the shoulders of the corpse.
THE HEADLESS BODY DISPLAYED TO THE MURDERERS.
The authorities resolved on a plan which they hoped might make the prisoners weaken. It was to have them look upon their murdered victim and have the crime recalled in all its hideousness.
Mayor Caldwell Chief Deitsch and Sheriff Plummer went to Epply"s morgue, where the remains lay.
In a short time Detectives Crim and McDermott arrived with the prisoners. Crim had Walling in charge and McDermott Jackson. The latter was placed at the head of the coffin and Walling near the foot. Both faced the brother and sister of the murdered girl, who were on the other side of the casket.
Jackson was terribly excited and nervously clasped and unclasped his hands. His eyes roved from one end of the body to the other and he shook his head and sighed deeply. His face was terribly flushed, and he looked as though he might break down every second. On the other hand Walling was to all appearance the coolest man in the room. He gazed at the corpse without a shiver and looked around on the faces of those present.
His only noticeable display of agitation was to tap his foot nervously on the floor.
Not a word was said until Chief Deitsch, at the other end asked:
"Walling do you recognize the corpse?"
"I do not."
"Do you know who it is?"
"I believe it is Pearl Bryan."
"What reason have you for this belief?"
"What Jackson has told me."
"Jackson, do you recognize the corpse?"
"I do not."
"Do you know that it is the body of Pearl Bryan?"
"I have not taken a close and careful look at the body."
"Would you recognize it if you did?"
"I think I would."
"Walling did you kill this woman?"
"I did not."
"Jackson did you kill this woman?"
"I did not."
"And do you deny, in the presence of the corpse, that you killed her?"
"I do."
"Who did kill her?"
"I have every reason to believe that Walling did."
Determined to make one more effort to secure a confession as to where the head was, Chief Deitsch arranged for Mrs. Stanley to ask the prisoners. Almost begging on bended knees, and sobbing heavily she cried: "Mr. Jackson, I come to you and ask where is my sister"s head.
For the sake of my poor mother and for my sister and for my brother I beg of you to tell me where my sister"s head is. It is my last chance and I want to send it home with the body. Won"t you please tell me, I beg of you?"
Jackson looked at her, and, without turning a hair, said:
"Mrs. Stanley, I do not know."
The same question was asked Walling to which he coldly and without any semblance of feeling, replied:
"I do not know where it is."
The same evening Pearl Bryan"s headless body was taken back to her home in Greencastle accompanied by her brother, sister and friends.
CORONER"S INQUEST.
Coroner W. S. Tingley, of Campbell County, began the formal inquest in the famous case, on Tuesday Feb. 11. E. G. Lohmeyer, a jeweler; A. J.
Mosset, a steamboat agent; W. C. Botts, a coal dealer; John Link, ex-Chief of the Fire Department; Michael Donelan, a shoe-manufacturer, and F. A. Autenheimer, a retired steamboat Captain, were selected as jurors. The first witness called was Sheriff Plummer.
"Please state if on February 1 you saw the headless body of a woman on the premises of John Lock, in the Highlands?"