Studies in Identification and Reconstruction. No. 8
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X4001300404 |
| Author | Sydney Smith |
| Date | 01 October 1940 |
| Published date | 01 October 1940 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Studies in Identification and
Reconstruction, No. 8
By SYDNEY
SMITH,
M.D.
Department
of Forensic Medicine, University of
Edinburgh
IN
my previous articles I have drawn attention to the
importance of reconstruction as an aid in directing the line
of investigation of a crime.
The
case which I am now about
to describe, in which an attempt was made to simulate an
accident, brings out many interesting points in connection
with the time and manner of death, the relationship of injuries
to one another, and in reconstruction generally.
The
actors in the drama were a man, John Thomson, and
his wife, who lived in a farmhouse situated a few miles from a
small town.
The
only other person about the farm was a boy,
Miller, aged 15, who lived in a bothy close to the house.
The
farmer, 49 years of age, was addicted to drink, and was un-
doubtedly a difficult person to live with. On May 26th, 1939,
he went into the town where he remained until after the public
houses had closed, then proceeded by bus to the road that
led to his own house. When he left the bus, at about I I o'clock,
he was definitely under the influence of drink
but
was able to
walk.
The
next morning his dead body was found lying in a
field a short distance from his house.
The
farm lad who found
the body informed the wife, who without examining the
deceased sent word to the Police.
The
story given by the boy
was to the effect that Thomson came home drunk and shouting
as usual, came to him in the bothy and said, " Sammy, are
you no coming oot with me to shoot some cushies [pigeons],"
but
the boy was frightened and hid his head under the clothes.
Thomson then went away and the boy knew nothing more till
he saw the body in the morning.
Mrs. Thomson said that she went to bed at 10.25 and
heard nothing until the boy informedher aboutfinding the body.
386
STUDIES
IN
IDENTIFICATION
387
The
deceased was in the habit of shooting pigeons at
night; the gun was ordinarily kept in the kitchen and could be
taken out without her being any the wiser.
The
suggestion was
that Thomson in his drunken state had gone out to shoot
pigeons and had shot himself by accident.
The
body was found lying in long grass about seventy-
five yards to the west of the bothy.
It
was on its face with
both arms stretched out in front. Adouble-barrelled gun was
lying at right angles to the body with the outstretched left hand
of the deceased touching the stock. Figure Ishows the locus
before anything was disturbed and gives a general idea of the
position. Figure 2shows details of the clothing, gun, etc.
The
gun was a double-barrelled breech-loader rz-bore, belonging
to Thomson.
The
left chamber held a discharged cartridge,
the right was empty, and the hammer on that side was at full
cock.
There were smears of blood on the backs of the hands of
the deceased and embedded in this blood there were many
bits of dry and green vegetable matter.
There
was a cap on
the back of the head. On removing this cap the scalp was
found to be covered with blood, and showed severe injuries
on the crown and left side of the head. There was a con-
siderable amount of vegetable matter embedded in and
adherent to the blood-stain. There was very little blood-
staining inside the cap.
About the middle of the back of the jacket there was a
patch of blood nine inches in diameter, which was not con-
nected with the hremorrhage from the head. Sticking to this
blood was a considerable number of fine hairs which were
afterwards identified as horse hairs. On raising the tail of the
jacket it was found that the inside of the lining was badly
stained with earth and showed bits of vegetable matter adher-
ing to it (Figure 3).
The
jacket, waistcoat and shirt were
rucked up towards the shoulders and in amongst the wrinkles
there were earthy stains and fragments of straw and vegetable
matter.
The
braces were smeared with earth, and under the loops
and buttons were wedged earth, bits of grass and a fragment
of plant. This plant, by the way, was not growing where the
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