Page:The Millbank Case - 1905 - Eldridge.djvu/173

 before he was dead. It may have been that that knocked him into the water. Unless you find some particular mark on him, you won't be able to identify him, he's so smashed up. Better send up the river and see if any driver has been missing about a week. Beg pardon, Mr. Trafford, I fear I'm taking the words out of your mouth."

"Not at all," the other answered. "I couldn't have covered my findings better myself, excepting I was less certain about the breaking of the collar bone, whether it was before or after death. If he had gone over the Falls, for instance, head first, might he not have struck a rock and broken his collar bone, so as to give the appearance of its being shattered by a blow dealt from above?"

"It's not simply that," said the doctor. "There's the swelling of the living flesh that could not take place if the blow occurred after death. The injury must have occurred long enough before death to produce this effect."

"Then it could hardly have been the blow that knocked him into the water?"

The doctor started at the question and, without