Page:The Millbank Case - 1905 - Eldridge.djvu/174

 answering, walked back to the body and re-examined the broken bone and some of the other bruises. Then he came back to where Trafford and the coroner waited him.

"There can't be any question that the broken clavicle antedates death, and antedates it some few hours. The man may have been injured at some distance from any one and have taken a boat to go for assistance and not been able to control it."

"He might have done any one of a dozen things," Trafford interposed impatiently; "but the thing is to find out which one he did do. How did he get this injury, and how did he come to his drowning after the injury; for I take it you'll admit when death came, it did come through drowning."

"I think we'll have to admit that," the doctor returned.

"Then we have an injury, one, two, perhaps three hours before death; and then death by drowning. If all this was the result of accident, don't you think he was having more than his fair share, crowded into a pretty small space of time?" It was Trafford's question.