The Leavenworth Case · Chapter
Expert Testimony explained
The coroner's inquest continues with expert testimony from a clerk at Bohn & Co., who identifies a bullet as coming from a Smith & Wesson pistol.
What happens
The coroner's inquest continues with expert testimony from a clerk at Bohn & Co., who identifies a bullet as coming from a Smith & Wesson pistol. The butler reveals Mr. Leavenworth kept a small pistol in his bedside stand drawer, which is retrieved and found to be loaded. The clerk notes that one chamber shows evidence of having been recently fired, as the barrel was cleaned but the cylinder was not. Mr. Harwell is then called and reluctantly testifies that he saw Miss Eleanore Leavenworth with the pistol three weeks ago, when she asked him to explain how to load, aim, and fire it. The narrator is sent to fetch the young ladies.
Themes in this chapter
Appearance vs. Reality
The pistol appears clean and loaded, but expert testimony reveals it was recently fired and the barrel cleaned, hiding the truth.
Secrecy and Truth
Mr. Harwell's reluctant testimony about Eleanore's secret encounter with the pistol brings hidden actions to light.
Guilt and Innocence
The evidence of the recently fired pistol and Eleanore's prior handling of it casts suspicion, while the cook's outburst defends Hannah's innocence.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Harwell
Testifies about knowing of Mr. Leavenworth's pistol and seeing Miss Eleanore with it three weeks ago, when she asked him to explain its use.
- Eleanore Leavenworth
Mentioned by Mr. Harwell as having been seen with the pistol, asking how to load, aim, and fire it.
- The Narrator
Attends the inquest, whispers with Mr. Gryce, and volunteers to fetch the young ladies when summoned.
- Mr. Gryce
Observes the proceedings, calms the cook, and instructs the narrator to be ready to fetch the young ladies.
- Thomas
The butler who reveals that Mr. Leavenworth kept a small pistol in his stand drawer.
- Hannah
Mentioned by the cook, who insists Hannah could not have committed the act.
Key passages
“That faint line of smut, on the edge of one of the chambers, is the telltale, sirs. A bullet passing out always leaves smut behind. The man who fired this, remembering the fact, cleaned the barrel, but forgot the cylinder.”
The clerk explains that a residue mark on the cylinder proves the pistol was recently fired, even though the barrel was cleaned.
Expert testimony reveals a crucial oversight by the shooter, indicating the pistol was used in the murder.
“I had occasion to go to the library at an unusual hour. Crossing over to the mantelpiece for the purpose of procuring a penknife which I had carelessly left there in the morning, I heard a noise in the adjoining room. Knowing that Mr. Leavenworth was out, and supposing the ladies to be out also, I took the liberty of ascertaining who the intruder was; when what was my astonishment to come upon Miss Eleanore Leavenworth, standing at the side of her uncle's bed, with his pistol in her hand.”
Mr. Harwell recounts discovering Eleanore in Mr. Leavenworth's bedroom holding the pistol three weeks before the murder.
This testimony directly links Eleanore to the weapon and suggests prior knowledge of its use.