"Recent scratches?"
"Made within the last two or three weeks."
"Do you consider it certain that there was a struggle between the deceased and his assailant?"
"I am positive there was."
"In that case would there not have been, in addition to the defined blood stains of footmarks, smears of blood upon the floor?"
"I was coming to that. There is no doubt that a prolonged struggle took place, but the absence of blood-smears, such as would have been caused by the naked feet of the deceased, proves that the wound from which the blood proceeded could not have been inflicted during the struggle."
"Before or after?"
"After. If blood had dropped upon the floor before the struggle it would have taken some time to dry, and signs of dragging feet would have been observable. Besides, there would have been blood-stains on the naked feet of the deceased. There were none. Examining farther I discovered a bullet in the wall, which I extracted, and which must have been fired within the last two or three weeks. The bore is .320, the barrel of the pistol, four inch. The weapon used was probably a Colt's ejector revolver."
"Probably, you say. Did you not find the pistol?"
"No. I inquired of Mr. Remington whether he had found one. He had not."