“I see. Will you tell us now, Dr. Stanley, just what caused the death of Mrs. Bellamy?”
“Mrs. Bellamy’s heart was punctured by some sharp instrument—a knife, I should say.”
“There was only one wound?”
“Yes.”
“Will you please describe it to us?”
“There was a clean incision about three quarters of an inch long in the skin just over the heart. The instrument had penetrated to a depth of approximately three inches, and had passed between the ribs over the heart.”
“Was it necessary that the blow should have been delivered with great force?”
“Not necessarily. If the knife had struck a rib, it would have taken considerable force to deflect it, but in this case it encountered no obstacle whatever.”
“So that a woman with a strong wrist could have struck the blow?”
“Oh, certainly—or a woman with a weak wrist—or a child—or a strong man, as far as that goes. There is no evidence at all from the wound as to the force with which the blow was delivered.”