Chapter 4 Title IV Autopsy Hearing

The next day, an autopsy hearing was held on the body of Alex Pritchard.Dr. Thomas witnessed the discovery of the body. "Was life lost then?" asked the coroner. "No, the dead man is still breathing. However, there is no hope of recovery." And the doctor seemed very good at this time.The coroner was assisted by the jury: "In everyday language, does this man have a broken back?" "If you want to say that, it is," said Dr. Thomas sadly. He described how he left the scene to call for help, leaving the dying man in Bobby's care. "What is your opinion, Dr. Thomas, as to the cause of this disaster?"

"I should say that nine out of ten cases (lack of evidence of his state of mind, so to speak) lie in the fact that the deceased inadvertently went over the edge of the cliff. The sea was foggy at the time, and the trail turned sharply inward at that particular point. Lu. Because of the fog, the dead man may not have noticed the danger and walked straight ahead, in which case two steps forward would take him over the edge of the cliff." "Is there any trace of violence? Like, maybe a third party involved?" "All I can say is that all the injuries are sufficient to suggest that the body of the deceased had struck rock fifty or sixty feet below."

"Is there any doubt about suicide?" "Of course, that's quite possible. Whether the dead man walked over the edge of the cliff, or jumped off by himself, I can't say at all." Then Robert Jones was summoned. Bobby recounted that he was playing golf with the doctor and that the ball he hit was flying towards the beach.There was a fog, and it was hard to see anything.He thought he heard a yell and wondered for a moment if his ball hit someone coming down the lane.However, he concluded that the ball could not have traveled that far. "Did you find the ball?"

"Found it. About a hundred yards from the trail." He went on to describe how they drove the next round and how he himself got the ball into the hole. That's when the coroner stopped him, because his testimony was tantamount to repeating what the doctor had said.But the coroner asked Bobby at length whether he had heard the shouts or thought he heard them. "It was just a cry." "A cry for help?" "Oh, no. Just a yell. I wasn't even sure I heard it, actually." "Is it a cry of surprise?" "It's bigger than a scream," said Bobby briskly. "It's the kind of scream someone makes when they accidentally get hit by a ball."

"When he thinks he is walking on the path, does he disappear after taking a step?" "That's right." Bobby then explained that the man was actually dead about five minutes after the doctor left the scene to call for help.His testimony was over. The coroner was by this time already anxious to get down to perfectly definite business. Mrs. Leo Cayman summoned. Bobby gasped in disappointment.Where was the face in the photograph that had fallen from the pocket of the deceased?Photographers are the worst liars, Bobby thought angrily.The photo was clearly taken many years ago, and even so it's hard to believe that the beauties with the bewitching wide eyes would have turned into the thick-skinned woman with thinning eyebrows and visibly dyed hair.It occurred to Bobby that time was a very terrible thing.Like, what will Frankie look like in twenty years?He shivered slightly.

At this time, Amelia Cayman, who lived at 17 St Leonards Gardens, Paddington, was giving evidence. The deceased Alex Pritchard was her only brother whom she had last seen the day before the tragedy, when he claimed he was going on a walking tour in Wales.Her brother had only recently returned from the East. "Does his mood seem pleasant and normal?" "Oh, exactly. Alex is always in a good mood." "As far as you know, there's nothing wrong with him mentally?" "Oh, I'm sure I haven't. He's looking forward to traveling." "No money troubles—or any other troubles in his life these days?"

"Well, I can't really say anything about that," said Mrs. Cayman. "He's just come back, you think, and I haven't seen him for ten years before that, and he never writes. But he took me Go to the theater in London, go to lunch, and give me a present or two, so I don't think he's short of money, and he's in such a good mood, I don't see what else can happen." "What is your brother's occupation, Mrs Cayman?" The lady looked a little embarrassed. "Oh, I can't say I know very well. Prospecting—that's what he calls it. He's seldom in England."

"You know that there was no reason for his suicide?" "Oh no. I can't believe he did it. It must have been an accident." "How do you explain the fact that your brother doesn't carry any luggage, not even a backpack?" "He doesn't like to carry a backpack. When he moves places, he sends a post. He sent it the day before he left, with his clothes and a pair of socks in it, but he wrote the address in Derbyshire instead of Denbighshire, so it's just today. Send it here." "Sniff, this clarifies this strange doubt." Mrs. Cayman went on to explain how she had been contacted by the photographer's name on the picture her brother was carrying, so she came to Marchbolt with her husband and immediately recognized the deceased as her brother.

When, having said the last word, she gasped loudly and began to cry bitterly, the coroner, with a few words of comfort, asked her to withdraw. The coroner then explained to the jury that their task was to state the cause of the man's death.Fortunately, the circumstances of this case were simple.There is no indication that Mr. Pritchard was ever so distressed or depressed that he contemplated suicide.On the contrary, he was in good physical and mental health and had always looked forward to going on vacation.Unfortunately, when the sea mist rose to the edge of the path, conditions were dangerous, and everyone would probably agree with him that time had wrought the accident.

The jury quickly came to a conclusion: "We conclude that the cause of death of the deceased was due to an unfortunate accident, and we would like to add to our opinion that the City Council should take immediate steps to construct a wall or fence on the seaward side of the trail along the canyon rim." The coroner nodded his approval.The hearing was declared over.