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Hilda Blake's Crime
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Deposition of Witnesses in the Emily Hilda Blake murder case, page 1.
A of M, A 0088, GR 0363, Q. vs. Emily Hilda Blake, No. 11
DEPOSITIONS OF WITNESSES
CANADA
Province of Manitoba
Western Judicial District
The depositions of John McDiarmid of Brandon and John Sutherland Matheson, James Kirkcaldy [sp], John R. Foster all of Brandon Taken on this tenth day of July in the year of our Lord 1899, at the City of Brandon in the Western Judicial District Aforesaid, before the undersigned, one of Her Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the said Province in the presence and hearing of Emily Hilda Blake Who stands charged that she the said Emily Hilda Blake at the City of Brandon in the Province of Manitoba on the fifth day of July did unlawfully kill and murder Mary Robinson Lane.
The deponent John McDiarmid upon his saith as follows: I am a practicing physician in the city. I know Mrs. Robert Lane. made a postmortem examination of her body last Thursday. I was summoned to do so I made the examination to ascertain the cause of her death. I found the body in a room in Mr. Robert Lane’s house. Three quarters of an inch below the lower angle of the scapula and three and a half inches from the spine a wound as if made by a bullet was found on probing the wound it was very difficult to trace the course of the bullet we then opened the thorase [sp] and found a large quantity of blood surrounding the left lung. The bulk of the blood was cloated [sp] which was removed and a considerable quantity of liquid blood was sponged out. After this blood was removed we were able to locate the point of entrance of the bullet it having pierced the seventh rib then traveled through the upper part of the lower lobe of the lung making its exit near its root. We examined the heart and larger blood vessels and found the heart empty and the principal blood vessels uninjured. It was in following these vessels upwards that we located the bullet which situated about half an inch in front of the fourth dorsal vertebrae at a point immediately behind the second costal cartilage. The direction of the bullet wound was upward inner and forward. We examined the body and found it healthy in every other respect. Mrs. Lane could be over 24 hours dead. She died from hemorrhage of the lung caused by the bullet wound. It would not be possible for the woman herself to have inflicted the wound,. Dr. Matheson assisted me in the post mortem.
J. McDiarmid
John Sutherland Mathison sworn saith
I am practicing as a physician and was asked to make a post mortem examination of the body of Mrs. Robert Lane in conjunction with Dr. McDiarmid, I have heard the testimony of Dr. McDiarmid and I am prepared to subscribe to the case after dissecting the body. I discovered a bullet in the body of Mrs. Lane. The bullet produced is that which was found there. The cause of the death was from the bullet entering the body and causing the severe hemorrhage described by the last witness. From what I saw on examination I should say death took place within twenty four hours. It would be quite consistant to say that she died on Wednesday the fifth of July. I knew Mrs. Lane before she died she was the wife of Robert Lane of the firm of McIlvride and Lane. I don’t know any other Mrs. Lane.
John S. Mathison
James Kircaldy sworn saith:
I am chief of police in the city. I have been working on this case since it occurred. The party a ledged to have been murdered is the wife of Robert Lave. I know of no other Mrs. Robert Lane. Her house on the 5th of July was on 10th Street between Lorne and Louise Avenue. I examined the lay of the house and [unknown] fairly accurate of [unknown] of the house in which the murder was said to be committed. I examined the body of the deceased woman and found what appeared to be evidence of a bullet wound in the back under left shoulder blade. I was on the scene after the body had been carried into the house. I cannot say how long perhaps it was the next day from what I saw I should judge from the appearance as of the clothing the revolver must have been held close up. The person who did the shooting would have to be standing to the rear of to the left rear. Assuming that Mrs. Lane was standing on the settee as shown in the diagram and in the exact position as indicated by the red cross numbered 3 facing the window end south. What would you say to the possibility of a person inflicting the wound which you saw in the person of Mrs. Lane, that person standing on the exact position or locality as indicated by the red cross numbered 1 on the diagram. I would say it would be a [unknown] impossibility that the live parties would be in a straight line [unknown] [unknown] This person standing at the position numbered one. I do not think it possible that a person standing at the position indicated by the X numbered 1 could in discharge at Mrs. Lane the ordinary revolver [unknown] I caused the arrest of the prisoner between the hours of eleven and twelve yesterday and brought her to the police office Brandon. I put her formally under arrest [unknown] and I took her into the office. I had a conversation with her after that extending over fifteen minutes or more. I arrested her before conversing with her. I told her that it was my duty to charge her with the murder of Mrs. Lane and that anything she told me would in all probability be given in evidence against her when she came to the trial, she then went on and talked to me about the murder exhibiting some little feeling.
John R. Foster sworn saith:
I am a provincial constable and as such I was engaged on the murder case referred to. I know the accused. She has been working as the servant girl in the house of Mrs. Robert Lane. It is perhaps a month ago since I saw Mrs. Lane living. I learned that she had been shot and that is how I came to be engaged on the case. Mary Lane is the wife of Robert Lane. I saw the accused yesterday about twelve o’clock in company with the chief. I saw her in the police office yesterday in company with the chief. He had a conversation with the prisoner. I overheard the conversation. I was secreted in the police office and was so when the chief made his appearance with the accused. The chief said to the prisoner I have something to say to you and I scarcely know how to say it but before commencing I warn you that anything you may in connection with this case may be given evidence against you at your trial. She said yes I know then they [unknown] on talking about the murder. She completely broke down and was very much affected after some little conversation with the chief. She said she had gone to Winnipeg to buy a revolver but not to shoot Mrs. Lane but herself and on Wednesday she had shot Mrs. Lane.
John R. Foster
K. Campbell
Police Magistrate
