Kelly photo 1 enhanced - graphic

[Midnyte]

Hi Supe and Christine, Christine thank you for clarifying the source of some of the stripes in the crime scene photos. In the past I have suggested that the light coming in from the larger window, which had many panes, would cast shadows on the area as the sun was going lower in the sky.
As Supe mentions, the long exposure needed to capture the scene in the dark room would cause a double or triple shadow effect. The only thing moving in the room was the light, and the light will follow the line of the object, whereas fabric follows the line of the bias and bends sharply.
Do you think this could be a factor in the stripe appearance?

Joan

[Stewart P Evans]

Object

The object on the table -

[Christine]

Hi Supe and Christine, Christine thank you for clarifying the source of some of the stripes in the crime scene photos. In the past I have suggested that the light coming in from the larger window, which had many panes, would cast shadows on the area as the sun was going lower in the sky.
As Supe mentions, the long exposure needed to capture the scene in the dark room would cause a double or triple shadow effect. The only thing moving in the room was the light, and the light will follow the line of the object, whereas fabric follows the line of the bias and bends sharply.
Do you think this could be a factor in the stripe appearance?

Joan

Hi Joan.

It would have to be a very, very long exposure for the sun to have moved enough to move the shadows a centimeter or so. None of the various photographic processes that might have been used would have called for more than about 30 seconds of exposure. And as the sun's motion would be smooth, you'd see gradient stripes--stripes that go from bright, to dim smoothly, then jump back to bright. It could have been some sort of artificial light that was knocked after 15 seconds. But even that would produce doubly lit/singly lit/unlit bands, as the image would be characterized by three different types of lighting.

On the other hand, it is possible to imagine some sort of lamp that would cast striped light. Some lanterns with shutters could do it. But surely then the stripes would extend to the table. I also see the stripes make a 90 degree turn in the hi-res version. I can make them out in the area just past the large fold or crease or turn behind the "crocodile head."

[perrymason]

I know that there have been some studies on the light available in room 13, the courtyard as relates to times of day, and the photos themselves,.. Simon Wood has some of that in his dissertation here and I believe Sam Flynn has done some sun position in the window by time of day research. The first photos as per the records were'nt taken until after 1:30pm, so that would be around the time for the maximum light available that day being present, Im not sure how the court was aligned, so I dont know at what time the maximum light for the court would be.

Ive never had any issues with the item in question being a bedding accessory myself, so the lines never were a big deal for me personally.

Cheers all.

[Chava]

Looks like a bolster to me. Except that it's narrower towards the ends, and the bolsters I have seen are uniform in width and cylindrical. However I did a little research, and apparently bolsters then tended to be home-made. I can see Kelly grabbing some material, sewing it down one side and along the bottom, stuffing some old rags in and then sewing down the other two ends, so you'd get something that's narrower at the ends and full in the middle, as this seems to be. And also you'd get something that isn't particularly uniform in content, which would produce the kind of folds in the covering that this seems to have. As well, you'd be able to throw it on a table and it would be soft enough to lie like a crescent. A really well-made bolster wouldn't fold like that, it would be too stiff and it would fall off the table.

[Stewart P Evans]

Bolsters

Looks like a bolster to me. Except that it's narrower towards the ends, and the bolsters I have seen are uniform in width and cylindrical. However I did a little research, and apparently bolsters then tended to be home-made. I can see Kelly grabbing some material, sewing it down one side and along the bottom, stuffing some old rags in and then sewing down the other two ends, so you'd get something that's narrower at the ends and full in the middle, as this seems to be. And also you'd get something that isn't particularly uniform in content, which would produce the kind of folds in the covering that this seems to have. As well, you'd be able to throw it on a table and it would be soft enough to lie like a crescent. A really well-made bolster wouldn't fold like that, it would be too stiff and it would fall off the table.

The bolsters I can remember using in the 50s were filled with feathers and would fold like that.

[j.r-ahde]

Hello Stewart!

The object on the table -

[ATTACH]4467[/ATTACH]

My sister's (a MD) commentary;

"A bolster!"

All the best
Jukka

(PS: she doesn't want to have anything to do with this Casebook website! )

[Supe]

Jukka,

she doesn't want to have anything to do with this Casebook website!

Your sister is a very wise woman indeed.

Don.

[Midnyte]

If I had done the autopsy

Hi everyone, Thanks for the input and lively debate. The blowup picture is great, a lot easier on the eyesight.The easiest way for me to explain how I see the pictures would be to do it as I imagine a more detailed coroner's report was done;
Mutilation to lower body;
The right thigh was denuded to the bone, and the flap of flesh, including the external organs of regeneration, the inner portion of the right thigh, and the flesh of the posterior surface of the calf and knee, with the muscle and achilles tendon attached, were placed INVERTED on the table.
The lower body showed several deep slashes made before the removal of the flap from the body;beginning at the right upper thigh, a deep slash separated the posterior thigh muscle from its connection , and it hung loosely from the body. The next slash deeply divided the right labia through the fatty tissue.
On the left thigh, beginning at the pubic area, were several shallower cuts that separated the left labia through the fatty tissue.
There were several stab type wounds further down the left thigh.
The left calf muscle was deeply divided to the deep muscles, and the flap matched the rounded flap hanging from the body with a deep notch dividing the back of the knee.
Wounds from the flesh showed on the body in the same areas, and were made when the flesh was still intact.
The flesh was then rolled over to the table top and displayed flesh side out.
The rounded wound on the right thigh matched the round cut on the end of the far side of the table.
In removing the flap, the outer area of the vaginal area and anal area are visible on the flesh and were deeply cored out from the body.

Nice little bedtime story for you!
Thanks for being good sports.
Joan

[Stewart P Evans]

Imagination

It must be nice to have a vivid imagination, I should imagine that if you do you see lots of faces in clouds.

[Stewart P Evans]

An Old Photo

An old photo I found in my files -

[perrymason]

Thats a remarkable photo Stewart...even more disturbing when focusing on her human form, face, head, neck, upper body,.. rather than on the glut of injury done to her.

I have to say I still find it curious that there were intact eyes to identify Mary by....I cant see any in the pictures myself.

Thanks for sharing the photo Stewart, much obliged.

All the best.

[harry]

A little bit of information,taken from the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper of November 1888,describes an article in the room as being a 'Tumble Down'.Might that be some sort of a bolster.What is a 'Tumble Down'?

[perrymason]

A little bit of information,taken from the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper of November 1888,describes an article in the room as being a 'Tumble Down'.Might that be some sort of a bolster.What is a 'Tumble Down'?

Hiya Harry,

I dont have the answer, but I would imagine the "down" is a play on words, maybe referring to an article stuffed with goose down.

I have read a bolster is akin to a body pillow, and it can be used across the head of the bed, or to raise your feet, or as a form fitting body cushion down the lenth of the bed.

Maybe its a Tumble Down because you can "tumble" onto a soft "down" filled pillow any way you choose to.

Of course the "down" might also refer to going to sleep....as in being "down" for the evening.

Cheers Harry

[Sam Flynn]

What is a 'Tumble Down'?

A "Tumble Down" was a sexual service offered by American pimple doctors at the time