There were two post-mortems held by Coroner Tingley, of Newport over the
remains of the headless body of Pearl Bryan. The first held on the
Monday following the finding of the body and the second, which was
ordered for the purpose of deciding whether the murder was committed
where the body was found or the head cut off after death had been caused
by the administering of anaesthetics. Dr. Charles S. Phythian of
Newport, conducted both post-mortems assisted by Drs. Robert Carothers,
J. L. Phythian, J. O. Jenkins, W. S. Tingley, C. B. Schoolfield and J.
H. Fishbach. The unanimity of opinion was that life was not extinct when
the wounds from which the blood found egress were inflicted.
Dr. Charles Phythian said:
"The post-mortem shows beyond a doubt that Pearl Bryan died by the knife
and was conscious when she was killed."
"Had she been dead when she was taken to the Highlands the blood in her
body would have been somewhat coagulated no matter how soon after
dissolution she was taken there, and while there would have been a great
flow of it if she had been placed there within a short time after death
there must have been a slight coagulation which would have caused at
least a small quantity of blood to remain in the body."
"The cut on the left hand shows that she fought with her murderer. The
cut goes clear to the bone and proves that she did not receive it by
making the weak attempt at defense that a person in a semi-comatose
condition would have made."
As was brought out at the first post-mortem there was absolutely not a
drop of blood in the body of the woman; all of it had flowed from her.
Not a drop of blood was found in the veins nor was any found in the
arteries or heart. Every organ of the body was found in perfect and
healthy condition. The blood vessels were entirely devoid of any blood,
and all the surgeons gave as their opinion that the girl had bled to
death, for had life been extinct before bleeding began the blood vessels
would not have been emptied.
A microscopic observation was made of the body in hope of discovering a
puncture that might be construed as the place where the needle of the
hypodermic-syringe had been inserted, but no such puncture had been
discovered, though subjected to the most careful examination with the
strongest glasses.
Fred Bryan a brother of the murdered woman and Mrs. Stanley, a sister,
together with a number of friends from Greencastle, Ind., arrived in
Cincinnati Friday, for the purpose of fully identifying the remains, and
having them removed from the Newport morgue to Greencastle for
interment. The identification was complete, and permission having been
obtained from the authorities, the headless body was prepared for
interment and removed to the undertaking establishment of John P. Epply,
in Cincinnati.
The body was clothed in a cream white silk dress, the same that the girl
had worn when she graduated from the high school in 1892 at Greencastle.
The feet were incased in dainty satin slippers.
The casket was one of the most beautiful of its kind made. It was white
cloth-covered, and trimmed with cord and tassel. The handles were of
burnished silver. In the center of the casket lid, on a silver plate,
was the name "Pearl."
Inside the casket was full-satin-lined, and handsomely trimmed. The
absence of the head was made scarcely noticeable the placing of a square
satin pillow in the head on the casket down to the shoulders of the
corpse.