Mr. EISENBERG. Let's get that a little more specific if we can. Can you
point to that again?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. In this area, the butt plate of the stock, this is a
metal butt plate, you can see the jagged edge on it.
Mr. EISENBERG. That is on the left side of the butt plate?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. It is on the left side; yes.
Mr. EISENBERG. In approximately in the middle there is a jagged edge,
jagged inside edge, where the butt plate comes into contact with the
wood, is that what you are referring to?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; there is a jagged edge there. This area right here,
according to my notes.
Mr. EISENBERG. Yes.
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I found a tiny tuft of fibers which had caught on that
jagged edge, and then when the individual who dusted this dusted them,
he just folded them down very neatly into the little crevice there,
and they stayed. These I removed and put on a glass microscope slide,
and marked this particular slide "No. 2," because this little group of
fibers--little tuft of fibers, appeared to be fresh.
The fibers on the rest of the gun were either adhering to a greasy,
oily deposit or jammed into a crevice and were very dirty and
apparently very old.
You can look at a fiber and tell whether it has been beaten around or
exposed much. These appeared to be fairly fresh.
Mr. EISENBERG. "These" being the ones that you found in the butt plate
crevice?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; adhering to this small jagged edge.
Mr. EISENBERG. Before we get to those, were there any other fibers of
value on the rest of the Exhibit 139?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. No; the other fibers I cleaned up, removed the grease
and examined them but they were of no value. They were pretty well
fragmented.
Mr. EISENBERG. You could not make a determination as to their nature?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. I could tell what type they were.
Mr. EISENBERG. Meaning textile type?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. Yes; such as wool, cotton, what-have-you, but the grease
and the dirt had changed the colors which ruined the characteristics
for comparison purposes.
Mr. EISENBERG. Could you tell whether they were old or new?
Mr. STOMBAUGH. They all appeared old.