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{"id":15112,"date":"2018-09-11T11:00:19","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T15:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/?p=15112"},"modified":"2025-01-02T14:47:47","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T19:47:47","slug":"letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2018\/09\/11\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters Shed Light on Huey Long\u2019s Murder Mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Divyansh Agarwal ~ <\/em><\/p>\n<p>A seemingly typical Sunday evening in Louisiana, September 8, 1935, was about to become extraordinary. The House of Representatives had organized a special session to pass a set of bills. A prominent member present in the State Capitol that evening was the 42-year old Senator, Huey Long. Elected Louisiana governor at the age of 35, the youngest in history, Long\u2019s autobiography best summarized his political agenda: \u201cEvery Man a King.\u201d He abolished the state\u2019s poll tax, distributed free textbooks to students and pushed for tax on petroleum products to help fund social programs. Not surprisingly, his efforts at wealth redistribution did not sit well with many. One such person was a district judge Benjamin Pavy.<\/p>\n<p>That Sunday evening, Pavy\u2019s fate was to be voted upon in Baton Rouge. Long had introduced \u201cHouse Bill Number One\u201d in the Capitol to intentionally re-draw Louisiana\u2019s districts and gerrymander his political opponent Pavy from the bench. Pavy\u2019s son-in-law, a physician named Carl Weiss, was present in Baton Rouge that day to speak with Long and prevent Pavy\u2019s ousting.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after 9:20pm that night, the House voted to pass the Bill, removing Pavy from office. As Long walked out of the Capitol\u2019s main hall, he was approached by the 29-year-old Dr. Weiss.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly, smoke and the sounds of machine gun fire filled the Capitol. A few minutes later, Long was found stumbling down the stairs with a bullet through his right upper abdomen. Meanwhile, Weiss was found dead in the Capitol\u2019s main hall, with 61 bullet holes counted in his body. Long was taken to Our Lady of the Lake Sanitarium, where surgeon Arthur Vidrine, assisted by surgeon William Cook and pediatrician Cecil Lorio, deemed sufficient evidence of internal hemorrhage and immediately began preparing for an operation. At approximately 4:10am on Tuesday, September 10th, Long succumbed to death.<\/p>\n<p>Up to this point, all historical resources agree with each other. The events resulting in Long\u2019s death that happened between 9:22pm and 9:37pm that Sunday evening, however, remain shrouded in mystery.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theadvocate.com\/new_orleans\/entertainment_life\/article_470e4ac7-bab0-5342-82d8-9b58a0040093.html\">most popular version<\/a> of those fifteen minutes casts Weiss as the obvious assassin. Best summarized by former New Orleans Tribune reporter C.E. Frampton, who was present at the State Capitol that night: \u201c[Weiss] pulled his hand out from under his coat and fired point blank at Huey.”<\/p>\n<p>An opposing theory is that Weiss was having a heated discussion with Long and punched the senator in the face. Long’s bodyguards open fired on Weiss, when a stray bullet accidentally hit Long.<\/p>\n<p>Was Weiss guilty and a murderer, or did a bullet fired by a bodyguard ricochet off the marble and accidentally kill Long? Perhaps this\u2014arguably one of Louisiana’s most enduring mysteries\u2014will never be completely resolved.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15113\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15113\" style=\"width: 238px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbcn.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"15113\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2018\/09\/11\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\/fjbbcn-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbcn.jpg?fit=4468%2C5626&ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4468,5626\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"FJBBCN\" data-image-description=\"<p>Inscription:<br \/>\nTo Michael DeBakey in sincere appreciation of his industry, ability and loyalty<br \/>\nAlton Ochsner<\/p>\n\" data-image-caption=\"<p>Alton Ochsner, ca. 1930<br \/>\nNLM Profiles in Science<br \/>\nCourtesy of Katrin DeBakey<\/p>\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbcn.jpg?fit=238%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbcn.jpg?fit=813%2C1024&ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-15113\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbcn.jpg?resize=238%2C300&ssl=1\" alt=\"A signed photograph of Dr. Alton Ochsner\" width=\"238\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15113\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alton Ochsner, ca. 1930<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.nlm.nih.gov\/101743405X30\">NLM Profiles in Science<\/a><br \/><em>Courtesy of Katrin DeBakey<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Interestingly, correspondence between two medical luminaries of the day, Alton Ochsner, of the New Orleans\u2019 Ochsner Medical Center fame, and Michael DeBakey, a pioneer cardiovascular surgeon, offers insight into Long\u2019s murder mystery. Ochsner was a mentor to DeBakey during his medical training at Tulane University in the late 1920s, and the two exchanged dozens of personal letters during their careers.<\/p>\n<p>The day after Long died, on September 11, 1935, Ochsner wrote to DeBakey describing how Huey was in the Operating Room for two hours, but \u201c\u2026never recovered from shock\u2026one bullet entered his body, but passed through the colon a couple of time[s], through the kidney, and apparently passed through the base of the right lung.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"840\" data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\\\/\\\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/11\\\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\\\/","likes_blog_id":"52242398"}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 840px; height: 365px;\" data-original-width=\"840\" data-original-height=\"365\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 283px; height: 365px;\" data-original-width=\"283\" data-original-height=\"365\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2018\/09\/11\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\/fjbbmp_page_1\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"279\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"361\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"15114\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"928,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"FJBBMP_Page_1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_1.jpg?fit=232%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_1.jpg?fit=792%2C1024&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_1.jpg?w=279&h=361&ssl=1\" width=\"279\" height=\"361\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"279\" data-original-height=\"361\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"FJBBMP_Page_1\" alt=\"Page 1 of a typwritten letter on Tulane University School of Medicine Stationary.\" style=\"width: 279px; height: 361px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Letter from Alton Ochsner to Michael E. DeBakey, September 11, 1935 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 279px; height: 365px;\" data-original-width=\"279\" data-original-height=\"365\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2018\/09\/11\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\/fjbbmp_page_2\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"275\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"361\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"15115\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"914,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"FJBBMP_Page_2\" data-image-description=\"<p>You probably heard the excitement which happened here in Louisiana and probably know most of the details about the assassination of Huey Long. Sunday night, three days ago, while completing one of the extra sessions of the legislature, a Dr. Carl Weiss, of Baton Rouge, who graduated from Tulane University in 1927 went into the State House and shot Huey through the abdomen. Dr. Weiss was immediately mowed down by Huey’s bodyguard, there being sixty-one bullet holes in his body. The paper states that his face was completely shot off. Huey was immediately taken to the hospital in Baton Rouge, where Vidrine apparently operated upon immediately. He was on the table two hours, went on in shock and came off in more shock. In the meantime Stone and Maes had been summoned from New Orleans, but by the time they got there the whole thing was over. Huey never recovered from shock and died at four o’ clock Tuesday morning. Only one bullet entered his body, but passed through the colon a couple of times, though the kidney, and apparently passed through the base of the right lung.<br \/> It is difficult to say just what effect it is going to have on the state, but undoubtedly things are going to begin to pop. The dope is that Allen will resign, which makes Noe governor. Noe will then turn around and appoint Allen senator to fill Huey’s unexpired term. The thing happened so recently that it is difficult to say just what the outcome will be, but undoubtedly there will be considerable shake-up.<\/p> \" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_2.jpg?fit=229%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_2.jpg?fit=780%2C1024&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_2.jpg?w=275&h=361&ssl=1\" width=\"275\" height=\"361\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"275\" data-original-height=\"361\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"FJBBMP_Page_2\" alt=\"Page 2 of a trypwritten letter.\" style=\"width: 275px; height: 361px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Letter from Alton Ochsner to Michael E. DeBakey, September 11, 1935 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 278px; height: 365px;\" data-original-width=\"278\" data-original-height=\"365\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2018\/09\/11\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\/fjbbmp_page_3\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"274\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"361\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"15116\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_3.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"910,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"FJBBMP_Page_3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_3.jpg?fit=228%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_3.jpg?fit=777%2C1024&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmp_page_3.jpg?w=274&h=361&ssl=1\" width=\"274\" height=\"361\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"274\" data-original-height=\"361\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"FJBBMP_Page_3\" alt=\"Page 3 of a trypwritten letter signed by Alton Ochsner.\" style=\"width: 274px; height: 361px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Letter from Alton Ochsner to Michael E. DeBakey, September 11, 1935 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>About a month later, on October 17th, 1935, another letter from Ochsner to DeBakey added: \u201c\u2026Weiss came in to speak to Long and that following a cursing by Long that Weiss hit him. This would account for a cut which Huey had on the lip and which caused some bleeding from his lip.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/was-huey-long-killed-by-his-own-bodyguards\">Historians have confirmed Ochsner\u2019s account<\/a>. Furthermore, a 1935 affidavit from a nurse, Jewel O\u2019Neal, stated that while she was treating Long for the bruised lip, Long said, \u201cThat\u2019s where he hit me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ochsner was not present in the Capitol that night but in his letters he told DeBakey:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWeiss was knocked to the ground by one of the guards, following which Weiss shot but instead of hitting Huey hit one of the guards in the hand. Following this the guards began shooting while Weiss was on the floor and one of the bullets supposedly rickashawed [sic] from the wall and struck Long.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Although the bullets fired that evening left holes that are still visible in the Capitol\u2019s marble walls, the holes in the narrative surrounding Long\u2019s death appear to be filling.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/digitalcommons.law.uga.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=1150&context=fac_pm\">Historians have long argued<\/a> that Weiss was framed as the murderer and mounting evidence has accumulated in support of Weiss. Weiss was regarded as a gifted surgeon, and the day of the shooting, he had called an anesthesiologist colleague about a tonsillectomy case for the next day.<\/p>\n<p>Weiss never left any writings or indications that he was planning to shoot Long, and in fact, was a supporter of Long\u2019s. And allegedly, Weiss approached Long in the halls of the statehouse three times that Sunday night, and the shootout happened only on the third encounter. Why would any assassin pass up two supposedly easy opportunities to shoot their target?<\/p>\n<p>Beyond a doubt, the historical truth is complicated by the fact that at the time, the shooting was not investigated with any evidence-based or methodical approach, and no autopsy was performed on Long\u2019s body.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/1992\/06\/29\/clues-from-the-grave-add-mystery-to-the-death-of-huey-long\/cbdd5297-27a1-4534-96bb-68175daf3573\/?utm_term=.d74c5b9dd482\">It has also been theorized<\/a> how a weapon could have been placed in Weiss\u2019 possession. After the shootings, his car keys were reported missing. It was found that the surgeon\u2019s Buick had been moved from where it had been originally parked. The car\u2019s glove compartment, which is where Weiss kept his .32 caliber pistol, had also been tampered with.<\/p>\n<p>Ochsner\u2019s letter written in the October 1935 further adds:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201c\u2026surgeons who attended Huey stated that the entrance and exit wounds were several centimeters in diameter, which hardly could have been produced by a steel-jacketed .32 bullet which was fired from Weiss\u2019 gun\u2026.Weiss was buried from the Catholic Church with full rites, and I am told that such is not possible for a murderer or suicide\u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"840\" data-carousel-extra='{"blog_id":1,"permalink":"https:\\\/\\\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\\\/2018\\\/09\\\/11\\\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\\\/","likes_blog_id":"52242398"}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 840px; height: 361px;\" data-original-width=\"840\" data-original-height=\"361\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 279px; height: 361px;\" data-original-width=\"279\" data-original-height=\"361\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2018\/09\/11\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\/fjbbmq_page_1\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"275\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"357\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"15117\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"924,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"FJBBMQ_Page_1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_1.jpg?fit=231%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_1.jpg?fit=788%2C1024&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_1.jpg?w=275&h=357&ssl=1\" width=\"275\" height=\"357\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"275\" data-original-height=\"357\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"FJBBMQ_Page_1\" alt=\"Page 1 of a typwritten letter on Tulane University School of Medicine Stationary.\" style=\"width: 275px; height: 357px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Letter from Alton Ochsner to Michael E. DeBakey October 17, 1935 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 280px; height: 361px;\" data-original-width=\"280\" data-original-height=\"361\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2018\/09\/11\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\/fjbbmq_page_2\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"276\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"357\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"15118\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"928,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"FJBBMQ_Page_2\" data-image-description=\"<p>You will be interested in knowing some of the more recent rumors concerning Huey Long’s death. The most recent one is that he was not shot by Weiss, but that Weiss came in to speak to Long and that following a cursing by Long that Weiss hit him. That would account for a cut which Huey had on the lip and which caused some bleeding from his lip. The rumor then goes that Weiss was knocked to the ground by one of the guards, following which Weiss shot, but instead of hitting Huey hit one of the guards in the hand. Following this the guards began shooting while Weiss was on the floor and one of the bullets rickashawed from the wall and struck Long. This rumor is based upon the fact that one of the surgeons who attended Huey stated that the entrance and exit wounds were several centimeters in diameter, which hardly could have been produced by a steel-jacketed .32 bullet which was fired from Weiss’ gun. Further support to this rumor is given by the fact that Weiss was buried from the Catholic Church with full rites, and I am told that such is not possible for a murderer or suicide. It is interesting at least.<\/p> \" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_2.jpg?fit=232%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_2.jpg?fit=792%2C1024&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_2.jpg?w=276&h=357&ssl=1\" width=\"276\" height=\"357\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"276\" data-original-height=\"357\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"FJBBMQ_Page_2\" alt=\"Page 2 of a trypwritten letter.\" style=\"width: 276px; height: 357px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Letter from Alton Ochsner to Michael E. DeBakey October 17, 1935 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 281px; height: 361px;\" data-original-width=\"281\" data-original-height=\"361\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2018\/09\/11\/letters-shed-light-on-huey-longs-murder-mystery\/fjbbmq_page_3\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"277\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"357\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"15119\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_3.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"929,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"FJBBMQ_Page_3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_3.jpg?fit=232%2C300&ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_3.jpg?fit=793%2C1024&ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_3.jpg?w=277&h=357&ssl=1\" width=\"277\" height=\"357\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"277\" data-original-height=\"357\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"FJBBMQ_Page_3\" alt=\"Page 3 of a trypwritten letter signed by Alton Ochsner.\" style=\"width: 277px; height: 357px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Letter from Alton Ochsner to Michael E. DeBakey October 17, 1935 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>Indeed, during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3307515\/\">Long\u2019s operation at the CHNO<\/a>, a .38 caliber bullet was recovered from his body, which corresponded to the weapons carried by Long\u2019s bodyguards; Weiss\u2019 pistol was never a match.<\/p>\n<p>More intriguingly, forensic examination of Weiss\u2019 skull showed that he was most likely in a defensive position with his hands raised when Long\u2019s bodyguards continued shooting at him. Weiss was wearing a white cotton suit the day he was shot. A bullet under his left eye had a tuft of light tan cotton fibers, suggesting that he raised his arms to shield his face during the shooting. The slug could have passed through a sleeve, catching the cotton fibers before entering Weiss’s head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly the Eternal could know all that happened,\u201d Long\u2019s son Russell wrote in 1993. But, it is fascinating that historical archives at the National Library of Medicine provide a unique perspective from a local medical expert on the events in that narrow back corridor of the Louisiana Capitol that Sunday night.<\/p>\n<p><em>Divyansh Agarwal is an MD-PhD Student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He was a Michael E. DeBakey Fellow in the history of medicine at the NLM in 2018. With his colleagues, Divyansh published <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/31599807\">Reciprocal Learning Between Military and Civilian Surgeons: Past and Future Paths for Medical Innovation<\/a> in <\/em>Annals of Surgery<em> in 2019<\/em>.<em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Learn more about the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nlm.nih.gov\/hmd\/get-involved\/debakey-fellowship.html\"><em>NLM Michael E. DeBakey Fellowship in the History of Medicine<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Divyansh Agarwal ~ A seemingly typical Sunday evening in Louisiana, September 8, 1935, was about to become extraordinary. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19605840,"featured_media":15120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Letters Shed Light on Huey Long\u2019s Murder Mystery - Divyansh Agarwal explores correspondence between DeBakey and Ochsner after the assassination. #histmed","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[42333869,12763,51014],"tags":[24739,266278,32035,5563,50991,59350,1753209,58980,535859],"class_list":["post-15112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives-manuscripts","category-collections","category-guests","tag-1930s","tag-assassination","tag-forensic","tag-legislation","tag-letter","tag-louisiana","tag-michael-e-debakey","tag-fellowship","tag-wounds"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/fjbbmq_page_3_feature.jpg?fit=900%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xcDk-3VK","jetpack-related-posts":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19605840"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15112"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56810,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15112\/revisions\/56810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |