The dirt-encrusted tomb of the man listed in the history books as the assassin of Huey P. Long was opened in an effort to settle questions about the shooting of the populist politician a half-century ago.
The history books say Dr. Carl Austin Weiss, 29, shot Long in a corridor of the State Capitol on Sept. 8, 1935. Long's bodyguards promptly killed Weiss with a volley of bullets.Weiss' grave was opened Sunday to investigate claims by some that Long's own overeager bodyguards were his real killers.
"We are using scientific evidence to corroborate or not what the eyewitnesses had to say," said James E. Starrs, a forensic scientist at George Washington University in Washington. "What we're after is who did what, when and how."
Long, Louisiana's governor from 1928 to 1931, was a U.S. senator when he died, at age 42.
A rival of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Long - known as the "Kingfish" - espoused a "share the wealth" philosophy. Enemies said he was a demagogue who wanted to be dictator of the United States.
Workers on Sunday scraped away 19 inches of hard dirt on top of Weiss' vault, which was then lifted from the grave with straps and chains. The wooden coffin was then X-rayed behind black plastic held up by sheriff's deputies.
Starrs said there was a complete skeleton and some tissue inside the coffin, which fell apart when the lid was lifted, damaging some of the bones. The remains were then taken to a laboratory in Lafayette, about 55 miles away. Historians have suggested that Weiss went to the Capitol to confront Long about a dispute between the senator and Weiss' in-laws. Starrs wants to examine Weiss' hands in light of witness reports that Weiss struck Long that day.
"It would be extremely difficult to strike someone and shoot with the same hand, unless he was slapping with one and shooting with the other," Starrs said.