Litchfield enquirer., 1857-10-01
Moral Use of the Microscope.

It is thought that the microscope may b. used to detect secret murders, by examining the last impression upon the retina Of the n1ar dered man. This opinion may prove elTone ous, but the microscope has often acted -th' part of an accuser ir bringing to light proot of criminal acts which might otherwise have es capped detection. The following incident is il point
 The value of this peculiar discriminating power of tie microscope was remarkab!yfillus trated in very curious case tried few year: ago at Norwich A female child, about niut years old, was found one morning lying dead the cause of the death being at once denoted by large and deep gash in the throat sever ing both of the carotid arteries the trachea and the esophagus. Suspicion immediately fell upon she mother of the murdered girl, wslo had been seen by more than one person leading hel daughter toward the plantation on the morn tug of the day upon which the crime was pre- sumed to have been committed
 Upon being taken into custody, the woman behaved with the utmost coolness-at once ad mittcd having taken the child to the planta. tion where tue body was found, but ayered that, having arrived there, the girl ran about gathering wild flowers that she subsequently lost sight of her, and after a Ioug search, re- turned home without her.
 Upon being searched there was found in her possession a large and sharp knife, which was at once bjcct,d to minute and careful eX- animation. Nothing, however, was founa up on it, with the exception Of a few pieces ot hair adherng to the handle, so exceedingly small as scarcely to be visible Tine examina- ton being conducted in the presence of the the prisoner, and the officer rclnarkng
 Here is bit of fur or hair on the handle of your knife
 The woman immediately replied
 Yes dare say there is, and very likely some stains of blood, for as came home 1 found rabit caught in a snare, and cut its throat with the knife"
 The knife was sent to London, and, with the particles of hair, subjected to microscopic examnatio No traces of blood could at first be detected upon the weapon, which ap- peared to have been washed but upon sepa- rating the horn handle from its iron lining, it was found that between the two fluid had penetrated, which turned out to be blood, ctr- tainIy not the blood of rabbit, but bearing every resemblance to that of the human body Then came tue examination of the hair, which added powerfully to the presumption ef the prisoners guilt Without knowing any thing of the facts of the case, the nlicroscopist i'm medatcly declared the hair to be that of q squiyrel--in this he could not be mistaken, for the fur o one animal differs 90 ent.rei 5,-h hom that of another, Tot only i'll its size, color, &c., but from its actual construction, that 1t is al together impossible to mistake it, when under tbe n;crOS,.ODp Now rOuuu the neck of the child, at the time of the murder there was a tippet or yictorine,' over which the knife, by whomsoevcr held, must have @!ided this vic torne was made of squirrels fur The strong crcumstantial evidence of the guilt of the pris- oner was deemed by the jury sufficient for d conviction, and while awaiting execution, the wretched woman fully confessed the crime.
 Tt 0tchman