Smyrna times., 1860-05-31
Science Aiding Justice. a

The facts embodied in the following narra-
ton, in connection with recent murder trial,
show the value ofscienti6c requirements, and
are Of exceeding interest TO large class Of
our readers:
A traveller was found dead in his bed one
morning, at country tavern. His throat was
cut at the side, the instrument having pierced
the carotid artery; the victim had been, for
some time, wasting away by disease. The
landlord was one of the most influential and
heighly-esteemed persons in the neighborhood,
was extensively and well connected, and had
large and interesting family. Having been
seen very late at night TO pass through the
hall into which the travellers door opened, the
suspicious Of certain persons were aroused,
and, upon being taken into custody, penknife
was found in his pocket, with apparent blood
stains on the large blade, and something simi-
lar on the ivory handle. The knife was placed
in the hands Of an expert physiological chem
| ist, for examination. The stain was found TO
be of blood and not of iron rust or paint, as il
contained albumen and animal fiber. The blood
on the ivory handle contained large amount
of iron, that on thu blade, comparatively lit
tie. As human blood contains ten times as
4
that the knife in question could not have en-
tered human body still there was doubt,
because, in slow diseases, there is great de-
| ficit of iron in the blood--which deficit is not
an unfrequent cause ofdeath.
| But, as the blood on the ivory handle had the
full amount of iron for a man in vigorous
health, il seemed to show that there were two
different kinds of blood-one human certainly,
the other possibly SO. Hence another mode of
inquiry was proposed. The blood of animals
and men crystallizes, but in different forms
that of man represented by a perfect square
heightened cube, called prIsmatic; that of ami
mails, by the cube, tetrahedal or several-sided
hexagonal. This analysis entirely removed
the doubts connected with the proceeding, for
it demonstrated that the blood on The blade
was that of lower animal, and that on The
handle was certainly human.
A third line of investigation was pursued.-
All the inner surfaces of the human body are
} covered with a glairy-looking fluid called
" mucus," which is differently constituted, ac-
cording to the part of the body from which it is
taken. As observed through microscope, that
which is found about the upper part of the
throat presents the appearance Of pavement
Of bricks or square pieces, hence it is called
" tesselated." The mucus from some other
parts is conical, looking like pavement made
of round pieces fattened. A third kind, CON-
ing frem the intestines, seems hairy, cilliated,
waving as the tops Of long grass under the in
huence of the wind. Examining the blood on
the handle, which was now known to be that
of q, human being, it was found not TO present
the pavement-like appearance, but it clearly
showed the wavy lines; it could not, therefore
have come from the throat, and as tho traveller
had no wound except that on the throat and as
ho he fada ~Ia an~lw mnir al
0 blood and not human, no part of the blood or
the knife could have been that of the unfortu.
}. nate traveller, and therefore the landlord was
discharged, when he gave the following state
ment:
Some days before, while out hunting, he
u killed several squirrels, and stopped to cut I
. switch with knob at the reot, on which 4
:, string his game; the knife slipped as he Gu
9 upwarda, and it penetrated the abdomen. Il
J. his haste he wiped the knife clean with some
: leaves, closed the blade, and in attempting t
put it into bis pocket, it fell to the ground b.
picked it up and directed his steps homeward
y Ia few minutes one of the squirrels slippe.
q of; be pierced it through with his knife, strung
. 1t on the switch, and had not used the knit
}. since, This was plausible, and he shoA ed th
q wound, not yet entirely healed; but this coul
x easily have been made to answer an object
y |
y matter of curious interest, to examine the bloc
4 on the blade and also that on the handle.-
OF That on the handle was wavy, cIiary, witt
8, the largest amount Of iron, showing tbatit mus
q have been from man of robust health, and tn
% mucus ffom the abdomen is always ciliiary an
~ never tesselated. Again, the blood adhern
to knife penetrating living body coagulate
that entering body already dead neve
does. The blood on the blade, already show
iy TO be that of a mere animal, was now found {
n be incoagulabIe. Hence, that on the blade wa
u shown to be the blood of mere animal alread
O. dead that on The handle was the blood Of
man In vigorous health, and could not hav
come from the throat, and almost certainl
came from the abdomen. When the knife fe
LIP on the ground, the handle touched some of h
leaves with which it had just been wiped
to Thus the chain of evidence for the landlord
an innocence was unbroken and perfect. Th
real culprit was subsequently found, tried ar
be executed, confessing his guilt.
d. 1t is certain that, in the progressive marc
II of science and art, the Interchangeable laws
ir, nature will be better acknowledgements
n the errors and fallacies of human jadgmen
ire and the testimony Of Science will thus aid yu
ay tice in forming her opinions and enabing b
= to give her decisions soith her eyes open
IN --------s~~~-~----
&c, Nor IN THEIR LIsE.--In church in Po,
land, Me-, there were no services last Saba
'ea 1.-The pastor being absent. 1t devolyed up
nd one of the worthy deacons OF the church
re- procure supply. Accordingly be wrote
letter to a neighboring clergyman, requesti
ut him to supply the pulpit on the Sabbath, .
100 at the same time wrote another letter 70 ge
lleman in Boston respecting some bay. T
Tor letters were placed in envelopes aud dispa t.
on. ed. Judge Of tho establishment Of The wort
be deacon when on Monday he received a let
ey. from his Boston correspondent stating that
snd had never preached ssrmoa 10 his life, q
ars shat he must decline occupying the pulpit
y. The ------ church on Sunday. The letters /
|es' been pisced in the wrong envelopes. No rel
rse, hss been rsee,ved from The CLERGYMAN TO VIII