The Shasta courier., 1863-06-13
Science Aiding Justice.


The facts embodied in the following mar
ratiye, in connection with recent murder
trial, show the value of scientific acquire
ments, and are of exceeding interest 10
large class of readers:
4 traveller was found dead in his bed one
morning, at a 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 andlo was one of the most influential
and highly esteemed persons in the neigh
borhood, was extensively and well connect
ed, and had large and interesting family.
Having been seen very lale at night, passing
through the hall into which the traveller
opened. the esuspicions of certain persons were
aroused ;and upon being taken into custody,
a penknife was found in his pocket with APP
parent bloodstains on the large blade, and
something similar on the ivory handle. The
knife was placed in the hands of an expert
physiological. chemist for examination. The
stain was found to be of blood, and not of
iron-rust or paint, as 1t contained albumen
and animal fibre. The blood on the handle
contained large amount of iron that on the
blade comparatively little. As human blood
contains ten times as much iron as that of
animals, it seemed that the knife in ques-
ton could not have entered a human body
still there was a doubt because in slow dis
eases there was deficit of iron in the blood,
which deficit is not an urfrequent cause of
death.
But as the blood on the ivory handle had
the full amount of iron for a man in vigorous
health, it seemed to show that there were
two different kinds of blood, the one human
certainly, the other possibly so. Hence
another mode of inquiry was proposed The
blood of animals aud men chrystalizes, bat
in different forms-that of men represented
by perfect square heightened cube, tetra-
hedal, or several sided hexagonal. This
analvs;s removed the doubts connected with
the proceeding one, for it demonstrated that
the blocd on the blade was that of the lower
animal, and that on the handle was certainly
human.
A third line of investigation was pursued.
All the inner surfaces of the inner body are
covered with gairy looking fluid called
piucus, which is differently constituted ac-
cording to the part of the cody from which
it is taken. As observed through micro
scope, that which is found about the upper
part of the throat presents the appearance OF
pavement of brick or square pieces, hence it
is called +" tessellated." The mucus from
other parts is conical, looking like pave
ment made of round pieces fiattened. \
third kind coming from the ntestines. seems
hairy. ciliated waving like the tops of long
grass under the influence of the winds. Ex-
auining the blood on the handle, which was
now known to be that of human being, it
was found not to present the payement-like
appearance, but lit did clearly show the wavy
lines it could not, therefore, have come
from the throat, and as the blood on the blade
was clearly animal blood and not human.
no part of the blood on the knife could have
been that of the unfortunate traveller, and
therefore the landlord was discharged, when
be gave the following statement:
Some days before, while out hunting, he
killed several squirls, and stopped to cut
switch with a knob at the root, on which to
string his game the knife slipped as he cut
upwards, and it penetrated the abdomen
In haste he wiped with some leaves. closed
the blade, and in the attempt to put it in his
pocket it fell on the ground; he picked it up
and directed his steps homeward. In few
minutes one of the squirs slipped off; he
pierced 1t through with his knife and strung
it on his switch, and had not used the knife
since. This was plausible, and he showed
the wound, not yet entirely healed but
this could easily have been made to answer
an object The Psychologist therefore pro-
posed, as a mere matter of curious interest,
TO examine the blood on the blade. and also
that on the handle. That on the handle was
wavy ciliary, with the largest amount OF
iron, showing that it must be from a man in
robust health, and the mucus from the abdo-
men is always eiliary and never tessellated.
Again, the blood adhering to a knife pene-
trating a living body coagulates that from
a body already dead never does. The blood
on the blade, already shown to be that of a
mere animal, was now found to be incoag-
ulable. Hence, that on the blade was shown
to be the blood of mere amin lalready
sead; that on the handle was the blood of a
alan in vigorous health, and could not have
come from the abdomen. When the knife
tell on the ground the handle touched some of
the leaves with which it had Just been wiped
Thus the chain of evidence for the landlcrd's
Innocence was anbroken and perfect. The
real culprit was subsequently, found, tried
executed, confessing his guilt.
1t Is certain that in the progressive march
OF science and art, the unchangeable laws Of