The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-02-06
The Face Of q Supposed MT
derer Mirrored..
INTERESTING. SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION,
TeS4im0ny For and Against the
Theory.
Opinion Of the American anulptor,
Hiram Powers,
&c., &C., &C.


toorespondence ef the London - jan "a "a.
A. the phenomenon revealed BY the enlarged photo,
Eaphio view Of AlnaH IN the eye e The murdered
u, ought 70 he investigated thoroughly have made
e object Of second inspection On this second visit
SsSss observer member u IS Royal College ofPhy-
eGAns Of London long sstaoilshed = medical pract-
aors renowned Tor the grace and beauty Of hs ideal
ssassons than for the wonderful fidelity with which his
twenty years Florence, whose power OF seisng and
& merely recognised BY his own friends, but
~ often been made familiar 70 the English public BY
= equally well known Ksntish squire, ana friend o.
1Vsssed mewith permission 70 give them full publ
ytheir separate narratives OF what they chiefly
oDh Ky own Mum a. this second visit remained
confess pretty much have already recorded them
Two following proposons:-l That A< cloudy sxsline
a. question bears greater resemblance to human
1.os than any other object in nature Art with
Which acquainted: and, Q That in those points
where its resemblance to human countensncs can
xssrse wta IL isa sres Of Tie supposed m~drsr On
the prior reasons for the possibility or inpossbiy OF
sSsse but other very weighy and cogsnt pcsrors ar
Rumenls will be found embodied In the 1rst OF the fol-
Loving communications from the pen of DR.. Wilson, the
oldest resident English medical practitioner in this city.
He writes:-
DEAR aR-In compliance with your request beg to
that examined the photographed right eye Of the
Aurdered woman, magnihed rather more than four times
~ normal size. The eye itself represented In its
asturs state and position The upper lid covered about
three ths Of tho cornea within the exposed segment Of
which WAS an outline bearing certain resemblance to
human chin and mouth above tho mouth but far
y in drawing, was prominence, but bearing no
hkensss TO nose from tins faint outline extended,
which artist by few touches, might have converted
into forehead There trace OF eye these lines
aeA but pointed in slightly obique direction down
wards towards the nose. The chin situated the
- the opposite direction. The whole portrait IL may
term it, not quite In profile Below the chin and
b approached the prominence, or nose already men.
toned being very slight ON the other left SIDE This
hsdow was as deep where skrting the mouth and when
Che probability OF its representing beard whisen
There also shadow below the upper lid while tho
central portion OF the remained In strong light Had
che outline been horizontal it would have occupied about
sour fhs OF the diameter Of the cornea
A0w AJAX me to give you opinion TO whether this APP
pearance be regarded deneaton the
lace impressed the rena conceive that the above
description would convince any familiar with anato-
nay and the principles OF optics Of such superstition
hGng untenable Al the risk Of being extremely ele
nenary and somewhat prolix, would observe that the
sssina Is q membrane formed by an expansion Of the
optic penetrating the globe Of the eye Office
& surrounding Objects which are retained 50 long as
those objects remain within the focus Of vision. On
shSss being withdrawn the reflected image necessarily
vssishss; the hypothesis Of persistent image in Ii.
obsence after the removal Of object Is therefore
d only result om chemical soon
90 the mirror There is however this important differ
sy sD e aSa es the -
Ascted In the latter owing peculiar strc-
:sa 9. the eye issy are inverted The
- undcrstaAd grounded on certain facts is TO the
eject tina, the wound which severed the throat with it's
Hxteries had been inflicted by instrument from
1ef TO right The murderer consequently, either
NE right side at the head Of his victim Admitting
impression 10 have been received by the rena the image
should therefore have been inverted which It NOT,
There fatal objection to the suppositon that the
ssRnecon with image the retina namely that the
assumed portrait OF the murderer occupies space
four times larger than the diameter of the pupil thus
proving that the image depends reflection from the
entsro surface Of the eye and not from object
ssiins would necessarily be bounded BY the margin Of
he pupllary aperture In taking Photographic impress
SION ID Is indispensable that the object represented
should be In light the rena In in total darkness though
OF light reach H. the inerposed media being transpa
rent its structure can be only brought into view by u
animation with reelected light, effected by the
called opthalmoscope-an instrument formed by con-
mirror throwing the concentrated rays of light de-
lived from luminous body through the pupil There
f- photographic view of the eye would represent the
surface Of the globe Of the alone and the deeply
eeaied structures behind H. The photograph was have
been informed taken two days after death when con
siderable collapse shrinking OF the volume or the eye
must have already occurred, and consequent inequalities
It'd surface must have arisen Those. dcpresgions
would naturally b. depicted certain dark lines pho
cog, aphie portrait Tho angles again formed by the
junction o. tue aud the liGs being prominent
than the cenr Of the conea would also produce deeper
shadows easily converted, by slight effort Of imagna
Non, into beard whiskers hair From tho fact Of
Ahs photograph shown to me a. that OF the murderer
being in FUN face and the photographed image ON the
eye being nearly in profile should not deem myself
Justified hazarding pnion any points Of re-
Ssiy WY '' ~ WV Will wiiiiaM NJ w IT, 5Sa''
The American sculptor, whom every reader OF tho
fornsns Post acquainted either with the highest tr-
emphs OF American art or the resident celebrities OF
Florence has already OWNED 10 be otlsr Hiram
Powers has had the kindness 10 embody impressions
- the following note, written almost Immediately after
his visit
FLnEEXcs, Jan. II, 1865
Dear Sir-As whole there IL no face IN the photo
EAph taken from the eye q the murder woman, b.t
Nsre - "a eppear5h.s " M IN and chm also o skirt
parts, but distinct the lover rars n osn,ri
SsH. = Nod. But all this Is 50 dim as not 70 |
and chin Ys iriisr cs,f1iniy ssgr s,yea0 rsen
Nance % ne sspposd murderer. There no eyes !
out Of place and should go for nothing The a,sen
total OF shadows about the eyes or indeed OF any nd
cation whstever Of features above ,he mouth and chin
srony affect the probability that this photograph gvss
70 US anything more than can be accounted Tor by
occidental changes Of forms OF or on the optic nerve
Win SINGER regard, am, yours truly,
Prom the above opinion OF Mr Powers. pass oa 10
naf with which our common end the portrait painter
Mr. g y, hns kindly favored me Although his nodosty
prevents me from giving than his In iials
which they suggest win present itself 10 the
minds not only Of the large circle OF Anglo Florcutiues
~ whom he has long been known but 20 those his
sdmirsble portraits Of Sir Edward Parry Of pr
ParsDf his own cousin the late Sir CreysWe Cresswe
- yekn to the old Roman friends who remember with
vh& power and grace his has reproduced the ea
surss Of honest brave hearted Cardinal Mcara His i'm.
Yressions viii be found ~ differ b, ltils ii substance
from the preceding c says
In the cloudy outline which raw there but halr
ceAs mosfh AMI chin md io,ccy par az ne uhiskr
ksirg dfsffzfly represented and rery ciossy reeb,ng
De Photograph If tae snppcsed murdsv,r the bring
sios asd drcscn doos a hs CORNERS ssnep upper iip
end square chin, and ne whisher icros ami approaching
NC corner Of a. mouth or the upper part ~ the face
mere was scarcely sn indication and nothing sufficient
" lesniy apartcuar opinion
FOR The next communication ] am Indebted 10 The
s"'rtesy OF M james Johnsone Bcvsn
-, No ~, IvSs ARNo Move, Jan IA, 1865
slE-in aeroriaac- With The suggestion made by
-, lower when Ne met the bureau Of the Giudice
~ uxlvne 90 WEDNESDAY that should aeyeraly
sn Vu1 IMPRESSIONS q TIE phenomena observed the
eve OF tho murdered women y I'd now a No si,nn, yh.t
"a s,s 70, =, e lss.iar made apJu ny mind by
body a. lay shortly after H. dlseoyerv The ,iyt ee
80 gsn Ls ~ va closed photograph cf the open /
~ ~ . IN " Ahnar was neSt produced