The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-02-16

length, to stand out distinctly from the]
same: From the tracing Of the dim and
ncbulous outline, as actually found ON
the eye, to the completed outline OF the
face executed from that tracing by AM
artist who had never seen Benjamino do
Cossimo. or any portrait Of the man,
and again from that completed ous-
line to the, two photographs of him.
self found in his possession at the
time of his arrest-the transition, whe5
ther viewed as an artistic study or as q
great question Of medical Jurisprudence j
opens up inquiries of unsurpassed inte-.
rest and Importance. I am not, indeed !
prepared to affirm that the first tracing
in the series, as shown to me yesterday, |,
so completely resembles the photograph
Of the living man, that were placed in
a jury box, my verdict would be deter5
mined by the belief Of their identity, but
of the following fact there cannot he the
possibility of doubt. Whatever there
is of the marked, prominent or individual
in that first nebulous profile, has exactly
corresponding features in the likeness Of
the living prisoner. A peculiar dilation
of the nostril, depression in the centre
of the upper lip (Bcnjamino de Uossimo
has lost his two front teeth, an unusual
elongation of the mouth, a square but
double chin, q certain massiveness about
the region Of the cheek bone, and the
outline of whisker, are common to
both. l purposely confine myself, in the
present letter, to a simple statement Of
facts-of the circumstances under which
1 these murders were pcrpetrated, the
consequent Photographic experiments in
stitutcd, and the result obtained, Of
which was myself yesterday an eye
witness. There are very distinguished
acknowledgements, too, deeply versed
in all the laws Of otits-who affirm that
the whole thing is mere freak Of ma
ture, to which no importance whatev, r
should be attached am happy 10 say
that Signor Marabotti, with whom, from
his official position, the prosecution CT
these inquiries rests, has evidently
brought to his task a spirit worthy. in
all respects, of a count,yman Of Galilcc
The photographs, with all the accom-
panying and illustrative details, have
been transmitted not only to the medi-
cal college of Florence, but also to the
medical colleges of Naples and Milan
and, by the authority Of the Prefect o
Florence, Count Cantelli, series of pho
tographic experiments will be instituted
on the eyes of the patients in the hos
pital Immediately after their decease.
The same correspondent, writing at {
later date, says:
AS the phenomenon revealed by tht
enlarged. Photographic view of Alinari il
the eye Of the murdered woman, Emil:
Spagnoli, if worthy Of being examined
al all, ought to be investigated tho
roughly. | have made it the object Of +;
second inspection. On this second visi
I enjoyed the advantage Of being accom-
panied by six other observcrs-a member
of the Royal College of Physicians o
London, long established as medica
practitioner in this city; great Ameri
can sculptor, scarcely more renownec
for the grace and beauty Of his idea
creations than for the wonderful fidclit,
with which his busts reproduce th'
features of his cotemporaries an Eng
lish portrait painter, resident during tn
last twenty years at Florence, who's
power of scizing and perpetuating tn
minutest shades of expression is no
merely recognized by his own friend;
but has often been made familiar to tn
English public by engravings of his like
nesses of still living or lately deceasc
English worthless well-known Londo
, banker, an equally well-known kentis
| squire. and a friend Of the last. OF thes
, six gentlemen the first five have ad
dressed to mc-with permission to civ
2 them full publicity-their separate mar
f ratives of what they were chiefly struc
4 by in their examination of the enlarge
t photograph My own impressions q
this second visit remained, confess
pretty much a, have already recordc
= them after the first inspection, and ma
S be summed up in the two following PR
= positions:
t l. That the cloudy outline in questio
! bears a greater resemblance to huma
n face than to any other object in nature
= art with which am acquainted; and,
n 9. That in those points where its n
: semblancc to human countenance ca
o he unhesitatingly affirmed, it corr
1 spends in remarkable degree with II
S features Of the supposed murderer. q
z the q priori reasons for the possibili'
a or impossibility Of such reproductie
e do not intend to enter.
j. !
A CHAPTER ON ANCIENT COO