The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-03-24
70 Misrosogge s : peseetiye.


Dn arriving at its destination the box was
found to have been opened, and emptied Of
lts treasure, for which the thief had substi-
tuted sand. The police were on the alert.
their hrst aim being to discover at which Of
the stations the sand had been inserted-no
easy matter sidering that the whole Inc
OF road ran through sandy country
Nevertheless some sharp person suggested
that the sand Of one district might be Of a
different character from that Of another
me hint was acted upon. Samples Of sand
were. procured from all the stations alono
che line, and Professor Ehrenberg. so famous
Tor ms microscopic discoveries, was engaged
90 make an examination Of them. TO the
naked eye all the samples presented precise
" the same appearance, but, on being sub
naItted 70 the microscope, they were found
% sifer. very essentially from each other,
and only one Of them was similar in its con-
sutuent parts to the sand contained in the
box. This gave the police a clue to the sta
ton at which tho robbery had been com.
mitted, and led to the arrest of one Of the
employees there, who was subsequently tried
for the robbery and convicted.
The remarkable discoveries made by
means of the microscope, with regard
70 the composition Of blood, have led to
the frequent use of that instrument, for the
detectiOn of murderers. Chemistry was
sometimes able to distinguish the difference
between blood and substances similar to it
in color and general appearance, but it was
at fault when the question was a comparison
OF human blood with that Of the lower ami
mails. But it has been demonstrated by the
microscope that the vital fluid is composed Of
Blobules imperceptible to the naked eye, and
that these globules are of different form in
all the VariQrS species of animals. Thus, to
she microscopes, the human blood presents
an appearance quite different from that of OK,
q. horse, or o sheep. ~E
This was welltested, about ten years ago,
at the assizes in an English country town,
where aslaboring man was put upon his trial
for the murder of the superintendent Of
neighbOring coalmine. The evidence against
this man was very strong. He had been
seen with more money in his possession
than he would probably have come by In an
honest way and he had also partially dis
guised himself by shaving of his whiskers,
and in other ways, and yet there was not
SUFFICIENT proof on which to convict him.
Recourse was now had to the microscope.
An eminent microscopic was called upon,
and a pair Of pantaloons and a razor, be-
longing to the suspected man, were submit
ted for his analysis. After minute investi-
CATION with the instrument, some infinitely
small speeks Of blood were discovered upon
these articles. 1t was also found that soap
had been used IN an attempt to remove the
spscks, and that one Of them had been actu-
ally covered over with ink. The corpuscles
or globuies,I of which these blood speeks
were composed, were declared by the micro :
scopist to be those of human blood, and
this piece Of evidence led to the conviction
Of the man, who subsequently confessed his
guilt.
In France a man was tried for the murder
Of an old lady. A razor, wrapped in a
handkerchief supposed to Ye-belonged to
the prisoner, was found in brook near the
residence of the deceased, On microscopic
examination Of thu razor, traces of blood
were discovered upon it, and also some fbres
OF linin and cotton threads which are per
feetly distinguishable from one another
when under the microscope. Now here was
a strong piece Of eircumstaTtial evidence,
for the strings Of the night-cap worn by the
yictitn when she was murdered were of linen
and cotton threads mixed There was q
difficulty, however, IN proving that the razor
and handkerchief had ever belonged to the
suspected man, and he was acquitted
though, as he died by his own hand shortly
afterwards, there can be but little doubt
that he was guilty of the crime
Several years ago, at the Norwich assiZes
in England, q remarkable case was tried, in
which the microscope played1a conspicuous
part as q detective. One morning a young
giri was found dead Ia asfeld with her throat
cut The person upon whom suspicion fell
was the mother Of the girl, who had been
seen, that morning, passing through the field
with her. The woman, IN her examination,
answered very clearly, and without hesita-
ton, all the questions put TO her She ad
faitteu having been in the field with her
daughter but stated that the latter had left
her for the purpose of gathering flowers,
and that she had not afterwards seen the
girl alive. On searching. the house Of the
accused, q long-blRded knife was found to
the blade of which some hairs were adher-
ing, but thew were so fine that it was impos-
sible totell whether or not they were those
of q human creature The prisoner ac-
counted for tLem by saying that, having
caught rabbit that morning in q snare, she
had cut its throat with the instrument.
The knife was sent to London, however, Tor
the purpose of being examined with q micro
scope. 1t had been washed previous to it,
being found, bat, on removing the hait some
traces of5blood were dlscerned, which, on
being submitted to the microscope, provedto
be human-blood. Next the microscopic
who was unacquainted With the facts elected
on the trial examined the hairs adhering -tc
che blade, and unhesitatingy declared them
Ia be those Of n squirrel lie could not be
3eceived.4he said, because the hairs of auy
oneeapecies Of animal differ so entirely from
those Of another, when submitted to the mi
eroscopie test, that it would be impossible Z
COntounQ tLleln. 1neJ ulASL uOt Ohiy II
thickness, and color, but also IN certain
rhysical conditions-that peculiarly and sure
" distinguish them. And as it happened
chat the girl had worn a tippet made of SOUR
rel fur the morning of her death, the mothe
was found guilty of the. murder, and con
fsssed her guilt just previous to her execution
for the crime.
Fu-oo1sneotion with the natural photogra
ply, the microscope IS likely, before long
is become the agent of some startling dis
coyeries Il has been asserted that IN case
..of murder, the form of the murderer j
sometimes impressed By the action OF high
ION tho retina Of the victims eye. III
traces are so faint, of course, as 70 be almos
indistinguishable /; BUT, in sonic recent cases
the microscope has developed on the eyes Q
murdered persons certain vague impression
bearing some Resemblance 60 the human
figure i IS only Ender peeallar5 eiream'
sfanees. of course that the photograph
,,ssf.,,. ,afs~red 70 could tnke placss. and tn