The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1876-04-06

TcnNcTcu All Inc more intricate, nrSlly.
by the fact that nobody corresponding TO
that Of the missing woman could be
found in my Of the London dlssccting-
toOmS, secondly, by a similarity between
the dress Of the missing woman and that
Of the hospital patients; and thirdly, by
both women having possessed baskets lin
which they hawked smallwarcs) exhib-
iting a close likeness to each other, al.
though that of Walsh had no cover,
whilst Wrlsh's basket had n lid. Thus
to similarity IN nation we must add a
confusing similarity in name, in dress, in
occupation, and in certain possessions.
And although strict Inquiries revealed
differences IN the habits, physical APP
pcarancc, and bodily conformation Of the
women, and in their respective birth
places, yet obviously the case was one in
which, unless additional evidence was
forthcoming either to confirm or reiutc
the doubts MS to the identity Of Welsh
with Walsh, the prisoner Ross would
clearly profit by the conflict of evidence
and the ends Of justice might ultimately
be defeated,
One remarkable circumstance in the
history Of the murdered woman at length
assumed the position Of a crucial test. 1t
was c%OncIusiyely proved that Caroline
Walsh had very perfect front tceth-an
admitted unusual feature in an aRed w0-
man. Caroline Welsh, on the contrary,
had no front teeth, and, moreover, as
was prOYed by an examination of her
body, the sockets Of these teeth had OBJ
yiously been 0bliteratcA-through the
modifying proccsse which are well known
to occur, especially in the aged-for a
very considerable period. The scientific
evidence clearly established this latter
fact in the history Of Caroline Welsh
and NJ the existcnce.O Of the prominent
front teeth in Caroline Walsh was AZ
firmly established, the guilt Of the priso-
ncr Ross was brought home to her, al
though, indeed, the fate of her victim re-
manned Il mystery more easily guessed at
than solved.
Sometimes the researches of the scien-
fist actually IN the first instance lead
to the clearing up Of Il disappearance.
Thus, the examination Of Il skeleton
found deeply imbcdded in the sand of
the sca-cOast at a certain Scotch water
place showed hat the person when liv-
ing must have walked with a very pccu-
liar and characteristic gait in consequence
If some deposits Of rheumatic kind which
affected the lower part of the spine and
pcIyis, The mention of this fact induced
search through some old records of the
town, and resulted in the discovery that
1 ease of mysterious disappearance had
been duly noted the subject being u
person whose mode Of walking had made
him an object Of attention, and whose
atc, but for the Obscrvant eye of the
,natomist, might have remained wholly |
Unknown.
One Of the most famous cases in which
medical science has aided the effects of
he law in determining the identity of
human remains was that known IA the
Waterloo Bridge murder. This case ex-
'itcd much interest and curiosity at the
imc 0857), and (as in n crime of the
most recent date the chain of circum-
,tanccs which led to the discovery that a
murder had been committed shr0uded
he matter still more %impcnetrably in
MYSTERY. A carpet bag which had been
lroppcd over Waterloo Bridge, London,
with the obvious intention of disposing
'hcctually and silently of its contents in
The Thames, landed instead on one OF the
Duttrcsscs Ofthc bridge, n few yards above
he current. When examined the bag
vas found to contain portions OF Il human
the pieces, consisting of bones with
lcsh attached, numbering tw~cnty.thrce
n all. II formed an important object
# inquiry to ascertain whether the idcn-
ity of the remains could be determined,
With Il view to connect them firstly with
ny known case Of mysterious disap-
.rcarance; while their due examination
night in the second instance lead to the
iscovery of n crime, by atfording some
as to the probable nationality, rank
life, profession, or trade, general cir
umstanccs, and mode OF death of the
ictim.
Pieccd dcxtrously together by medical
Xports, the portions contained in the
ag were found to be those of one and
he same body; but the head, a large
of the spine, the hands and feet,
nd some parts of the chest were want
ng-thcse missing parts being exactly
hose by means of which the human sub
cct is usually and most readily identi-
led. But Notwithstanding these serious
,aps in the continuity Of its structures,
he mutilated frame was discerncd to be
hat of a iull-grown man, whose height
must have been at least five feet nine in
hes. To this first conclusion the cx-
,crts were led by careful measurements
# the existing parts of the skeleton, to-
either with relative measurements in
'lacc of those parts which were wanting.
Thc body was further found to present
10 peculiaritics, the result of either nat
raj malformation or diseased action,
thereby any clue to its more particular
Icntity-as in Our preceding example
ould he obtained; but it presented cvi.
to show that the remains were
hose of a man OF very dark complexion,
he hair covering the body being of a
lack color. The examination detected
he presence Of n stab or punctured
'ound in the left side of the chest, be-
vccn the third and fourth ribs; and
hat perhaps formed the most impOr-
ant result of the inquiry consisted in
he fact that the experts were able to
r%onouncc, from the character of the
'ound, that it had been inflicted, in all
during the life of the indi-
idual. The surrounding highly suspi-
ious circumstances of the occurrence
undoubtedly favored this latter suppo-
ition, while the clumsy and unscientific
lanner in which the remains were mu-
ilatcd-the bones being sawn through
Icar tn, joints instead of being disartic-
lated at the joints by the simple divis-
On of the ligaments-showed that no
heory of the remains having formed the
inject of anatomical research could for
m he entertained Thn nrohobio