The New York herald., 1876-02-03
r u b e N S T e in.
The Murderer's Pathway Tracked
with a Microscope.
A PIECE OF coRN HusK FOUND
The Woman in the Car Points
Out the Prisoner.

Sumed the trial 0l the case Tor the IcOpe aBhnhb
Pesach n, Rubenstein, the alleged murderer of Sara
Alexander at ten O'Clock yesterday morning, Judge
Pratt presiding while Comfy Judge Moore and JUS
tces of Sessions wolfert and McKibben occupied
on the bench The court room crowded during
the entire day whilo several hundred men and boys
stood in line the corridor awaiting their turn" TO
take the place or retiring spectator The prts
oner occupied his accustomed position by the side Of
his counsel and conversed frequently with his de-
voted father Israel Rubenstein, and his brothers
Jacob LOUIS There several female relatives
and friends of the prisoner in attendance.
District Attorney Brtton recalled onlcer Clifford
and called the attention Of the witness 10 the fact that
on the day previous said that Professor Eaton
had taken from the shank Of the prisoners boot some
shreddy substance" F" Mr. Brtton asked when was
that to which the officer replied ION the evening OF
December IS, in the Office OF the Superintendent Of
Police" The substance he spoke Of was about an inch
In diameter and was mingled with mud, which was
hard.
To Mr.. Beach--Rubenstein removed the boots from
his feet and gave them to Detective Power they were
then taken in charge by the detectives, who fitted
them to the footprints in the field; tho boots
fitted the imprnts nearer than twenty feet nom
the stack for the that many people had
tramped about that place; perfect foot print
found about 100 feet from the stack and within
thirty feet of fence these leading from
the south.
Detective Zundt recalled testified that when he
rested the prisoner in New York he had the
coat he has
To Mr. Beach-Searched the of the prisoner,
and removed clothes and trunks found there; also
bureau and papers; did take away the bureau;
took away letters and bills of lading searched the
house generally
Detective William H. Butts testified that he made
trim from No 50 Ravard street TO
der in the corn field in East New York; he went over
the with Detective Zundt; the time occupied in
the trip three hours and iortyhve minutes; they
left at 80 p NJ. and got back at 5:l5 p NJ
Arthur H. wakly, Chief Clerk in the office OF tho
District Attorney identified the knife which
handed him as the which he had kept. in custody
after It had been given him by the Coroner.
Detective David N. Corwin testified that on January
% no procured of the soil from in front OF No SO
Bayard street and delivered II TO Professor Eaton.
Professor A. l. Eaton testified that he is analytical
chemist; has been such for twenty five years; took
from the bottom of the prisoners boot black scale
took from the CENTRE between the heel and soe took
Of the soil from the beneath the heel the
soil adhered with some degree Of nrmness; took piece
of leather from the upper Of the boot which there
was a dark spot with radiang edge, as though liquid
had dropped upon it received soil from 0cer Corwin
and also from Officer Clifford the spot the boot was
blood; tho scale taken from the sole was dried blood
interminged with vegetable matter and woolly sub
stance about half inch In length; made COM
parison the wooly matter alluded to and the
fringe of the shawl they were precisely alike analysed
spots the OF the prisoner on both sleeves and
found them to be blood there two spots the
inside OF the left sleeve and the inside OF the
right; the pieces from the lining and cloth one
piece Of the vegetable matter found on the boot was
| corn stalk
Mr. Beach objected to the question and its answer.
| The objection overruled
| Witness said he could swear positively that IL
stalk; the soil analysed the boot was mixed
! with vegetable matter such would adhere from
field; the samples examined and showed that the
soil from the boot the stalk and the field were
the soil the boot TO which he alluded, except that
they commngled; received the specimens OF
soil and the cloth the 3d. 25h and Goth OF January
| respectively.
| To Mr. Beach-The shreddy particle taken from the
shank OF the boot about half inch in diameter
spread out good deal; the scale when broken up
scattered into particles OF corn husks, spotted with
| blood from an eighth TO tenth OF an inch in length
was the size OF the stalk; 1t presented It's
texture pretty well the microscope showed its
hbrous strucure could hardly explain The differences
between that and some other fibre without a micro
scope to make 1t inteigible; in great many
vegetable structures the fibre long and continuous;
decide the difference by the appearance to the eye
aided by the microscope; made no comparison in this
| case between the fibre and full grown corn husk.
husks all OF the general characters the differ
enco is only as to fneness; TO the piece examined
Il could not be determined whether ii was from the
inner outer part Of the husk by experiment II Is
known that these continuous bres are bound by gnin
or woody matter could not give accurate idea OF
how many of these hbres there were in the particles
analyzed on this occasion.
MI Beach remarked here that il was now conceded
that the scale was removed from the boot January
23 instead Of December %
The Court and the District Attorney assened TO this.
Wtness-The spots taken from the boot and the
wooIen substance had not been determined to be hu-
blood; science undertook to discriminate between
the blood OF fish, birds sheep and other animals and
that OF man; the corpusces OF mans blood are larger
than that of some animals.
Sergeant William Mceks, OF the Twelfth precinct,
identified the knife which he found in the stack
near the corpse
August Simmon, cutler and grinder, of No. 133
Division street New York testified that the detective
called ON him and showed him the knife thus found
aud obtained specimens which he the witness) had
made he knew the knife because he put three
the handle whereas other cutters put IN but two riyet
he positive that he made that knie; II was not
finished knife.
To MT Bcach-Any cutler could make a knife like
that but very few used three rivets there wars no
other particular distinguishing marks on the knife,
the Saturday night before December 10 four called
at his to buy knife; did not say that that knife
had been stolen from his place; sometimes he had sold
knife with crack In the handle; " any one wanted
TO buy he would sell ~ that knife had been sold by
his little girl about week before the detectives to
his shop had that man since IN Brooklyn; never
him before; did not take notice Of the mans face
who bought that unfinished knife Detective Zundt had
been at the shop, but never promised witness any
thing; had promised to give the daughter oil witness So
a day long she kept over In Brooklyn; De-
oember l6 brought over the Police Head
quarters TO see whether the prisoner one of tho
four men who in his shop the Saturday night be-
fore that did not know exactly that time that the
knife shown had been sod asked by tho officers N
he would know these four mon who were in the store;
he said, "Nes and they brought him TO the Brooklyn
jail but he could not identify the prisoner
To the District Attorney-Sharpened four knives for
the four who called at his Store
PRISONER rHE PURCHASER OF rHR ENiFE.
A bnghtaced little girl OF twelve years, Augusta
Simmon was then called, and before she was sworn
she was whether she knew the nature Of an
oath. she replied that she did; that II she told a
falsehood God would punish her Augusta said that
December a man came into her iather's store and
bought an unfinished knife u six days before the
murder. man IN and asked 10 cigar kniie
she showed him that were finished and he
asked her the price OF unfinished knife; ;
she gave him one he paid her two toncent stamps
II aiierward saw the man, that man, IN Brooklyn 1"
said the witness, 'in the Raymond Street Jail 4"
tScnsationl 81 knew him by the mustache
and whiskers and by his looks; | noticed him
because he took the unfinished knife, and had never