The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-04-06


pearance, 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 reftite |
the doubts as to the identity of Welsh |
with. Walsh; the prisoner Ross would |
clearly protlt 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 conclusively proved that Caroline
Walsh had very perfect front teeth-an
admitted unusual feature in an aged wo-
man. Caroline Welsh, on the contrary.
had no front teeth, and, moreover. as a..
was proved by an examination of her (
body. the sockets of these teeth had OBJ
viOusly been bliterated-thrOugh the
modifying processes 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 as the existence Of the prominent
front teeth in Caroline Walsh was as
| firmly established, the guilt of the prise
ner Ross was brought home to her, al
though, indeed, the fate of her victim re-
manned 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 q disappearance
! Thus the examination of a skeleton
| found deeply imbedded in the sand of
/ the sea-cOast at a certain Scotch water
place showed that the person when liv-
ing must have walked with a very pecu-
liar and characteristic gait in consequence
of some deposits of rheumatic kind which
affected the lower part of the spine and
pelvis. The mention of this fact induced
a search through some old records of the
town, and resulted in the discovery that
a case Of mysterious disappearance had
been duly noted; the subject being a
person whose mode of walking had made
him an object of attention, and whose
fate, but for the observant eye of the
anatomist, might have remained wholly
unknown.
One of the most famous cases in which
medical science has aided the effects of
the law in determining the identity of
human remains was that known as the
Waterloo Bridge murder. This case ex-
cited much interest and curiosity at the
time 1S5O, and Gas in a crime of the
most recent date the chain of circum-
stances which led to the discovery that a
murder had been committed shrOuded
the matter still more impenetrably in
! mystery. A carpet bag which had been
dropped over Waterloo Bridge, London,
? with the obvious intention of dispOsing
effectually and silently of its contents in
: the Thames, landed instead on one of the
buttresses of the bridge, a few yards above
: the current. When examined the bag
5 was found to contain portions of a human
body, the pieces, consisting Of bones with
= flesh attached, numbering twenty-three
2 in all. 1t formed an important object
= of inquiry to ascertain whether the iden-
= tity Of the remains could be determined
I with view to connect them firstly with
2 any known case of mysterious disap
+ pearance; while their due examination
5 might in the second instance lead to the
l discovery of a crime, by affording some
= clue as to the probable nationality, ranI
T in life, profession, or trade, general cir
= cumstances, and mode of death of thu
e victim.
+ Pieced dextrously together by medica
e experts, the portions contained in tn
u bag were found to be those of one an,
: the same body; but the head, larg
/ portion of the spine, the hands and feet
q and some parts of the chest were want
IS ing-these missing parts being exactl
{, those by means Of which the human sui
iect is usually and most readily identi
/ fed. But Notwithstanding these seriou
e gaps in the continuity of It's structures
r the mutilated frame was discerned to b
&c that of fulI-grOwn man, whose heigll
Ot must have been at least five feet nine il
re ches. To this first conclusion the ez
n perts were led by careful measurement
P Of the existing parts of the skeleton, t
~ gether with relative measurements j
ST place of those parts which were wanting
OF The BODY was further found to preseT
IN no peculiarities, the result of either ma
lie uTal maltOrmatiOn or diseased actor
al whereby any clue to its more particuli
IL identity-as in our preceding example
n could be obtained; but it presented ev
e. dence to show that the remains wei
ne those of a man OF very dark complexion
e the hair covering the body being of
Ne black color. The examination detecte
eS the presence of a stab or puncture
ty wound in the left side of the chest, b.
Us yeen the third and fourth ribs; an
lie what perhaps formed the most impo
tant result of the inquiry consisted
ce the fact that the experts were able
~ pronounce from the character of I'll
X wound, that it had been inflicted, in a
n probability, during the life of the ind
he vidual. The surrounding highly susp
rs ciOUs circumstances of the occurren,
ny undoubtedly favored this latter supp
us sition, while the clumsy and unscientif
u, manner in which the remains were m
he tiIated-the bones being sawn throue
ne near the Joints instead of being disarUi
10 ulated at the Joints by the simple divi
sh ion of the igaments-shOwed that
Ia theory of the remains having formed Il
e3 subject of anatomical research could +
ID Il nnment be entertained. The prObab
aC date of death was also in some degr
81; fixed; the examiners being led, from Il
III appearance of the remains, to state wi
m certainty that they had been dead f
lie at least three weeks before the date
sT- the examination, which was conduct,
sh on the twenty-tirst Of October, 1857.
- Thus the medical evidence elucidat,
~ a number of facts which, taken tOgethe
vi afforded Il useful commentary and te
~ of the value of other and purely circuI
ny stantial evidence. The articles of DIRE
nv which were enclosed in the bag alo1
~ with the remains were of foreign mai
y; and were cut and torn in numero
II places. No definite clue was ever o
ny tanned which could lead to the detectiC
I of the murderer or of the motives viii,
.u, prompted the crime. The remains we
vas thought to be those of a Swedish sale
~ whose disappearance might cause lit
ri or no stir even among his associate
Ia while the mere fact of his disaPpearan
in a foreign land would alse militia
~ against the chances of his identity bell
~ established. A suppOsitiOn which
IN ceived much credence at the time of {
~ occurrence was that which presum
~ - that the deceased, as a foreigner, mad
,nt all probability fallen victim to the ;