Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-04-04
A PHRRENcLOGlST'S STORY.
What Came of Exnmiuins the Head
Of n Murderer.


nology or not, the following letter from
New York physician will be found inter
esting, both rs statement of facts con
nected with Il murder that created a grea
sensation IN its Gay, and as aff0rdint, 4:
glimpse into the inner workings of a muir
der's mind:
In the fall of 1919 had chronological
office in the granite building. Broadway
corner of Chambers street. John c. Colt
the murderer of Adams, the printer, hat
an Office on tie floor below mine. where
he taught arithmetic and the English Ian.
guage to foreigners. Immediately adoin-
ing his Office was Whccer's Writing Acad.
emy, separated from it only by folding
! doors.
One day While in my Office, having just
returned from a lecturing tour in Connec.
ticut, a stranger called and asked me to sell
him one of my packing-c&ses that stood
outside near the door. Noticing a large
collection of skulls in my Office, he said he
WAS not Il believcrin in p}ircn"logy. and dur
ing 4 brief conversation bantelingly re-
quested ne to tell him TIE leading traits OF
his character. He took a scat in the chair
and Iproceedcd to examine bis head
Pricing my fingers On bis head to deter
mine the size OF his ORGANS, ptrt.eved a
great difference in tie relative heat of the
different portions of his head. SO | alb
stractly renla ked, Il judge you are trying
to get Out of some scrape.' His features
assumed an alarmed expression, and he
asked. why do you say so:' told him
that his organs Of cantiousness. secretive-
ness, and crnstrHctiyeness were much
warmer than the other parts Of his brain.
He sprang to his feet and paced to and fro,
looking at the floor and every corner of
my Office. He then stopped suddenly. and
taking up the skull Of a pirate whose or
can of destructiveness stood out like the
big end Of an egg. he asked me what or
the man. He said, Gould he be held re-
sponsible Therefore" l replied that NAL
proportion was an evil which punished
others and brought punishment upon
themselves. Thsicd to a conversation on
the laws of pertacting offspring and edu-
cation. He became quietcr. sat down
again. and proceeded to finish the eXalll-
ination of his head. | told him that he
had Il sanguineous. passionate tcmpera-
s,'vrsAy --:4i A----~Is-~.-~--.l lv~- --e ~y,pr-,-
baton and destructiveness, which greatly
dominated over his cauiousness and be-
nevolence; that should any one offend his
pride, he would be apt, at the impulse Of
the moment. to strike him death blow. l
advised him to use his large firmness to
conquer bis passion. He told me that all
his family inherited similar traits of char
acter. and that his brother was Colonel
Colt, the inventor of tie revolver. BY his
card. which lie handed me, noticed that
he had IN office in the same Mrihling. lie
said that not only proved to him the
truth of phrenology, but that it was one
of the most useful sciences tor the pertec-
ton OF h!f1narity. and he was determined
to devote himself to the PRONUNCIATION Of
that science. He asked me to teach him
phrenology; said he would compensate
me and feel obliged to me for it. l told
him would be glad to do SO, not only for
his sake. but for the cause OF pfhenology.'
lie said he had to go out oftown for Il few
weeks; that upon his return he would call
upon me for instruction. AS he called at
my office to purchase one of the packing
cases l had outside of my door, but which
| declined to sell, he left, and thought no
more about the matter.
About two weeks :fterward there was a
rumOr that murder had been committed
in the building. Being busy with my own
affairs. it never occurred to me that ..ne
man whose head hnd examined vas the
one who had committed the n,.,,rder, and
the affair passed out OF my mind entirely.
until the report Of the TRIAL vas published
in pamphlet form, who N bought it, think
ing that derhaps the skull of the murderer
would come into my possession, for was
then Warde',. of the New York Phrenolog-
ical Sociey. Judge of my srrprise when
found that the murderer was the man
VINO had called to purchase box of me,
and whose head | had examined.
Colt had work on arithmetic printed
by Adams; WHOM he promised to pay
some money within a specified time. ,Aq-
ans called to collect the moray, but Colt
failed to accomplish what he promised.
This led to a difficulty between them.
Adams, whose skull | aiterward examined,
had very small self-esteem, and large ac-
a.+;x ha
opposite to that of Colt. the murderer.
Such an organization never could appre-
ciate or sympathiZe with Colt. Failing TO
pay him, Colt apologiZed for being COM
PEELED to dsappoint him. Adams, in reply,
made uncomplimenthrS remarks that gall
ed Colt to the quick; and in paroXysm
of wounded pride he seized a Latchet and
threw it at Adams head and broke his
skull. The body fell against the folding
doors that separated Colts and Wheeler's
offices. Colt, fearing that Adams might
groan, strnck him afiother blow on the
head, breaking the skull in completely.
Adams was missed; search was made after
him. aid his friends finally traced him to
Colts office. Upon inquiry at Wheelers.
it was ascertained that Il fall had been heard
in Colts office. 1t had also been found
that box had been shipped by him to
some place out of town. The caiman was
advertised for and found. He had carted
the box to vessel bound tor the South.
The box was recovered and the body in it
identified as the missing man, Adams.
Colt was tried, convicted aid sentenced to
be hanged.
Every effort was aifetward made to pro-
cure Colts pardon OF the Governor. 1t
was rumored that the Tombs, IN which
Colt was confined, had been set on fire,
and during the excitement u dead body
from the aims house was smuggled into
his cell. This report is now confirmed by
a statement in a Paris paper that man
has just died in that city, who, on his
deathbed, declared himself to be Colt, the
murderer of Adams.