The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-09-30
The HANDS OF MURDERENS.
PECULIAR OUTLINES or PALMS AND
THUMBS THAT BeTRAY THEM.

has the murderer distinctive hand?
The question has been frequently asked,
but seldom inselligently answered. Very
few people, aside from deputy sheriffs,
policemen and jailers, ever come in con-
tact with slayers OF human beings, and
even those whose duties compel constant
association with them seldom make q
more critical examination OF tine prisoner
than mere search for scars or other
marks OF identification. French savants
have pursued the study OF chiromancy
turther, perhaps, than scientists of any
other nationality, and, after years OF
diligent research and investigation sew
eral OF them assert positively that the
hand is far more indicative OF character
than the face or formation OF the skull.
According to their belief, the thumb
stamps the murderer.
The chief characteristics OF the MUIR
derer's hand are these, says the st. Louis
Globe Democrat: The thumb short and
thick, with round, dubious appearance
at the first phalange. The nail is broad
and fat aud generally imbedded IN the
flesh, which rises above 1t at the tip and
sides. This thumb is called by the French
the pouce en- bile, or bald headed thumb.
The thickness OF the Mount OF Mars at the
the bald headed thumb in Importance, as
from these the blood flows direct to the
brain and causes the lurid flame in the
assnssin's eyes when he is about 20 strike
The lines in the palm OF the hand are
bad signs under certain conditions. II
they are reduced to three in number, or
sometimes only two, as has been FREE
quently noticed, they stamp the possessor
as a dangerous person. Add TO this a
deep red or scarlet colorlng OF the lines
and the case is almost invariably aggra-
waited, as it is indicative OF sullenness,
cruelty and determination. Crooked fn-
gers with spatulous tips and small, un-
even nails are ominous markings, and are
generally found on hands the palms OF
which are elongated to from one and one
third to one and a half times the length
OF the fingers.
These peculiarities are common only to
the born murderer, and are not apt to be
found on the burglar who murders in
order to escape, the man who kills In self
defence, or the Iunatic who butchers his
victim while laboring under an hallucina-
ton.
The hand of Deeming, the wholesale
murderer of women and children, Is OF
interest to everybodv in this connection.
1t Is described as having broad bulbous
thumb, with the nail embedded in the
flesh, but the drawings made OF the hand
at the time do not show further charac-
teristics of the born murderer. His
voice was soft and there was something
captivating about his manner, fact
which easily explained his wonderful in
fuence over the gentle sex.
The reporter visited "Murderers' Row"
In which there are nineteen persons, male
and female, confined on charges OF muir
der. OF this number several have been
convicted, some have confessed, while
against all OF them there is strong proof
OF guilt. Several of the prisoners were
peculiarly superstitious in regard to sub
hitting to an examination OF thor hands,
and this difficulty was encountered to a
far greater degree among the whites than
the negroes.
One OF the former declared he had been
hoodooed by allowing a gypsy fortune
teller to examine his hands and thrust
them into his pockets In order to prevent
the newspaper man from seeing them.
Only one of the negroes refused to sub
NIT to an examination. He said that II
he allowed any one to look at his hands
he would be sure to ego out the back
way'-a reference to the scaffold in the
rear of the jail
Upon entering the jail the first OF
the murderers encountered was Frank
Marker, convicted few days ago OF the
murder OF Private Waterman fireman in
the Iron Mountain Railroad yards.
Markers hands possess almost every
characteristic laid down by the French
chiromancers 10 a very marked degree.
They are short and thick with elongated
palms, indicating intense animalism; the
bald headed thumb is prominent, but
short, there are only two well developed
and one slightly developed lines in the
palm, the Mount OF Mars is abnormally
thick, the nails are short and uneven, and
are almost buried in the flesh, and the
fingers are more or less crooked.
Maxwell, who deliberately murdered
his best friend, G. Arthur Preller, at the
Southern Hotel, few years ago, pos
sessed the hand OF murderer to a very
pronounced degree. His hands were
small and soft, and were we'll cared for,
but the markings that stamp the muir
derer were there, never to be effeced. The
bald headed thumb was prominent, the
lines OF the palm were scarlet and three
in number, while the palm was elongated
I
fngernails were well kept, but were deep
set in the flesh. He allowed them to
grow to medium length and in that
particular his hand was an exception to
the rule. He was always we'll dressed,
and had the bearing of gentleman, but
the fingers were fat, indicating avarice
and determination to secure money at
any cost.
A noticeable fact in regard to the MUIR
derer's incarcerated at the Four Courts is
that OF the eighteen men and one woman,
all had cold hands. In every case the
hand was psrspiring freely, which pro-
duced he same feeling when the news
paper man shook hands with them that
! is experienced in moving the hand over
a snake. Whether this is characteristic Of
the hands of murderers is not known,
but being so noticeable among the pris-
oners at the Four Courts makes the
question worthy of further investigation.
Another fact revealed by the examination
is the fact that in at least one-third OF
the cases the head and face are in marked
contrast with the hands.
The laws of chiromancy are not with