The morning news., 1892-03-31
TIE MICROSCOPE.
How the Instrument Punished the
Guilty and Saved the Innocent.

How the instruments Punished the
Guilty and Saved the Innocent
From the Chicago Herald.
In conversation a day or two ago with the
crown prosecutor was shown a curious ac-
count Of persons who had been found gull
ty Of murder by circumstantial evidence,
and one Of the greatest aids in the detec-
ton OF murder crimes is furnished by the
microscope in the hands of scientific men.
In distinguishing human blood on knife or
razor from rust or from that of another ami
NAL, in discovering particle of poisonous
matter Invisible to the naked eye, and in
various other ways the microscope has rem
dered invaluable assistance to Justice II
has been the means Of acquisting many an
innocent man whom the chain of circum-
stantial evidence was drawing toward the
gallo Ms, aud OF delivering many a murder
er into the hands of the executioner
In 1855 a murder Of an unusually brutal
character was committed in Cumberland.
The murdered man, the paymaster OF a COLI
liery, had been waylaid in a lonely spot,
his throat cut from ear to ear. aud his body
flung under hedge. CiTcumstai al evi.
denos of very discriminating nature was
brought against the prisoner. He had been
seen near the spot Of the murder about the
time the deed was done, and had attempted
TO disguise himself by cutting of his whis-
kers; but jurors are very reluctant TO con.
vict on circumstantial evidence alone, and
the circumstances in this case, though very
discriminating, were not thought sufficiently
conclusive. The aid Of the detective micro
scope was invoked. A learned microscopist
on examining the prisoners trousers found
several spots OF human blood, the largest
'beiDg not so large as a swanshot. -
Around these spots were traces of soap, ev-
ident signs OF the spots having been at
tempted to be washed out, while over one or
two ink had been spread. The ivory
handle OF a razor found in the prisoner 3
possession was also smeared with human
blood.
A very severe cross-examinatlon left the
witness evidence unshaken. He showed
that the corpuscles or globules Of human
blood can be easily distinguished by an ex-
pert from those OF any other animal, those
found in the human blood being each about
200 OF an inoh in diameter, those Of a
sheep being about LEI, 900 of an inch; of a
dog, 1852, etc. A verdict of guilty was
found and the man executed.
Another proof of the wonderful detective
powers OF the microscope was given at the
Chelmsford spring assizes. This was also
case Of murder, the victim being an old
woman living alone and having a consider
able amount of money In her bed-chamber
The back OF her head was beaten in. no
0O0Dh W nOuAo Va a AuIk6 udtuIuCT, anu
the head nearly severed from the body.
The footsteps around the house coincided
with the lmprInts of tho prisoners boots;
the hammer found beside the murdered
woman's bed was declared by a neighbor to
have been seen in his po session a little girl
had seen him come from the house on the
morning of the murder, and-most conclu.
sive proof of all-in a brook a mile or more
from the old woman's house was found a
nONkAt handkar0biaf nd tiOh lu lad In
a razor covered with blood, which it was
proved belonged to the prisoner.
The defense argued: Assuming the razor
and handkerchief belonged to the prisoner,
and that the blood upon them was human,
they may have had nothing to do with this
murder, having been found q considerable
distance from the murdered woman's house.
The microscope answered the question in
the most conclusive manner. Upon the
blade of the razor, beside the blood marks.
were found few fbers of fax and cotton.
On inspecting the murdered body it was
found that the razor had partially severed
one of the strings of the womans nightcap.
which string was composed of mixture of
cotton and fax.
Another remarkable illustration may be
given Of the important part played by the
microscope in securing the conviction of a
murderess. Not many years ago female
child. about years of age, was found mur-
dered by deep cash In the throat in a
small plantation near Norwich. Suspicion
fell upon the mother, who had been seen by
several persons leading the child toward the
place where the crime mad been committed
Upon the woman being searched a long
and sharp knife was found, which, on close
examination, revealed bit of fur or hair
on the handle. When asked TO explain how
the fur came there the prisoner brazsnly
replied: "Yes, l dare say there is, aud very
likely some stains of blood, for as came
home found a rabbit fast in snare, and
cut his throat with the knife"
The truth-telling microscope cast differ
ent light on the subject. The microscopic.
on separating the handle from the blade
found between the two a quantity Of human
blood, and asserted that the fur was that of
a squirrel. The strange fact was revealed
that around the childs neck, when the mur-
der was being done, was a tippet over which
the murderer's knife must have passed and
which was made of squirrels fur
The innocent, however, have also reason
to bless the microscope. A few years ago e
man was on the point of being sentenced to
death, the principal evidence against him
being that he was seen near the scene of the
murder, and had in his possession a knife
covered with blood.n The microscope dis
covered the so>callei blood TO be simply
lime juice.
Instances OF the condemned who have sur
vived the hangmans rope are by no means
rare. Not many years ago man was pub
licly hanged in England three separate
times, and. either through defects in the
scaffold machinery or the hangman's bung-
ling, escaped death after all. People pre-
tended to see In this visible interposition of
providence to save the mans life. And. for
all that is known to the contrary, did SO in
terfere, for a woman has since confessed en-
her death-bsd to having committed the
crime, and the unfortunate man has conse-
quently been released from jail and pre-
sented by the British governments with $25,-
600 and farm in South Africa, the only
condition of his release being that be
changed his name and never disclosed his
identity.
Mrs. Morton (angrily)-"Tommy Horton
What made you hit my little Lirmv 81