The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-25
WHAT THE HUMAN EYE TELLS.
In Study of Character-A Detectives
Observations and Conclusion.

OOo0AN6bAOAH anu
From the Springfield Republican.
To the close student of human nature.
the expression, shape and general charac-
ter of the human eye are details which
are always interesting and sometimes sig
nifcant. 1t is quite common to hear
sweeping judgment passed upon a man in
words something like these: Il like that
man; he has an open countenance and an
honest eye;" or Il don't like that man;
he has a bad eye" 1t is probably true
that many of the persons who are prone
to remarks Of this sort would not be able.
if questioned closely. to describe with any
degree of exactness a dishonest eye"
Indeed, an eye of a certain shape or eX-
preston. which would give the impress
sion that its owner was a deceitful or
dishonest man, might not convey the inn
preston at all were it not for the charac-
ter of the other features of the face. New
ertheless, it is doubtless true, in a general
sort of way. that persons of certain men,
tai pecularities are likely to have certain
kinds of eyes. Take the lawyers, for in
stance. and you will find striking illus
tration of the truth of this theory.
1t is often said, in a joking way that
"all lawyers look alike but it will be
found that there is a great deal of truth
in the joke as soon as one begins care
full study of the eyes of his legal friends.
1t is difficult to give, in words, even a gen.
eral description of the typical legal eye
but in general way it may be said that
the lines of the upper and lower lids uSu-
ally form the segment of a circle; that is,
the upper lid is likely to be considerably
arched, while the lower lid is generally
nearly a straight line. Then there is usu-
oil a I'd 20 az, erf hon nf
of the upper lid considerably beyond the
other corner of the eye; the line of the lid
is drawn down quite sharply, and eX-
tended toward the upper part of the cheek,
producing an expression which cannot
well be described, but which will always
be noticeable after it has once been de-
tected.
Detectives usually have eyes which are
quite distinctive. This distinctiveness,
however. is not due so much to peculiari-
ties of shape as il is to a general similarity
of expression. The eye of the detective is
usually rather smaller than the average,
and this smallness is made more notice
able by the tendency to "squint" Nine
detectives out of every ten seem to squirt
instinctively as soon as they begin to pay
close attention to anything or subject
One has but to look through any
"rogues' gallery" or, better still, observe
closely the faces of the criminal classes,
" be GOuNALCEQ lLldL lLtIB Is SuCn q lIllllS
as "a criminals eye" The first impress
sion created as a result of such an inspec-
ton is always the same, even to the most
casual observer. Criminals certainly look
alike. This is particularly noticeable in
the case of professional thieves. Among
such men the shape of the eye is very like
ly to be a close approach to oval in form:
that is, the curves of the upper and of the
lower lid-usually quite fattened-are
likely to be similar. This is especially
noticeable in the case of pickpockets and
sneak-thieves generally. Bank burglars
and other criminals whose calling de-
mands degree, and often d high degree of
intelligence, are frequently very open
countenanced and honest-eyed men. The
writer once saw the photograph of a very
skillful and thoroughly desperate bank
burglar, whose smoothly shaven face and
large mild eyes gave him the appearance
of a benevolent quaker But as a rule
the thief's ey is distinctive-small as to
size and cunning and furtive as to express
sion.
An unusually intelligent and clever de-
tective once said to the writer: Some
people will tell you that most thieves can
look you squarely in the face without in
any way betraying themselves. My ex-
perience has been directly the reverse It
is true that some men with guilty con-
sciences will meet your gaze without
hinching, while they try to lie out of a
scrape. But 1 always make a practice
of standing so that my face is very close
to the face Of the man whom l am ques-
tioning, and TO watch narrowly the move
ments of the eyes. have never yet seen
a man, who afterward proved to be a
thief, in whose eye there was not a Pc
culiarity which ! believe is an unmistak-
able evidence of guilt. For though the
man may return your gaze without a
CULVER of the eyelids, or any other symp-
tom of nervousness, if you look closely
you will see, apparently away back in
the pupil of the eye, a slight and almost
imperceptible lodging movement. l have
arrested a good many men who told
straight stories, and were apparently in
nocent, simply on the strength of this !
lodging movement; and have very rarely
failed to make a case against such sus-
poets in the end
It should not be asserted, on the other !
hand, that all men who display a dis
inclination to return a steady gaze are at !
heart dishonest. In a good many cases !
this may be due to nervousness, and in 9TH |
ers simple bashfulness. But the eye of |
an honest man is usually markedly diff |
ferent, both in form and expression from /
~ thief or a criminal