The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-01-17

"It is interesting, chemically, no.
doubt" answered; "but practically
"Why, man, it is the most practical
medico-legal discovery for years.
Don't you see that it gives US an in
fallible test for blood-stains? Come
over here, now!" He seized me by the
coat-sleeve in his eagerness, and drew
me over to the table at which he had
been working. Let, us have some
fresh BLOOD" he said, digging a long
bodkin into his finger, and drawing of
the resulting drop of blood in a chem
ical pipette Snow, add this small
quantity of blood to a lihe of water.
You perceive that the resulting mix
ture has the appearance of true water.
The proportion of blood cannot be
more than one in milliap have 10
doubt, however, that we shall be able
TO obtain the characteristic reaction"
AS he spoke, he threw into the vessel a
few white crystals, and then added
some drops of transparent fluid. In
an instant the contents assumed a dull
mahogany color, and brownish dust
was precipitated to the bottom of the
glass jar.
Hal ha" he cried, clapping his
hands, and looking as delighted as a
child with new toy. "What do you
think of that?"
st seems to be very delicate test"
I remarked.
Beautiful! beautiful The old
guaiacum lest was very clumsy and un-
certain. So is the microscopic exami-
nation for blood-corpuscles. The lat
ter is valueless if the stains are a few
hours old. Now, this appears to act
as we'll whether the blood is old or
new. Had this test been invented,
there are hundreds of men now walk
ing the earth who would long ago have
paid the penalty of their crimes"
"Indeed!" murmured.
"Criminal cases are continually
hinging upon that one point. A man
is suspected of crime months per-
haps after it has been committed. His
linen or clothes are examined, and
brownish stains discovered upon them.
Are they blood-stains, or mud-stains,
or rust-stains, or fruit-stains, or what
are they? That is u question which
has puzzled many an expert, and why?
Because there was no reliable test
| Now we have the Sherlock Holmes
test, and there will no longer be any
difficulty"
His eyes fairly glittered as he spoke,
and he put his hand over his heart and
bowed as if to some applauding crowd
coniured up 10y his imagination.
"You are to be congratulated" re-
marked, considerably surprised at his
enthusiasm.
There was the case of Won Bischoff
at Frankfort last year. He would GER
tainly have been hung had this test
been in existence. Then there was
Mason, of Bradford, and the notorious
Muller and Lefevre, OF Montpelier,
and Samson, of New Orleans. | could
name a score of cases in which it would
have been decisive"
you seem to be walking calendar
of crime" said Stamford, with a laugh.
"You might start paper on those
lines. Call it the Police News of the
Past
"yery interesting reading it might
be made, too" remarked Sherlock
Holmes, sticking small piece of plas.
ter over the prick on his finger. 81
have to be careful, he continued, turn
ing to me with smile, "for dabble
with poisons u good deal" He held
out his hand as he spoke, and Noticed
that it was all mott1ed over with SINH
lar pieces ofplaster and discolored with
strong acids.
1--WE came here on business" said
Stamford, sitting down on q three
legged stool and pushing another one
in my direction with his foot. "My
friend here wants to take diggings
and rs you were complaining that you
could get no one to go halves with
you, thought that had better bring
you together"
| iDlltllOCh llOlllNo GCGllGh ulGl
at the idea of sharing his rooms with
me. II have my eye on a suite in
Baker street." he said, (which would
suit us down to the ground. You don't
mind the smell of strong tobacco,
hope?"
81 always smoke ships myself"
answered.
"rhats good enough. l generally
have chemicals about, and occasional
ly do experiments, Would that annoy
you?"
SPY no means"
LET me see--what are my other
shortcomings? get in the dumps at
times and don't open my mouth fol
days on end. You must not think
am sulky when do that. Just let me
alone and III soon be all right. What
have you to confess, now? It's just as
we'll for two fellows to know the
worst of one another before they be
gin TO live together"
laughed at this cross-eXamination
81 keep bull-pup,"I said, land OBJ
ject to rows, because my nerves are
shaken, and get up at all sorts of un
godly hours, and am extremely lazy
have another set of vices when In
well, but those are the principal one
at present"
DO you include violin-playing il
your category of rows?" he asked
anXiously.
at depends on the player" an
swered. "Awell-played violin is trea
for the gods; badly played one"
"Oh, that's all right" he cried, will
merry laugh. II think we may con
slider the thing as settled--that is, i
the rooms are agreeable to you"
"When shall we see them?"