The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-27
X 4 lead WOMAN'S EYE.
rr. Vim. ]. O'SulliVan Discusses an
Alleged Scientific Discovery.

Copyright. 1895. by the Author
>-.r York. Jan. 25.-It is an ever
-..7rr.ng source Of wonderment
o., those who study assidu-
.,=,v human affairs the difuse creduHty
.-,-rq people who are ordinarily ac-
..-a5.ted with thinking powers. Here is a
case in point. a few weeks ago there was
On the New York morning papers the &C
...,-t of what would, indeed, be an excep-
-i,naIly strange case. if certain very essen
-f-l clements We're not lacking. The story
comes from jamestown, y. Y, and pur-
,,r-s 10 be an interview with coroner,
whose statements are Endorsed by people
y.ao accompanied him when he visited the
dead bodies of two women who had been
murdered by an unknown assassin. Here
is the article: +..
Jamestown, n. Y, Dec. 2O.-This morn
irc Coroner Bowers, accompanied by Fred
Marsh, went to the residence Of Wins
low sherman, where Mrs. sherman and
Airs. Davis We're murdered by an I'M
known assassin on Saturday last, and
made a microscopic examination of the
yaalea in the eyes Of Mrs. Davis, but on
one Of those of Mrs. Sherman the form Of
man was distinctly photographed
After the first surprise of the startling
discovery made by Mr.. Marsh was
over. he made a most careful examination
which clearly revealed the mans form.
He was apparently a big man, with a long
heavy overcoat, unbuttoned, which reach
cd below the knees. The wrinkles in the
ha
foot was behind the other, with the knee
bending as if in a STOPPING posture, about
10 take q step. Or. Bowers, the coroner,
tnen made an examination, and says he
saw the picture as distinctly as he could
have seen man standing in front of him.
f. g. Partridge, Albert Hazetine and Rev.
1Ir Stoddard, who were at the house when
the examination was made, were called
into the room and examined the eye, each
one Of them verifying the statement by
describing the man in similar language.
THE eyes Of Mrs. Sherman were re-
moved by order of the coroner, and an
effort will be made through the instrument
talty OF the Photographic camera to
bring out a more complete picture.
1 would add to the foregoing an ex-
cerpt from another New York paper of
December q, 1894:
THE eyes Of Mrs. Davis were first in
spected with the instrument gagged at
forty diameters, etc. When Mr.. Marsh
came TO inspect the eyes of Mrs. Shear
man he staggered back to the wall eX-
claiming there is the murderer Cor
oner Bowers next took the glass, and he
100 seemed to be greatly affected by
what he saw, etc"
Interviews, long letters, discussions by
scientific men followed in the public press
until December 81, some denouncing the
whole matter as intensely absurd, others
quoting scientific experiments to illus
trate its basis in probability.
The coroner who examined the eyes was
q physician who had received a train
ing such as the great mass Of general
practitioners receive prior to receiving
diploma. The microscopic was a drug
gist who devoted his spare time to micro
scopic research. The statements Of these
TWO gentlemen are corroborated by an
undertaken. who from the character of his
occupation could hardly be regarded as
visionary, and clergyman, whose voca-
uon would imply truthfulness. These
people as win be seen from their recog-
nized standing i'll the community and
from the official position which one of
their number holds, must be regarded as
reputable and presumably truthful.
The question then arises: Why did
these reputable people believe they wit
messed phenomenon, which highly
framed scientific men label as absurd?
An analysis of the salient features shows
mat the double murder occurred on the
10Th Of December; that the examination
OF the eyes did not take place until the
-Vth Of December. This gives an interval
OF five days from the death of the wo-
men till the examination. The next fact
is that one of the dead women (Ars
shearman) was 20 years old in very feeble
neaIth' The other woman (AIrs. Davis,
me daughter of the older lady was 46
years old and in good physical health. If
VIC now recall the statement made by the
coroner that in the case of Mrs. Davis
me humors Of the eyes were opaque, and
mat the eyes of Mrs. Sherman were
clear and transparent, as in life" we sec
mat IN the eyes Of the former the natural
processes of dissolution were in operation,
ana that in the elder lady's eyes the evil
uEhees of disintegration We're entirely
wanting. We are forced to ask the ques-
uoh' why did not the elder lady's eyes
snow subsection to natural processes?
is well known that one of the most
nouceable changes after death takes place
!" me eyes. They become dull, lustreless
ana opaque very rapidly after death. 1t
!5 diso a well known fact that the lens in
me eyes Of old people becomes sclerozed
u. hardened so that the power to submit
"suI ana outline images distinctly on the
,su4a is very much impaired, and where
w hardening has reached its logical end
Odlaract-it is entirely lost
mere had the coroner read of this
Hsalaeval tradition, that the picture last
o9'alned by the retina would be retain
e. in death?
ne had made the assertion that he ex-
byea 70 ind the image there. and it was
,,lsAIy desirable that his scientific expecta-
'Ns should be gratihed. The other peo-
tlS mat accompanied him were not only
l!o1sl with that natural awe felt in the
Essence of death, but had the uncanny
.-eHNS added thereto of being in the pres
t,le oil death that cried aloud for the pun
l'ilent OF its authors, and they were
eAlHs evidence in furtherance of the de-
,1."1s OF vengeance. None OF these peo-
P,e excepting the coroner. were fitted by
,7slous training to judge of pictures as
dgsehted by the retina, either in life or
,ayH' and it is easy to imagine the
s,9Il7ndous tension that would strain the
.siase lay mind while examining the
M OIL these mutilated women
-7 coroner focused the microscope,
use revelations are to confirm his hope
~ S-'t prophecy or to heap ridicule on his
,--te'ched expectation. Think how dra-
80 IAe whole scene, and how morbidly
11e are the faculties of the dramatis
-r.-eohae, and how ready to receive i'm
LESSONS sustainable by even the faint
10, L.