The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-05
itselt was susceptlbIe Of recognitIon and

itself was susceptible OF recognition and
Identification.
Every one who reads the newspapers at
all must remember the great care exercls-
ed by the murderers OF DIR. Cronin to
prevent discovery OF their crime; and SO
with the murderer Of unger In New YORK
some years ago; the man who killed his
friend, August Boiler, and shipped his
body TO Baltimore in trunk. To STAN
pede identification he cut off the victims
head and threw il into the East Riv as
he crossed one night with the trunk. Yet
In the careful forethought which he ex-
ercised-and he spent two days figuring
out his plans for disposing of the body
with certain safety to himself-he over
looked q mark OF positive Identification,
crooked little finger and most peculiar
scar at the Joint. That i6ent flied the
body, and Unger is now serving Q 20
years sentence. He would have been
hanged IL the head could have been
found. Had he cut of the little finger
and disposed of ii he would be free
man today.
Holmes seems TO have been more sue
cessful, for up to the present time there
does not seem TO be, judging from what
has been published, very much direct evil
dence against him in any OF the cases.
True, bones have been found in his house
but he has defence for that condition
OF affairs to the fact that he was medi-
cal man and had the bones for study.
And through all his case the question
stands out clear and distinct: "What
became of the bodies?"
This may be solution OF the question
this theory Of the chemist referred TO
above
Some time ago I'm Mulhouse, AIsace,
there was an explosion in a chemial fac
tory in room where there was stored q
quantity OF what is known as nitro BEN
zine. There were several men employed
I'm the room and all escaped but one.
The nitro o-benzine, of course, flooded the
place, and when the fire was put out
and search made for the body of the man
the mixture was several feet deep on the
noor IL was thought the workman had
escaped, for no trace OF him could be
found, until part OF one foot was found
at the edge of pool OF the nitro benzine
That set the chemists TO thinking and
they experimental with the bodies OF ami
mails with the result that II wss found
that the stuff destroyed every particle OF
the body, blood, bones, flesh, and teeth.
Further experiments showed that metal
even would be destroyed by the nitro BEN
zine so that the body OF a human being,
fully dressed, IL placed in the chemical,
would be totally oblterated within few
hours, not the slightest trace of even SO
much as button remaining.
What would be easier than to place the
body OF victim in bath tub and when
the action had taken place TO pull out the
plug? clear fluid Would flow away and
with 1t all the traces OF a crime. This,
then, is the theory; That Holmes may
have used this chemical in his work in
some cases. 1t seems probable, for SO
far as can be learned not the slightesr~
trace OF some Of his alleged victims re-
mains, not even their bones have been
found.
There Is one safeguard round the use
OF this chemical as a common aid to
covering up crime, and that Is that q
person unacquainted with its use, manu-
tacture, and handling would be very
likely to go into space himself before he
got chance to place his victims body
In 1t, for 1t Is q most treacherous COM
pound and much given TO exploding ON
the slightest provocation.