The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-24
LIFE HUNG ON A HAIR.
How a Man Was Saved From Death
by a Camera.
Remarkable Revelations Of DIR. Paul
Jcserfch.

press In Leipsic 1t Is the diary of tho ju-
dicial chemist DIR. Paul Jeserich. This
gentleman has been well known I'm the
criminal courts Of Germany for many years,
and his skill In the detection of criminals
by means Of chemistry and the camera Is
widely recognized
A year or two ago DIR. Jeserich presented
a paper on the subject Of his experiments
before the Photographic society of Great
Britain, and In view OF the immediate pub
lication of his diary few extracts from
that paper may not be uninteresting.
The first criminal case noted therein was
one In which the liberty of suspected man
literally hung upon hair, for by n single
hair was he tracked and brought to justice.
The case was one of murder, and two men
were suspected of the crime. A single hair
was found upsn the clothingof the victim,
and this was enlarged into n microphoto-
graph. A., one of the suspected men, had
a gray beard, rnd hair from his chin was
taken and also micropbotographed. Then
the two pictures were compared. The diff
ference in structure, tint and general APP
pearance was 40 marked that the man vas
at once released
A hair from the other man, D., was now
treated In the samo manner and this also
was seen TO be unlike the one found on the
murdered mans clothing. The original
picture bsing carefully scrutinized, tho hair
was seen TO be pointed, showing that prob
ably 10 had never been cut. Working up
this clew IL was found that tho hair In
question belonged TO an old yellow, smooth
haired dog. 1t thon came out that the pris-
oner, B., owned just such n dog, fresh
hair from which compared in every detail
with the one found upon the victim On
this evidence B. was held, and he subse-
quently confessed that he alone committed
the crime
A case in which the camera played q
still more important part 10 the following:
The dead body of man had been dis
covered near the outskirts OF wood under
circumstances which seemed to indicate
foul play and an acquaintance OF his was
arrested on suspicion Near the body was
found vulcanite matchbox, which was
believed TO belong 70 the accused, though
ho protested that he had never before seen
10. This box became IA strong feature In
the case and was submitted 10 n close ex-
animation with a view to proving or dis
proving the prisoners property. Amid
innumerable scratches on the lid--the box
was much worn--therc seemed 70 appear
traces of name, but what name IL was
none could tell The matter being placed
In tho hands of DIR. Jcserich, he rubbed
the lid with fine, impalpable powder,
which insinuated itself into every crcvice.
Then throwing nm intense light upon its
surface SO that eyory depression would he
clearly shown, he photographed IL, with
the result that the name of the owner stood
plainly revealed. The name was not that
of the prisoner, however. 1t was found to
belong TO a man who had dropped the
matchbox near the spot many weeks be-
fore the supposed crime was committed.
On this evidence the suspected man was
released
But DIR. Jeserich's system Of detection
by photography is not confined in applica-
ton to deeds Of violence. He has done
some remarkably clever work In cases of
forgery
Hitherto much has been expected in such
cases from the microscope. Thus 1t Is pos
sible by the aid of the microscope to find
out whether an alteration has been made
In word before tho ink first applied is
dry or somc considerable tlre after. In
the first case the inks will run into or
amalgamate with each other; in the sec
ond each ink mark will preserve its own
unbroken outline. But the camera can do
more than this BY means of u certain
kind of plate the latter instrument may be
made TO yield clear image of writing
which has been completely covered with
fresh characters by the hand Of tho forger.
The true and tho false are thus distinctly
revealed at the same time.
How, you ask, is this accomplished? In
this way: The ordinary sensitive plate Will
photograph blue as white and yellow and
red as black A color sensitive plate, how
ever, will render these colors more accord
ing to their relative brightness, something
In fact as an engrayer would express them
by different depths of tint These aro the
plates used in photographing paintings and
colored objects DIR. Jeserlch's use Of them
however, is simply to differentiate between
black inks of different compositions. Para
dox though 1t be, black ink Is not always
black, although IL looks soon paper TAX
ing three inks made by different flr.ns, the
doctor found on placing drop of each in
test tubes of clear water that the diluuion
of one was distinctly bluo, another rcd and
the third brown. Applied 20 paper, all
three inks looked black as night Now,
the color sensitive plato can do what the
naked eye cannot--namely, distinguish the
difference.
AS practical example of what tho
0l10era can 90 In tniS dlrcNll0n lac c&iltDlJS
note the date of which had been altered,
causing a troublesome lawsuit. To the
naked eye tho due month of the note Is
April but the color sensitive plato shows
1t 60 have been originally May and 10 havo
beon cleverly altered by the forger, who,
however was not clever enough TO use pre-
cisely tho same kind of ink. Consequently
each stroke of alteration is plainly disoorni-
BILE.
Another document shown by him Is a
receipt for debts contracted up 60 1881.
By very simple movement OF the pen this
date is raised to 1854, Justification which
the eye and the microscope are alike pow
erless TO detect. Not so, however, with the
camera. The color sensitive plato made the
fraud rs plain Us day.
The doctor also uses the camera In con-
junction with the spcctroscopc, producing
the photospectograph, and doubtless many
interesting illustrations Of this as we'll as
lotcr combinations will be given In his
forthcoming booS. Montreal Star
III