Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-05-28
Entrapped BY Fate.
TRUTH Is OFT STRANGER THAN
FICTION.

FICTION.
In the annals of crime truth is of
ten stranger than fiction, and there
is no doubt that these contain MANY
strange records Of crime and its de-
lection, which beat anything that has
come from the fertile brain of the
most imaginative writer's of detec-
tive stories.
In this age science "rules the
roost," and those deeply versed in
its mysteries are frequently called on
to lend the aid of their knowledge
to assist the ends Of justice. The
microscope has been often used to
decide whether spots of blood on
clothing or other things were really
human blood or not, and the i'm
mensely more delicate test of the
spectroscope has been able to decide
in like cases where the microscope
has failed. Another curious use has
been made of the microscope in the
detection of crime. 1t has shown
that human hairs have a marked in.
dividuality, and not long ago a sim
gle hair-the evidence in a murder
case-was shown to a microscopic
with the request to determine
whether it was from the head of q
suspected man, whose hair was of
the same color. The specialist
found, after careful consideration.
that it was sufficiently unlike to ac.
quit him. Subsequently the real cul-
prit was captured, and his hairs were
tound to be identical in character
with the one first examined.
An important work on dentistry
published short time ago contained
some remarkable instances of the
Identification of criminals by pecu.
liarities I'm their teeth. In one case
man was attacked on a lonely high
road, and in the tussle he, in his
frantic efforts to get rid of his assail-
ant, bit him on the loft hand,
while his little dog took a mouth.
ful of the mans calf. The ruffian
was finally forced to take to his heels.
The police were duly Informed, and
ten days later a suspicious character
was arrested, but denied everything,
and az the night of the assault was a
very dark one, he could not be iden-
tilted by his looks. But there was
small wound on his left hand which
looked like the mark ofa tooth. 1t
was not, the accused stOlidly main
tained. The victim of the attack
suggested that if ii was the same
man he ought to have the marks of
the terriers teeth on his leg. Three
tiny wounds were found on the calf,
which he ascribed to the bite of a
larger dog. The terriers teeth were,
however, found to match the wounds
exactly, and conviction followed.
A man accused of murder had
wounds on two of the fingers of his
right hand, which had been evidently
caused by peculiarly shaped human
teeth. The murdered mans were
found to correspond, and there was
conviction in due course.
A rich Russian banker had been
discovered murdered in his house in
st. Petersburg. There was no clue,
but in the room was found cigar
mouthpiece containing part of a
cigar of such an expensive kind that
it was supposed the banker himself
had been smoking 1t just before the
crime had been committed. On close
examination. the mouthpiece was
found to be worn away by the teeth
of the owner, but the dead mans
teeth did not fit the indentation.
The servants were one by one exam
ined, and it was found that the hol-
lows of the mouthpiece compared
exactly to the formation of the front
teeth of the cook, to whom no sus-
picion had been attached. He after
ward confessed to the murder.
The belief that /" murder will out, -
sooner or later, was amply justified
In the following curious instance.
One day doctor was passing
through st. Sepulchre's Churchyard
in London. The grave digger was
excavating a grave, and the doctor,
unaccountably attracted, stood look.
Ing on. While he was there skull
was thrown out which appeared to
have the power of motion. Taking
1t up the doctor found the cause to be
live toad. The causal examination
disclosed the presence of a nail en-
bedded In the temple bone. Merely
|
the doctor went away. The sexton,
thinking the matter over, remem.
bered that the skull was that of 6
young man who had died suddenly
twenty-five years before, and gradu
ally there came back to his memory
certain fieeting rumors Of that time
Putting this and that together, he be-
came more than suspicious, and laiG
1t before a magistrate. The widow
Of the long buried man was arrested
and taxed with having killed hsl
husband. Ultimately she confessed
her guilt, and was duly hanged fol
the crime so long hidden, and az
strangely brought to light.
While on his way to one of tn,
stations at Budapesth, a French
gentleman went into hatter's store