The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-19
Eyes May Tell Murder.


NO more curious romance than The Ac-
cuser.' by VI. Jules CIaret.e. has appeared
Tor long time. II is based on the theory
that when man is murdered the ina &c
OF ms murderer can be be seen IN his eye.
| Inc Accuser" in this instance IS the VIC
TINS eye.
| NJ Claretie explains why he wrote sto-
| ~ on such a subject. True, the idea is a
mere hypothesis" he says, but peasants
VIII tell you that If you look into the eye
OF a slaughtered OK you will find there the
image OF the butcher. Moreover, thirty
years ago DR.. Bourbon published a photo
graph OF an image wound on the retina
| OF woman who was assassinated June IL,
1850, ana the publication caused great stir
in the medical and scientific world. The
| Medico-Legal society instructed the cele-
brated DR.. Vernois to investigate the mat
ter, and he reported that DR.. BOURBON had
not seen. but had simply fancied that he
had seen, an image in the retina of the
assassinated woman. Before / began to
write The Accuser' I consulted DR.. Bron-
ardel, and he told me that no new discovery
had been made since the time of DR.. Yer
nois. Evedintly. then. had to work on a
mere hypothesis, but the subject pleased
me, and 1 went ahead.
LOMBROSO'S VIEWS.
'And. after all, it may not be mere NY
pothesis. What Is dream today is a real
ity tomorrow. Look at the Roentgen rays.
A few years ago no one dreamed of such
discovery. By the way, have dedicated
my book TO Professor Cesare Lombroso.
for he Is TO some extent an authority on
the subject. In a note on psychophotogra-
ply, published at Trutn. he narrates some
wonderful facts. One Of them is that
postage stamp, If studied intently for some
time will remain reflected in the eye of the
student. Moreover, at any later period,
whenever the student thinks Of this post
age stamp. the image VIII re-appear in his
eye. Thought recalls the vanished i'm
age"
Several eminent physicians and special
lists have been questioned on the subject
and their views are well worthy of atten-
ton.
When death comes suddenly, or with
shock" says DR.. Beri,ion, 'it is quite pos
sible that the last image received by the
eye may remain on the retina. How long
this image would remain il is difficult 10
say. The likelihood is that it would be
covered by other images and thus be lost
TO sight. At death all is confusion, ard
if at the moment of death there were any
image on the retina it would also doubt
less be confused. 4 clear image could not
be obtained unless the dying man concen-
trated all his energy in this direction. If
he were resolved that his assasSins image
should be pictured on his ret.na, he might
succeed in leaving after death a clear pic
ture. A dying man, however, thinks of 9TH
eli things, and hence such test IS practical
ly impossible. There is no rAson however,
why other experiments should not be
do Tor 1f-yt,t he
fired in. rooms painted with different col
ors, and after a time they might be killed.
Thus we could learn whether the ret.na of
a dog killed in red room differs a all
from the retina of dog killed in a blue |
room. If there is any difference II would |
go far to show that there is a good deal |
of truth in NJ. Claretie's hypothesis"
PROPOSED TESTS WITH DOGS.
LAS a subject of a romance this idea that |
the assassinz image is pictured IN his VIC |
TINS eye is excellent" says DR.. Blum,
but from scientific standpoint il cannot |
yet be regarded seriously. The eye under
goes many rapid changes and the expert
nents which have been made on the ret;na |
nave not yet shown us anything conclusive.
That NJ Claretie's hypothesis may prove
10 be a scientific truth is possible. He right
Y says that what is a dream today is a re-
Atty tomorrow"
The suggestion that dogs be confined IN
:olored rooms and subsequently killed with
he view of studying their retinas has met
With favor in some quarters. but no def
lite steps have yet been taken 10 carry II
,ut II is claimed that if dozen dogs
we're confined in a yellow room, another
lozen IN a blue room and third dozen in
red room and the three dozen were subse-
luently killed, some definite result would
surely be obtained. That all societies for
he prevention of cruelty 10 animals would
,e bitterly opposed TO any such wholesale
massacre is certain, and it is, therefore,
kelly that if the experiment IS tried at all
he work will be done in secret and nothing
will be heard of II unless some wonderful
cientific truth is thereby brought 10 light.