The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-18
THE CRIME OF
THE BOULEVARD,
By JULES OLARETIE.
tCopyright. 1897. by r. y. Fenno & Col
~ CONTINUED

Photography TO Medical Jurisprr
dence," the savant himself, even Will
denying the results of which DIR. Bot
zion spoke in his communication, devot
ed himself to the general considerable
upon the role which photography ough
to play in medical Jurisprudence. Yes
In 1869 he asked that in the researche
on poisonous substances, where the mi
croscope alone had been used, photogra
ply should be applied. He advocate,
what in our day is so common, the pho
tographing of the features of criminals
their deformities, their scars, their tat
tooings. He demanded that picture.
should be taken of an accused person il
many ways, without wigs and with
them, with and without boards, in di.
vers costumes.
"These propositions, thought Ber-
nardet, "seem hardly new. 1t is 26
years since they were discovered, and
now they seem as natural as that two
and two make four. In 20 years from
now who knows what science will have
done?
"Vernois demanded that wounds be
reproduced, their size, the instruments
with which the crime was committed,
the leaves of plants in certain cases of
poisoning, the shape of the victims
garments, the prints of their hands and
feet, the interior view of their rooms,
the signature of certain accused affected
with nervous disorders, parts of bodies
and of bones, and, in fact, everything
In any way connected with the crime
1t was said that he asked too much.
Did he expect judges to make photo
graphs? Today everything that Vernois
demanded in 1860 has been done, and
in truth the instantaneous photograph
has almost superseded the minutes of
an investigation.
We photograph a spurious bank
note. 1t is magnified, and by the abb
sence of tiny dot the proof of the al
teration is found On account of the
lack of dot the forger is detected. The
savant Helmholtz was the discoverer of
this method of detecting these faults.
Two bank notes, one authentic, the 9TH
er forgery, were placed side by side
In a stereoscope of strong magnifying
power, when the faults were at once de-
tected Helmholtz's experiment proba-
bly, seemed fantastic to the forger con.
demned by a stereoscope. Oh, well, to-
day ought not like experiment on the
retina of dead mans eye give a like
result?
Instruments have been highly per
fected since the time when DR.. Bourbon
made his experiments, and if the law
of human physiology has not changed
the seekers of invisible causes must have
rapidly advanced in their mysterious
pursuits. Who knows whether at the
instant of the last agony that the dying
person does not put all the intensity of
me Inuo the ret1na, giving a hundred
fold power to that last supreme look?'
At this point of his reflections Ber-
nardet experienced some hesitation.
While he was not thoroughly acquaint.
ed with physiology and philosophy,
he had seen so much, so many things
had known so many strange occurrences
and had studied many men. He knew
for he had closely questioned wretches
who had been saved from drowning at
the very last possible moment, some of
whom had attempted suicide, others
who had been almost drowned through
accident, and each one had told him
that his whole life, from his earliest
recollection, had flashed through his
mind in the instant of mortal agony
yes, whole lifetime in one instant of
cerebral excitement.
Had savants been able to solve this
wonderful mystery? The resume of an
existence in one vibrationl Was it pos
sible? Yet-Bernardet still used the
word
And why, in an analogous sensation,
could not the look of dying man be
seized in an intensity lasting an instant,
as memory brought in single flash so
many diverse remembrances?
Il know, since it is the imagination,
and that the dead cannot see, while the |
image on the retina is a fact, fact con-
tradicted by wiser men than l." Ber-
nardet thought on these mysteries until
his head began to ache.
II shall make myself i'll over it," he
thought. "And there is something to
be done.
Then in his dusty little room, his
brain overexcited, he became enthused
with one idea. His surroundings fell
away from him; he saw nothing-every-
hing disappeared-the books. the pa
pers, the walls, the visible objects, as
lid also the objections, the denials, the
1emonstrative impossibilities. And abb
solute conviction seized him to the ex-
,lusion of all extraneous surroundings.
This conviction was absolute, instino-
tive, irresistible, powerful, filling him
with entire faith.
"This unknown thing / will find.
What is to be done / will do" he de-
,lared to himself
He threw the pamphlet on the table,
rose from his chair and descended to
he dining room, where his wife and
'hildren were waiting for him. He
:nbbed his hands with slss, and his