Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-01-05


not very clear and which reflect cloudea
vision; nevertheless the image is there.
Ana have seen, or what one calls seen,
the phantom of the murderer which DIR.
BOURBON saw and which escaped the eyes
of tho member of tho Academy Of Medi-
cine and of tho hygiene council honor
airy physician of the hospital, if you
please"
M. Ginory, who had listened to the
officer with curiosity, began to laugh
and remarked TO Bernardet that, accord
ing to this reasoning, illustrated med
ical science would find itself sacrificed
to the instinct, the diviuation of a pro-
vincial physician, and that it was only
too easy to put tho academicians III the
wrong and the independents in the
right.
"Oh, monsieur, pardon. put no one
III the right or wrong DR. Bourbon be-
lieved that no had made discovery.
DIR Vernois was persuaded that DR..
Bourbon had discovered nothing at all.
Each had the courage Of his conviction.
What | contest is that for 2G years no
one has eXperimensed, no one has made
any researches, since the first expert
mcnt. and that DR. Bourion's communi-
cation has been simply dropped and for
Cotton"
81 ask your pardon in my turn. Ber-
nardet," replied NJ. Ginory, a little
quiazically Il have also studied the
question, which seems to me a curl
ous'--
"IIave you photographed any your
self NJ. Ginory?"
ono"
"Ah! There is whore the proof is. "
"But in 1877 the very learned doyen
Of the Academy of Medicine, NJ. Brou-
ardel, whose great wisdom and whose
sovereign opinion We're law, one Of those
men who arc an honor to their country,
told me that when he was in Hcidel-
berg he had heard Professor Kuhnc say
that he had studied this same question.
lie had made impro siOns of the rctina
Of the eye in the following cases After
the death Of dog or a wolf he had tax
Ell out the eye and replaced it with the
back part Of the eye i'll front; then he
took Il very strong light and placed it
in front Of tho eye, and between the eye
and the light he placed Il small grating.
This grating, after an exposure Of q
quarter of IN hour, was visible upon
the rctina But those are very different
experiments from those one hears of i'll
America "
"Thcy could see the bars in the graf
ing? If THAT was visible, why could not
tho visago Of the murderer DO found
thcrc:'
"Eh! Other experiments have been
attempted, even after those of which
Professor Kuhne told our compatriot.
Every one, you understand, has borne
only negative results, and NJ. Brouardel
could tell you better than that in the
physiological and oculistic treatise.
published during the last ten years nc
allusion has been made to the preserva
ton Of the image on the rctina after
death. 1t is an affair classe, Bcrnardet. -
"Ah, monsieur, yet And the po
lice officer hesitated. Shaking his head
he again repeated, "Yct--yct'-
You are not convinced"
"No, NJ. Ginory, and shall I tell yor
why? You, yourself, i'll spite Of the ties
timony Of illustrious savants, still doubt
! | pray you to pardon me, but | see it il
your eyes.
THAT is still another way to use thu
retina, said Ginory, laughing "Yor
read ones thoughts. "
ono, monsieur, but you are a man o
too great intelligence to say to yourself
that there is nothing III this worlC
| claSsc, that every matter can bo taken
up again. The idea has come to me It
try the experiment. if | am permitted
| Yes, monsieur, those eyes, did you ST.,
thcm-thc eyes of the dead man? The,
seemed to speak, they seemed to see
Their expression is Of lifelike intensity
They see, | tell you, they see, They per
ceivo something which we cannot SCI
and which is frightful. They bear-ant
no one can convince mo to the contrary
they bear ON the rctina the reelection
of the last being whom the murdere,
man saw before he died. They keep i
still; they still retain that image. The,
are going to hold an autopsy They vii
tell us that the throat is cut. Eth, par
bleu! We know it well. We see it fo
ourselves. Monicho, the porter, know
it as well as any doctor, but when ont
questions those eyes, when one searche
in that black chamber where the mag
appears as on u plate, when one de
mands Of those eyes their secret, an
convinced that one will find it.
"Iou are obstinate, Bernardet "
eyes, very obstinate, NJ. Ginory, an,
very patient. The pictures which | too
with my kodak will give us the expires
sion, the interior, so to speak. Thos
which we would take Of the retin
would reveal tous tho secret Of the ago
ny. And, moreover unless l deceive
myself, what danger attends such al
experiment? One opens the poor eyes
and that is sinister certainly, but whe
one holds an autopsy at the morgue
when one enlarges the cash in the throa
in order to study it, when ono dissect
the body, is it any more respectful o
proper? All, monsieur, if l but ha
your power
NJ. Gincry seemed quito struck wit
all that the police officer had said t
him, hut while no still held to his con
y \ G,