The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-23
TRACKED TO CHEMISTRY.
Criminals Run To Earth Through the
Analysts skill.

FROM LONDON It-ttltS.
Marvellous as is the skin Of q clever de
iective. who, from thumb print OF
shred Of clothing, tracks a criminal ana
brings him to justice, mis- methods are
simple and almost clumsy when compared
with the detective work done in the labor
atory by the aid of a few reagents and
test tubes
In many cases, where some of The subt.er
poisons have been the cause of death, the
analysis. has absolutely no apparent clew
to start him on his investigation with
irrlant poisons which leave their traces
on the body of the victim. his work is com
paratively simple; but with the poisons in
favorle use with criminals. there is usual
ly no physical trace whatever. and the
quantity of poison taken into the body is
SO small TO be incredible.
One-tenth of a grain of aconte is suf-
fcient to cause death, so that a single
ounce of this deadly drug could remove
almost five regiments of soldiers; an ounce
of strychnine would similarly be fatal TO
nearly LOCO men; and prusSic acid is SO
terribly fatal that ii has been known to
kill without even being swallowed if
placed i'm the mouth.
Il is clear then that the laboratory de
tectVe has a very difficult and delicate
task TO trace the cause of death when the
dose IS SO microscopieally minutes, and
when there is no visible sign IN the body
to guide him.
But science makes light of such Difficult
ties, and succeeds even if only the $4,000
000th of an ounce of some of these poisons
can be found in the body and IFS pro-
| cesses are as delicate and conclusive as
/ they are interesting.
In testing for strychnne the fluid OBJ
| tanned from the tissues is concentrated to
| single drop. Bicromate of potash is
| added TO this drop, which changes in turn
/ 10 deep blue violet, purple, crimson and
| finally TO a delicate blue. however minute
/ may be the strychnine n 1t.
! The faintest trace of arsenic in the fluid
| is equally quick TO declare itself. If a
piece of copper foil IS placed in contact
with it, the arsenic is deposited in dark
! film; or if gas is deposited In the liquid,
| and passed through a red-hot glass tube
similar dark stain appears in the tube ana
the arsenic is detected and Imprisoned.
If mOrphia is present in the body. nitric
| acid is the detective employed aud a sin
gle drop will convert the fluid 10 deep
| crimson Thus, whatever the poison, If
| only the mnutosC trace remains iu the
| body, these subtle reagents inevitably
find IL.
Such work as the detection Of posons Is
| child's play to the clever analyst; his real
difficulty comes when he has to determine
| whether a certain dark stain is blood and
if so whether or ROT The blood Is human
Many Stains which have Tho annl, ,,nc,.
| Of mood may he ouite innocent i'm rboir
! character and it is beyond doubt that In
sorr 70 The ea,lo,vs on, the eviderc, Of
stains which have been anvtbine but tbose
~ human HOOD
rf ror Instance tbe i,,ica of , ,a,,or A.
allowed 20 dry on a knife blade, il is i'm
~ ros,,Itant stoin te not bloo1. ana tbo
di0icnltv bochnes much erGotor when IL
is, (i,setion whether "a HOOD siair H. Inn.
mar, az ori,nal in ite o,igip
5rbors ,,. many, conclusive ,co,.s ~ '.,~o,.-
inc maj n stain is blood ana moi vesefahlo
ar o,l,e, ,o1orine r,,frer m n,,st r1lt,-