The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-10-09
coon TnING ron THr EXPERTS.

New YORK city is prolific IN sensational
aud mysterious crimes which tho experts
are called upon 10 aid ia unraveiing.
Scarcely does one pass from the public
view before another looms up. presenting
problems seemingly more intricate than
that which has gone before. II was found
necessary 90 carry Capt Carter TO New
York when he was on trial by court mar
tIal. and one % the reasons Tor the trip
was to bring expert testimony 20 bear
upon the handwriting on government
checks aud contracts The curtain has not
set been drawn on the nnal act In the
Molineux tragedy. and yet there appears
on the scene a new and intricate case ia
which tbs knowledge Of numerous experts
will DE called into requisiuon. In the
Molineux case there were chemical eN-
perts. medical experts and experts ga
handwriting. and their bills amounting 20
thousands Of dollars had u be paid by
the peop.c or New York.
'rhe latest case 60 demand the attention
81 the experts is tina, Of Millionaire WI
liam Marsh Rice. an eccentric capitalist
who died In New York city a Few days
ago under alleged mysterious clrcum-
stances The death o. the millionaire was
followed hy the arrest on the charge OF
forgery u Albert Patrick. the dead
mans lawyer. and Charles r. Jones. his
valet The deceased had left a will giving
Patrick about nine-tenths OF his estate
Patrick had also cashed large
checks alleged 20 have been signed by
Rice. Jones onensc lay ia having tele-
phoned Patrick daily with regard 10 Rice's
condition. Now come the experts First
the handwriting experts have pronounced
the signatures OF Rice upon the checks
Tor many thousands. forgeries. This led
20 the incarceration OF Patrick and Jones
ia the Tombs. Next comes Prof Witthaus.
he OF the bill for $500 Ia the Molineux
case which was questioned by the au-
ihorities Prof Witthaus is examining the
remains OF the dead man for traces OF
poison which might have been the cause
OF his death. The physician who attended
Rice prescribed nux vomica. and Prof
Witthaus. Il IS stated IS looking for
strychnine. The rcsus Will be. in any
event. another big bin. The work Of the
experts VIII not end here The case Is
more than likely to go into court. at least
with charges 81 forgery. n not OF murder.
against the imprisoned men SO far as
the Investigation has progressed there -
no evidence OF guilt other than that OF the
experts excepting the suspicion naturally
aroused hy the fact that Patrick Is a
large beneficiary.
Such cases as these bring up wildly the
old question as 10 the value OF expert
testimony. That Il Is valuable as corrobor-
ativo evidence. seems 10 be generally ac-
crptcd In courts OF law. but the growing
inclination 10 make use of Il viii sooner
or later threaten the rights Of defend
ant la mysterious cases the volume Of
expert testimony Is growing larger and
larger. while direct evidence bearing on
the crime itself. Is correspondingly les
sencd The tendency IA this direction may
well lead 10 the conclusion that the mod
ern s,cuth IL no more shrewd II equally
so. than his predecessor Of former years
lie s. learning % rely on the experts to
supply hts deficiencies. However. the old
story OF an 90 wind is applicable The ten
dency 60 this direction IL a good thing for
the experts