The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-19
CAMERAS AS CRIME DIRECTORS.
Uses 10 Which They Are Put IN Legal
Proceedings
(E,rom the New York Evening POSI-

| Qrom the New York Evening Post)
| 1t is only within the past decade that
| photography has been used to any consId-
cradle extent in legal proceedings. For a
/ long time after their discovery photo
graphs were not permitted in the courts
as evidence; now, however. a photograph
! OF document, if vised by a notary and
| declared true copy. has almost the same
! value as the original exhibit. Many pho
! tographers do more or less legal work: at
least. they photograph letters or docu-
ments for the use of lawyers
The proprietor Of a shop on Fulton
Street, however, is the only photographer
who confines his business entirely to this
class of work. A look through the piles
Of negatives on his shelves gives one a
pretty complete idea of the uses TO which
lawyers have put photography. Perhaps
the most common use Is in accident cases,
where the photographs are introduced 10
show the spots where eatastropGes took
place. or the defects in machinery or con-
struction that were responsible. Some of
, these pictures have interesting histories.
In one case a railroad train had run
into a loaded coach at a grade crossing,
killing every one on board. and carrying
the bodies nearly a thousand feet BY
making all haste photograph OF the spot
was obtained the same day. It showed
: that the Look out for the engine" sign
was at one side the road surrounded by
shrubbery, and scarcely TO be seen from
along the road. Before the next morning
employees of the railroad had cleared away
the debris, cut down the shrubbery and
trees, and moved the sign into conspicu-
Gus place. The photograph was the most
/ important piece of evidence in a success
fui suit for heavy damages against the
company.
In another case, marble cutter had set
up a monument in a certain cemetery.
II
however, Il was refused, owing, he be-
heved- to religious prejudice. and the
owners Of the plot alleged that the work
was miserably done, that wo..ls were mis-
spelled. and the stone was full Of cracks.
The proprietors OF the cemetery, appar-
entity In the deal'' refused TO grant per
nlits for Photographic the stone, saying.
as an excuse, that the plot was 50 crowd
ed that il was not possible 10 focus on the
stone with camera. At 3 o'clock on a
winter afternoon the attorney for the mar
bic cutter called on the photographer and
asked rim Z Try a snapshot
Camera anu tripod are always packed in
a valise ready for instant use but it was
& long drive TO the cemetery and il was
periiOusiy near sunset before the cemetery
was reached Admission was refused at
the gate. so the photographer drove
half a mile along the wall and at last,
though portIy man. managed TO squeeze
through the fence. He soon found the
monument. near which three men. appar-
entity gravediggers we're lettering The
camera was ready for a snapshot before
the plan was detected. The men rushed
for It, and one of them had his spade in
the air to smash II when the bulb was
pressed. Then there was q race between
a heavy man with the camera and three
Others with spades
The camera was thrown over the fence
and the picture was safe. Next day in the
courtroom the picture showing a very
creditabIe piece of stonework without
a mistake OF a letter, was put n evidence,
after half a dozen witnesses had sworn
that the monument was botch and full
of misspeIied words The jury gave YER
dict for the stOnecutteT in less than FIVE
minutes A case in which the camera was
strikingly useful for preserving evidence
until the forgery could be detected is that
of q man who had forty checks Of which
he knew only twenty could be genuine
He was entirely al a loss to identify the
For "a Cold in The Head
Laxative BrOm0-0utnine Tablets.