Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-16


| rabbit originally the test fluid taken from
the rabbit would precipitate only dogs
blood and so on. But there is only one ex-
ception to this rule-a partial exception
only-and 1t is one which contributes a fur
Their datum in favor of those who believe
that we are descendants of the apes. 1t is
| found that several very high orders of the
ape famfly-never seen in this country. not
even in menageries-will cause a partial
| clouding and precipitation In the humanized
| test fluid. But this is only so when the
fluid is diluted below a certain degree
Improvement on Poe.
But were those very Murders Of the Rue
| Morgue," in which an ape was the muir
| derer-as fancied by Poe-to be repeated
| here today, Prof. Lear. with one drop of
| the apes blood could nevertheless deter
mine that the telltale stain was not human.
| He says that he can distinguish between
| ape and human blood by employing $40 to
solution of the test serum.
But this wonderful test goes still farther
and distinguishes between the blood of the
negro and white man. Such results are at
| least indicated by experiments now being
| made by DR.. ]. w. Mallet of the University
| OF Virginia. He has immunized rabbits with
| the blood of the colored race ana has
| found difference in their reactions from
| those of Caucasians Indeed when science
| can go this far-determfning from the blood
| trail left by wounded criminal, whether
| he be white or black-a great stride has
| been made.
| We will return a moment to the photo
| micrograph. This instrument is being di-
| rected not only against the murderer, but
| the forger. BY aid of a certain kind of
| plate 1t may be made to yield n clear Image
| of writing which has been completely COW
cred with fresh characters by the hand OF
| the forger The true and the false are
| thus distinctly revealed at the same time.
| If you have: camera you know that the
ordinary Photographic plate will photo
| graph blue as white and yellow red as
| pOl0r-SPnsitiVe GSOchrOmatiCo
| plate will render these Colors more accord
| ing to their relative brightness. These
are the plates used in photographing paint
| ings and other colored objects. But their
| use in the photomicrograph is simply to
difrerentiate between black inks of differ
ent composition. Black ink is rarely black,
| although it looks so on paper Take three
| inks made by different firms and you will
probably find by diluting a sample of each
| in a glass of water that the solution of
| one is distinctly blue, of another red and
| the pure state all three of these inks would
| look black when dried. Now the photo
| micrograph can do with the pure ink dried
on paper what the eye cannot-distinguish
| the difference as delicately can the
| naked eye with the dlution in the glasses.
acknowledgements Detect Forgeries.
Lately there was troublesome law suit
due to the fact that the date on note had
| been altered. To the naked eye the due
month of this note is April. but the color
sensitive plate of the photomicrograph
shows 1t to have been originally May and
| to have been skilfully altered by the forger.
who was not clever enough, however, to
| use precisely the same kind of ink the
| original writer had used. OF course there
! may have been no possibility of his deter
| mining this Another forgery lately detect
| ed by the same powerful instrument is a
| receipt for debts contracted up to 1901. By
a very minute stroke of the pen the date
bsf, flG ffIfalfi n1l inll
| the eye and the microscope were alike pow
erless to detect, but the color sensitive plate
of the photomcrograph shows the vast con-
| trast between the original T. and the two
| strokes which converted 1t into a ~
| In the line of criminal Identification great
| strides are being made every day. AS far
as systems are concerned there is little
new of late. The Bertillon system of
| measurements-based on the fact that
man cannot change his bones, although
| he can disguise his body surface-is an old
| story. We have heard much of late, too,
| about the finger print system, now exclusive
| ly relied upon for identiticatfons by Scotland
| Yard. LOndons great police bureau. But
much that is new and interesting is to be
| said of the successes of this finger print
method. For example, the Treasury De-
partment lately sent by express to the
| National Bank of New Castle, Pa, $3.50
| The package arrived, but not the money,
and upon the seal that had been tempered
with was found a thumb print. Every
| man who had handled the package from the
| !
arrived at the bank was compelled to have
| impressions of his thumb made. One OF
| the last to submit his thumb to the linked
pad of the identifiers was youth OF
! Twenty-Five The filigree work on his
| thumb exactly conceded with that on the
disturbed seal. The young man broke down,
confessed and returned nearly all Of the
| money.
Finger Prints on Candle.
! Shortly before this professional thieves
Of 1T
| of valuables They did their Job so neatly
| that the police despaired of ever finding
| a clue Some detectives CHANGED to note,
however that the thieves had used can
| die He placed this under a microscope
| and saw faint impressions of finger prints,
where the talow had been softened by
| the heat of the hand. With the photo
micrograph these marks were photographed
| and compared with the finger prints or
their special category filed away at Scot
land Yard They We're found to be those
of a wel-known thief, and after a little
hunting he and his confederates were ar
rested. Last month there was traced to
London and there arrested man who had,
| unseen by any one. murdered woman IN
little wineshop down in the Paris under
world He was traced entirely through
finger prints found upon wine bottle, out
of which he and his victim had drunk
| before the assault They agreed with
marks classified in several of the great
European rogues' galleries of finger prints.
Perhaps the most remarkable invention
of all-certanly the weirdest and newest
is that for aiding in the identification of
unknown corpses. The unknown stiff more
often than not plays the chief role in a
crime involving human life NOW that great
identitier of men, NJ Bertilon-realizing
that photographs of morgue corpses seldom
portray those persons as they would APP
pear when alive-is demonstrating 10 the
n1orpue keepers of Europe how, by injec-
lions of certain solutions of glycerine, the
eyes of a corpse may be made to open and
become lifelike. It's lips to redden, Its entire
face to seemingly revive while there Is
being taken a photograph resembling the
person before death. -
JOHN ELFRRETH WATKINS.
Shaping Silk Hat Brims.