Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-11-03
INACCURATE OBSERVATION.
Why 1t Is So Easy and So Common
for Witnesses to Err.


pr"frSS"r rrSarr l"Eihr"S" tn" fa-
nous EXPERT nn crime ami criminals.
has this Ia say "r tn" errors that ar"
To he found in the trslim"ny "f wit
nrSsr> in court: ".\part from the
Frequency uf the l;ith"l"Giral liz tn"
lie told 10y thus,. who are inclined I"
falSrhuui without rraSon). il is NEG
,.SSary To remember that many have
ho..n led into error through iuarru'
rate nhSrrvatiun 1t is Il well known
fact that Il S,llIarr divided h"riZ"lIlal
Is APPEARS greater in breadth than ~
height. but when divided vertically II
apprarS greater in height than ~
breadth. Similarly Il man dressed M
black seems smaller and thinner than
when clad in white W" know. too.
that when uhjrrtS loom upon Us Oh
a dark night we Srr them magniir,l
extraordinarily The raLSrS OF p>y-
chul"gical error ar" numerous. Fear
and sorrow intercept sensations ana
fHlSify them An ordinarily r"ur-
smash. declared that hr had seen !,
hundred bodies wrlgrl briw""r the
| carriages As Il matter nf fact. there
WAS only one, Du the SAME m'I;iSInrI
another man He'd away. imagining
that he could hear tn" drrlil"d en-
ginr hrhind him for thrr"-uuarI"rS "t
! au hour. \ criminal NAMED ';uSi"
threw himself upon his war'irr. ami
the wardrr took 1" his heels in the
belief that hr saw Il knife in tl''
prisoners hand In reality il wa~
Il fish.
''rhr irmug,. al Il moving object iS
the sum total "t Il series "F luaS"S
Of partial movement. Sum" Of these
images arr. p.rrrivrd only 10y "n" SIT
Of I"rSullS. others 10y an"th"r sci.
,iraSSi r,.,.nrlS in his 'trini1al l'Sy-
| rlnlnIy' how. assisting al an "Xr''u-
tiulI wlrrr Ih. hamgman w"rr gloves.
| ne asked fnui others present "i what
color tn. gluvrs were. tIn" SAID lh"!
were white. ;tnolh"r dcr">"d they
| We're bl;ii *. llli'l N't~ sun ''' :
were gray. while. tn" fourth Sw"r'
! that the, hunrlnan wore II" gloves ~
! all In a game Of dumii",'S tho
! player does not COUNT the spots "n"
| 10y uii- but. having before" his eyes
| u focused image. 'i"rl'i"S thal 'Il'f'
| are ~"Vrn or nine. aS the case may h''
| But SllpImSinS these images dld h"'
! conform tu i type. tn" player N"'i','
| l,. obliged L. ascertain Car"lullS ""N
| tim,. hri"r, making his total. ana IL
| would still hr liable, Ia make rII$itk"N
! S"m"thiuE like this hapI"nS III al
| our perceptions.
| "l'ruir~Srr l.utE Whn has ail'll''l I"
| iurisurti,i"I,.r 81 many III thu CON
illusions rrlrh,,l 10y criminal! authr"'
| unIurv. uil.. day had Il h"mIri'i" VIII
! Lagp,.r thruStS ,ILtctrd Unexpectedly
| IN school 10y tw" students. lmlii"dl'
! atrly aftrrwarI H." assembled all hI'
! puI,ilS who had witnessed tins Sh.th
! tragedy and mad" them Civ" "NI'lti''
rs if in court OF sixty "N"Witii''$~'''
nf the. stIu.. agr and all nf them ""l
,nIllrutrd scarcely ten gay" r';t!IN '"''
rIra;.. evidence All tn" rest fell lh
ln mora "r less Iml"'rtanl errors "I
detail More, r,r'rully Weber ha~ re-
! lat;'h his "vI"rirm'" with thr men,
hrrS "f the S"'i''Iy "i legal t'>!'h'"
urv ut t;uttiugru Weber r'riu"St''
| from each uf them 4 written state
| mont nf Il sham rriIn" l'crl"'irii"d I'M
der lhrir Very EYES. i'N"r h;tIl 'il"l'
number gav, iurXart Information
/ " hiI,. m:Iv uf them Gtv" IinaSlitIN
details aud agreed about thu hhhll
| only un general lines.