The daily Alaskan., 1907-06-12
A Unique Method
 of Proof.

LttEIAAallt
 The microscope has been used in evl- dpnce to detect human blood corpus cies. chemistry has been called upon to pronounce upon pOlsOns in a dead body. but tue senses are not considered adeIuate to give reliable testimony in eases requiring such delicate tests. Nevertheless there are individuals in whom certain sense is very acute-ln some instances nearly as acute as ln the lower animals.
 The Earl of PiDtou had three sons and two daughters. The estate being entulled. it was necessary for the two Junior sons to shift for themselves and for the daughters to be married. The youngest son. Edgar Crafts. realizing that with two brothers ahead of him there was little or no chance of his coming Into the title, left for Australia For time he cOrrespOnded with his family and with Lucy Harmon, to whom he was attached and who was attached to him. but since fortune did not attend his efforts the correspond anre was fualE dropped by reluctant mutual consent.
 The earl died about ten years after Edgars departure. His oldest son sue ceeIed him, married, but had no chIl- dren. The second son died before the first while still a bachelor Then the oldest sou-the earl-died Meanwhile Edgar had not been heard from In many years. He was forty years old when the title fell to hlm if he were alive. Advertisements for him were put in the Australian papers, but clfcited no response. After a two years fuitless hunt the title was giy. cen to another branch of the family.
 Our day d man purportiug 10 be Edgar Crafts appeared and claimed the title and the estates. He said he was forty-Jhree. but looked fifty. He Was swurthy and gray and bald. Arch maII Crafts. the incumbent, at once took tBr ground that he was an i'm nostor One Of the claimants sisters. who was still living, did not believe him to be her brother The quick eye of love saw what others could not or would not see. Lucy Harmon, who had not married, at once recognized him as her lover If she had not done so. he would have soon convinced her.
 There was no way for Edgar Crafts ro come into his rights except by suit in u court of law. But he had mo mon ey. He claimed that he had gone from Australia to Brazil, where Ae had madr a fortune and lost ir. There d.d not seem to be a ghost of a chance for hls winning case. but Lucy Harmon. whr had come into small fortune during his absence, offered to risk lt for his sake. He declined, but they finally determined to be married, and then suit was begun.
 One would suppose that there would be many ways of proving a mans iden. tiry. So there are. But unfortunately there are as many ways of proving tlHt he Is not the man he claims to be. There was but one likeness of Edgar Crafts eytaut. taken when he was eight cen years old, and that looked very little like him. He and the likeness were brought before disinterested per sous. who declared that they could not be one and the same His h0udwrit- Ing was compared with letters of Ed rsr Crafts written soon after his de parure. but they were not alike. Out Of three experts only one pronounced the two to have been written by tue sane person. The prcpOnderanCe of evidence was against the claimant.
 Donald Beardslee, the barrister who had charge of the claimants case, was much interested in it He believed the man to be what he purpOrted to be largely because Lucy Harmon believed In him. Beardslee had been working hard on the case one day without sue cess and was sitting in his smoking room at home after dinner rackiug his Ingenuity for the morrow when a man was announced. who gave his name as Patrick Noonan. He was shown Into the smoking room.
 "Wen. who are you:' asked the bar rlster. And what can do for you"
 "Im an old servant in the service of the pmton family, sir
 The burristcr pricked mp his ears.
 "AnI want to tell you about Mir. Edgar. sir. The man as has come back Is him.
 "How do you know:"
 "I can smell him"
 "SmeH him: What do you mean You.p not a dog"
 "I know the smell of all the late earrs fumily."
 The next morning NoOnun visited the barrlster at his office. A few days later BeardsIee, who had ransacked the scientific libraries, summoned NoO- nan for a witness. but before taking hls testimony read the following to the jury from a German Archlye of physi- OlOEy:
 Every human being has 8 specific odor of his own by which he can be recognized by persons of sensitive smell. The case Is mentioned of man who blindtolded could pick out each individual in @ .Com- pany Of twenty by his odor. The smell Is not born with us. but develops grad