Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-05
AS TO'CRUCIFIED HAND
INVESTIGATION OF INCIDENT
NEAR FoREsTvILLE, MD.
Odor of Carbo1ic Acid Leads to Con-
clusion That Medical Student
Played Prank.

tOnStdDle Arthur WIN - iulcicStcN
in the investigation that is being made in
connection with the finding of the human
hand nailed to a telephone pole near For
estville. Prince George county, Md, as
stated in The Star yesterday, came here last
night and consulted with the police. Resi-
dents of Forestville and vicinity are greatly
concerned in the case under investigation.
and they are anxious to find the person
who amused himself by lacking the hand
to the pole. Sunday morning when Atwill
Gray found the hand it was believed that It
was that of woman, and the statement
that there was blood upon it and that 1t
had been chopped from the arm with Q
blunt instrument and was the cause OF ex-
element among residents of the village
The loss of the third finger of the hand
made 1t appear that the finger had Deen
cut off for the purpose OF securing possess
sion of q ring.
Without waiting to hear more regarding
the condition of the hand, the people began
wondering what had happened to the Wom-
an from whom it had been taken. Some
suggested that the woman had been muir
dered and that her body would be found IN
the woods, others believing crime hao
been committed in this city by a man with
a diseased brain. who had visited Forest
willie and placed the grewsome object wnere
it would be seen by persons passing along
the highway. The stranger who was seen
ForeStville was suspected of having Deen
guilty of the offense, but the authorities
have been unable to positively trace 1t to
him or any other Individual.
Finger Pointed to Heaven.
That there was some good reason for put
ting the hand OF the dead person upon the
public road is the belief of some OF the
superstitious residents in the vicinity OF
Forestville, old colored man expressing
himself to the effect that the hand was put
there to warn the people that 1t is time for
them to be thinking of the future.
They tell me that the index finger was
pintin toward heaven" he said, and l
think it looks like We ought to be looking
in that direction
displayed much interest in the affair when
he was informed by telephone Of the find.
He directed that Deputy Sheriff Sansbury
retain the hand pending further investiga-
ton. News of the CHASTITY find spread
through the eastern portion of the county,
and yesterday afternoon a number OF per-
sons stopped at Forestville to see the hand
DIR. Sansbury made a careful examination
yesterday afternoon, and reached the con-
clusion that the hand was that OF man
and not of woman, as was at first sup
posed. He also reached the conclusion that
the person who had used the hand for many
years had died a long time ago. while the
third finger had been removed only re-
Gently.
Odor of Carbolic Acid.
When the physician detected the odor Of
carboEc acid about the hand he reached the
conclusion the member had been in a fluid
at medical college or at the home of
student or physician. The results of the
investigation by Dr. Sansbury proved
source of relief to those who had feared a
murder had been committed, and many of
those who had expressed anxiety regarding
the affair thereupon lost interest In the in
veStigation. While the odor of carbolic
acid indicated that the hand had probably
been in a medical college 1t did not dispel
the belief that it had also been stolen from
Il grave, and the authorities had investiga-
tons made to ascertain if any graves in
the county cemeteries had been disturbed
recently.
Nothing was found at the cemeteries in
the vicinity of Forestvile to indicate that
graves had been desecrated this winter,
and those engaged in the Investigation
reached the conclusion that the hand had
probably been nailed to the pole by med
ical student from this city. It was stated
by a physician interested in the affair that
1t is not an uncommon thing for certain
students to be careless in getting rid OF
parts of subjects. Years ago it was COM
mon occurrence for them to play FRANKS of
the character indicated. Nearly twenty
years ago. 1t is stated, human hand was
Silver Hill. a short distance from Good
Hope. and the incident created considerable
excitement. 1t is not likely, it is believed,
that the individual who nailed the hand to
the pole at Forestvlle Sunday morning will
be apprehended.