davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
Perils That Beset the Path of the
Chemical Detective.
BY Prof. Charles A. Doremus.

The value of the expert analytical
chemist, now known as the chemical
detective, through his cooperation with
the New York police department and
detective bureaus, is greater than is
indicated merely by his work in fer
reting out poison mysteries. His field
of usefulness is by no means limited
to that one class of crime. Many
cases are on record where the chem
ical detective alone has been able to
unmask the most ingenious forgeries
of wills, deeds and other papers. His
expert knowledge of the composition,
the ingredients and the nature of ex-
polsives is relied upon to solve ex-
p1osion mysteries, particularly bomb
explosions, and to furnish clews, based
on his Investigations, without which
it would often be next to impossible to
make an arrest or secure conviction.
Tremendous risks must be taken by
the chemist employed to fathom an
explosion mystery. The loss of a
limb, an eye, Disagreement for life,
or even death, may follow the slight
est mishap while he is making his
tests. Yet it is risk which must
often be taken in order to throw every
possible light on the case and to de-
velop every c1ew, no matter how
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

work The poisoner is cunning He
rarely uses poisons without informingl
himself of their action, and the subse-
Quent traces of them that may be-
found in the body. He often learns Of
other poisons that will counterfeit the.
effect of the first poison
One of the first signs of morphinel
poisoning is contraction of the pupils
of the eye. Yet one murderer was
shrewd enough to use belladonna in
the eyes of his victims to Offset the
contraction caused by the first poison
he administered.
1t is tricks of that character that the
chemical detective must constantly
guard against. When he begins his
analysis he matches his brains against
those of a cunning, desperate man
who has taken every precaution he
can think of to hide traces of his
crime. That the chemist is successful
as often as he is, is tribute to
science and a positive proof of the
value and need of chemical depart
ment to work in constant cooperation
with the detective bureau in solving
crimes which, too often, are allowed
to go on record as unsolved mysteries
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

That night the companies we're scat
tered about various public buildings
and on the following day they were
all slowed in the capitol They slept
on the floor of the senate chamber
wrapped in their blankets, and the
overflow went across the big building
to the lower house. Down in the base
ment, where they cooked and ate, they
found the labyrinth of rooms and. cor
ridors that twist and turn beneath
the floor one mass of bales and boxes
filled with provisions against a pos
sible siege.
Gen. Mcdowell swore the men in
one night out on Capitol hill. That
was the occasion of Ellsworth's first
real tussle with his firemen They
had volunteered under the impression
that their service was to last for three
months only, but when the oath was
administered to each company in turn
out in the darkness that night it in
cluded the phrase, '-or during the
war" The boy colonel paced slowly
before his men as the oath was
spoken and the lanterns showed that
he ostentatious1y was carrying a
vicious-looking revolver. But when
Gen. Mcdowell remarked that there
was no compulsion about the affair
something like so pairs of leggings
moved out from the ranks and so
voices protested. The professors left
forthwith and came back to little old
New York
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
An Ambitious Army onscer.

Lieut.. Philip H. Sheridan of the
Fifth cavalry. U. s. A. is a striking
example of the ambitious army officer
of the lower rank who would prefer to
sit in the saddle and pursue the career
for which he was educated at West
Point, to follow in the footsteps of his
illustrious father, than to be recorded
as a social lion, even in the White
House. After having spent two sea-
sons as social aide to the president,
Lieut. Sheridan became tired of the
full-dress uniform and asked that he
be allowed to return to his regiment
He is only a second lieutenant, but
with little more service in the field
he will be due for promotion His
career is all before him, for it was but
81 years ago that he was born in Hi
uois.
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
THE LONG FELLOWS"
Big Fellows Coveted for Soldiers the
World Round.

The standard of height for West
Point cadets has been raised one
inch. At present the minimum num-
Der of inches demanded is "a for a
candidate of II, 65 for one of IS and
over. That soldiership is not a mat
ter of measurement is shown in the
case of Gen. Sheridan, whose height,
five feet four inches and a half, would
under the present conditions barely
admit him to the army. Whether the
tail regiment of King Frederick Will
liam l. of Prussia possessed valor in
proportion to their extra inches is not
recorded. Probably not, says Youths
Companion, as their presence in the
army was for the most part forced
and spectacular.
Everybody has heard of the kings
giant regiment, the famous PotSdam
Grenadier Guards. My blue chill
dren' and my long fellows the old
monarch used to call them.
His words are more fatherly than
were his actions, for these beloved
boys" were often kidnapped in the
most brutal manner. Officers were
dispatched all over the country to
look for tall men. Height was a dan
gerous attribute to possess. Travel
ers and post-coaches were held up.
and fields, hills and villages secured
for recruits, who, If they would not
enlist voluntarily, were taken by
force.
Crown Prince Frederick, writing to
his father in 1882, says:
81 know of shepherd six feet four
inches. He is not to be had by fair
means, but he is out alone with
sheep in the summer, day and night,
for six weeks together. With
couple of officers and couple OF nom
commissioned men he could be
taken"
His majesty issued orders that this
man should be lured to the frontier,
where he may be taken quietly and
without fuss"
A gentleman kidnapped a joiner in a
box of his own make, intending to
present him to the giant guards, but
on opening the case the victim was
found dead from suffocation. AS
some one wrote: 1.-The time when
giants were the terror of other men
has gone by, and instead of mankind
being their victims, they become the
victims of mankind
The kings mania for his huge sol
diers lasted all his life. For one Irish
soldier of seven feet sum equivalent
to $4,000 was paid.
The monarch spent much of his
time of leisure in painting the SOL
diers' portraits. When the result
was not like the original, he changed
the original to resemble the portrait.
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
MRS. LOGAN WANTED FLAG.
So Elmer Ellsworth of New Zouaves
Hauled 1t Down and Was Shot.

The aluminium apex of the Washing
ton monument has stabbed at the
clouds almost 900 feet above the tide
water of the Potomac only for the last
% years, but even if it had been there
in the spring of 1861 it wouldn't have
been necessary to climb to it then,
Marty Reese says, in order to see the
stars and bars defiantly floating from
the peaked roof of Jim Jackson's
Marshall house far down the Potomac
at Alexandria. Also all Washington and
all the country knew it in those days
of Jim Jackson's dispassionate state
ment: Il shall kill the man that
pulls it down.
Mrs. Lincoln and little Tad and
the president could see it from Wash
ington, and Marty says that one day
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
Another Naval Hero.

Another naval hero has been de-
veloped in an emergency which sub
jected him to sudden and thorough
test. He is Lieut.. William Piggott Gro
ran of the battle ship Connecticut, who,
seeing that the closing of the breech-
block of an eight-inch gun meant the
igniting of some grains of powder and
an explosion that might have resulted
in the loss of many lives, thrust his
hand into the aperture and thus pre-
vented an accident. The heavy
breechblock mashed his hand so that
two fingers had to be amputated, but
the gun crew was saved The lieu
tenant is a modest young man who
makes light of the occurrence, but,
says the Troy Times, medals of honor
have been awarded for much less
striking instances of GOODNESS and
courage
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

what was far more rare, distinct
traces of anthony
Proved Three Murders.
1t was the persistency of Prof.
Doremus, the chemical detective in
that case, which sent Dr. Meyer to
prison for life. 1t was through the
persistency and skill of the same de-
tective that the conviction of DIR.
Buchanan, accused of numbering his
wife with morphine, was secured It
was through the skill of chemical de-
tectives that the conviction of Carlyle
Harris. accused of poisoning his wife
with morphine, was secured. 1t was
the chemical detectives that furnished
the strongest evidence for the prosecu-
ton of Albert T. Patrick and many
others.
The chemical detectives work In
b1ood-reading tests requires a most ex-
tensive knowledge of the actions of
various kinds of poisons on the human
body. By carefully testing the blood
he is often able to tell the exact cause
of death, the kind of poison used and
how it was administered. The i'm
portance of this in cases where the
most careful autopsy reveals practical
ly nothing will be readily understood.
In handwriting tests the chemical
detective, who in this way has come
to be identified as a handwriting .ex-
pert, will often spend long hours study
ing one Insignificant little letter "a
under his microscope and comparing
it with other samples of handwriting.
1t is in this way that tiny clews have
been found leading on to other and
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

When the detectives searched the
= room in which the murder had been
committed they found one or two
clews which may establish the iden-
tity of the mysterious murderer and
lead to his arrest
The first was mans handker-
chief of fine quality. In one corner
were several tiny drops of blood,
showing that the handkerchief had
been used to stanch a very small
wound. such as a pin-prick or
scratch or a pimple.
The most important find of all
was the inner side of the door
panel where the bloody imprint of
a thumb and three finger tips was
visible. The portion of the door
bearing the tell-tale finger-prints has
been cut out and sent with the
handkerchief to the laboratory of
the chemical detective. An impor-
tant arrest, it is announced, will fol-
low the experts analytical examina-
ton of the evidence now in his pos
session.
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

New York.-Here is a typical case
for the chemical detective-the man
who reads blood" Substituting a test
tube and powerful miscroscOpe for
the ordinary detectives revolver and
handouts, this scientific expert of the
police department sets out to track
down the murderer and the poisoner.
With a drop of blood, an empty
poison bottle, a bloody finger mark or
hastily scrawled note as his only
clew to work on, he exerts the whole
force of his scientific knowledge as
probe to get to the bottom of the mys-
terry or at least to find some slight
clew which may eventually lead to
solution and to the arrest of the GRIM
inal. The chemical detective, owing to
his success in solving many recent
murder mysteries, is now regarded as
a very important and necessary adj
junct of the detective bureau in New
York and other important cities He
is the man who reads that which to
the average unscientific would be I'M
Ineligible.
He subjects the bloodstained hand
kerchiefs and other garments submit
ted to him by the police and detec-
tives to certain miscroscopical and
chemical tests, considers his findings
in conjunction with every other scrap
of information his expert chemical
knowledge is able to develop about the
case, and then he reports, advising
the detectives to look for consump-
overlooking man about % years old,
dark complexion, three gold teeth, the
center one suspended from bridge.
Then follows a general description of
the man, which in view of the facts
the expert chemical detective has been
able to deduce, may be considered
fairly accurate.
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
THE NAN WHO
: READS BLOOD
How New York's Chemical Detec-
tive, Scientific Sherlock Holmes
in Real Life, Ferrets Out Prisoners,
Murderers and Other Criminals
When the Only Clue He Has is
B1oodStained Garment, a Finger
Print or a Faint Trace of Poison.

The detective who mingles daily
with the men of crime must be keen
of eye and ear, but in the end, If he
excels in his profession, it is largely
his instinct that tells him when he
is close on the trail of a criminal.
The chemical detective, on the con
trary. must be and is equally as keen
of eye and ear, but his intinct can
avail him nothing. He can guess at
nothing. He must know. He can take
nothing for granted. Each and every
clew must prove itself before he can
place any estimate on it's value.
Typical Poison Expert.
There is no keener tracer of poison
in this city than Prof. Charles A.
Doremus. More than six feet in
height, as straight as gun barrel,
with gray eyes that peer out keenly
from beneath heavy brows, he is a
typical chemical detective. His pow
erful, vigorous frame bespeaks the
physical endurance necessary to pur-
sue to the very end a trying and diff
cult test.
In his connection with famous pois-
oning cases in New York Prof. Dore-
mus has demonstrated great keenness
an liability. He detected anthony
and arsenic in the body of Gustav H.
Baum DIR. Henry Meyer was convict
ed of having administered the poison.
Without the assistance of the chemical
detective it is possible that this mys-
terry would never have been solvent.
A man and a woman applied one
morning at the office of large insur-
ance company to collect the insurance
of a man, said to be the husband of
the woman. In answering the ques-
lions of the insurance officials the
couple became somewhat evasive and
embarrassed. Their confusion led to a
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
eoxwood Birds Roost in Halls.

When the first box tree bird was
put in the hall of house by an in
ventive hostess visitors disputed po-
litely as to the nature of the bird
Its an eagle asseverated many
Its an English sparrow" was the ex-
pressed conviction of many more
Really, it didn't matter much what
bird was in the florists eye when he
clipped the green lockwood; he con-
sidered he had achieved an artistic
triumph when he scissored out some
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
Seldom Meet Failure.

AS cunningly and carefully as the
regular police detective follows the
dark and winding alleys of, the city
in the search of a clew that will lead
him to the culprit, just SO carefully
does the chemical detective follow the
channels of the body in his search for
a clew to the poison or other cause
that led to the death of the victim No
subterfuge, however cunning, can
throw these unerring sleuths of the
body off the trail, according to a
writer in the New York World The
resources of latter-day chemistry, with
patience and perseverance, can extort
from the body of man long dead and
buried the secret which his destroy
ers vainly imagine went to the grave
with him.
No more subtle crime exists than
that of poisoning. Its detection is pos
sible only to the acute analytical mind
of the scientific man who has devoted
tho greater part of his life to the study
of chemistry. Its victim is attacked
without being given a chance to es-
cape. The user of poison is a coward,
but his cowardice is accompanied by
a cunning that often proves more than
a match for the keenest old-style de-
tectives in the world
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
Long and Careful Search.

The heart, lungs, liver, kidneys,
brain and, in fact, nearly every inter-
nal organ of the dead man were taken
from the body, Theoretically sealed in
jars and taken to the laboratory of
Prof. Doremus. Then began a per-
sistent search for poison.
There was no clew- There was moth
ing to aid the chemical detective in
his search. The entire case was a
negative one. The only course open
to him was by a process of elimina-
ton to seek the poison, if a poison it
was, that caused the death of the man.
First he searched for the volatile
poisons, such as chloroform, ether and
prusSic acid. Patiently he sat for
hours at a time watching one test
after another, waiting for precipitate
that would show him a trace of the
poison he was seeking None came
Then he tested for vegetable pois-
ons, such as morphine, strychnine,
atropine and the alkaloid poisons. The
same tedious process through which
he had gone once had to be gone
through again. And still there was no
trace of poison
There still remained the mineral
poisons, such as lead, copper, arsenic
and anthony. And in the tests for
these was there at last reward for
the persistency of the detective. He
found arsenic In large quantities. and
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

It is with Il convenient Disguise
perhaps a false mustache OF beard
and a revolver in his hip pocket that
the detective starts out on his search
for criminal. 1t is with a test tube
and Bunsen lamp that the chemical
detectives bsgins his search. perhaps
for the same identical lawbreaker- Each
is taking desperate chances Death
turks behind every dark corner and in
every cellarway for the first and in
deadly gases and poisons for the lat
ter Yet by their widely divergent
paths they often arrive at the same
end
The man who is following his clew
through the alleys and the Railways
of the tenements is at a great advan-
tage, however, over his brother detec-
tive, the chemist The former has
rarely to start his investigation with
out clew CT some character; the lat
ter must b. gin in complete darkness
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

thing resembling a bird. The idea
caught on and now the box tree
bird is seen in the halls of many
houses Few pots of ferns and palms
are seen these days, for housekeep-
ers say- the modern house is too warm
and the outer air is too dust laden to.
grant long life or freshness to grow
ing things.
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
Real Value Of Chemist

The chemists value is undoubtedly
greatest in homicide cases Where
life has been taken nos effort must be
spared to bring the cu1prit to Justice
It il often. however. long and tedious
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

slight. that may lead to the detection
of criminal
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28
more thorough investigation. Th

more thorough investigation. The
body of the dead man was exhumed.
In the presence of Prof. Doremus
and score of prominent physicians no
trace of anything unusual was found
on the body. A most careful examina-
ton failed to reveal anything that
would even prompt suspicion of
poison. The circumstances of the
mans death and the character of his
companions, however, made the insur-
ance company persist in its investiga-
lions.
Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1907-12-28

stronger clews and from there to COM
plete solutions of some of the most
complicated crimes on record.
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1907-05-08
THIEVES LAND
In JAIL

Harry Gray. alias "nonnie. +"
Burns Cunningham and Willie Ia.
Via are prisoners IN tho city jail
charged with the burglary of Piper
and Taft's hardware store at 1924
Second av, March e last The ar.
rests wuru brought about by means
OF pair Of eleelrlulan'H pliers
which were left behind BY the
burglars and which were found %
belong 70 nayia. Detectives nar.
bee and brown effected the cap.
turea The burglars made q clean
haul and secured $500 worth Of val.
tables consisting Of cutlery and
guns
Duvia. a iT-ynaf- OLD ltnemAn
was the first 20 be arrested and
confessed 20 the job. saying that
two Others were involved with him
Swing their nameH Cunningham
Was the next captured and Gray
WAS taken late yesterday afternoon
Both Gray and Cunningham ref,
use 90 talk According 20 Davis.
he II the actual thief lie entered
the atoro and passed out the loot
20 his tNo Accomptieea
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1907-05-08
SUPT. COOPER
REELECTED

Superintendent q Schools Frank
n Cooper ard Assistant Rupsfin.
trndent Frank = Bunker whose
terms - office expire on JulY / %
ihls year wsre both ro-eleefea Tor
an additional term Of three years
Al last nights meating 81 the
school board The election ~ teach
ers vas postponed until the next
meeting u the heard.
The board decided % commence a
system Of heating schools with oil
AZ fuel. thus preventing q reeur
renee % conditions uhich srisfef
during the coal famine iaut Jan
uhry.
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1907-05-08

FairesnAs 10 threatened with a
suspension % ita water communlea
ton. The ice fams. Il r. feared have
turned the course % the Tanana
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1907-05-08
FIRE IN
AN AUTO

secons Assistant F1Fs Chief Mar
ioS answered an alarm ffura West
LAKE AZ and Thomas - In = knos
runabout last uiKht The fiss was
a small hiaEe IN tho Dixis nys
Works and was aeau exiinKalahsd
hui The firv was only secondary
anyway The principal thing vas
that an aafumohliu was used a. =
regular implement a. fight fife
Marrow made the fun IN the Kon1
ear ia record breaking time Il waa
the flrst time that an antomohiiy
was called 10 for service II this
kind br TIE local fire department
shich Il tfrinE put different makes
9Th The lnteation - purchasing an
automobile 90 answer niarma
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1907-05-08

thrrtnpa leiehtaph H1fFiVol
LONDON. May s.--rhsro IL
considerable hope for the Ansrl.
can ladioe. the Misses Curtis. who
are entered In tho Eulf races at
Newcastle. Ireland, Neither Miss
Robertson nor Mrs Robinson. the
competitors. has hoen prominent
IN a championship competition.
and II 10 considered not at all
unlikely that ono or both of the
Sisters Curtis VIII az least set
Into the eoncludlns rounds
Among other entrants are Lady
CoNiey. who has been drawn
against Mira MAddiaon. Of Wake.
field. and the marehioneas Of
Headtort nee Miss Rosie Boot. q
gaiety actress Tho marehionesa
Of Heaffort has been drawn against
Miss X Giliiea. of the North wood
The matches began on the 7. and
will continue until aud including
Friday.
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1907-05-08
NEW PAVING BIDS
!, TO BE ASKED FOR

tlASsskae IN excess 81 the snMi'
ncere estimate. New bids will be
advertised for by the city aud new
specifications viii be drawa 90 ~
90 sliminats all supsrruoua expense.
A. the board has not divided the
district into smaller districts, IL 10
doubtful whether there will be any
competition ia the new bldu. as the
joh Is g large for any nut the
asphalt trust 90 handle
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1907-05-08

SPINAL meningitis, the dread ep-
fdemie which ragged IA Seattle IA
the months o. February and March.
and which la thought "a have about
left the northwest, claimed q moth
e. and her io-yearola son IN the
last "a hours
Mrs. jennie n sheldon. who came
90 Seattle from Missouri but a few
months ago passed away az Pruvt.
dencc hospital last night after a
brief iiiness This morning her 10
year.cld son followed her 10 the
The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1907-05-08

Nav hlas viii ha asked on the
nuesn Anne iill paVina district
contract Tire gNofhitant hld % the
parner Asphalt PAVING Company
exposed - The star. Nas refused
~ the Hoard 81 Public Works zee.
terdAy afternoon ard new bids VII
h called fef. Tho district comp taeu
1sa blocks Of paving and tho bid OF
the barber Asphalt favtnE Comp
az waa taia.tSaae. Which Vas