The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1911-11-23
A New Detective
Method
By M. l. POMEROY
Copyright by American Press Aaso-
citation, 1911.

have not, SO far as l know, distinguish.
ed between individuals.
My attention had been drawn to the
matter by reading the following:
every human being has specific
odor Of his own, by which he can be
recognized by persons of sensitive
smell. The case h mentioned of a
man who, blindfolded. could pick out
each individual In a company Of TWEEN
ty by his odor. The smell is not born
with us. but develops gradually till
about the age of fourteen. after which
1t remains unchanged. Members Of a
family have a kind Of common odor,
which exists even when they have
lived apart for long time"
I cut out what had read and put 1t
in my pocketbook, where 1t remained
for some time. Being a detective 1T oc-
Cured to me that here was a new
field Of criminal demonstration that
had never even been opened. con-
suited with Psychologists about reduc-
ing the idea to practice. but gained
nothing of real value from any of
tucu 0CSAOCAG PuS AAAS 49, -
way to make the first step.
was called in on the following
case: In 1862 Edward Nolan, man
with q wife and two children, went to
the civil war. After one Of those bat
ties in which large number OF uni
Identified bodies were shoveled into
trenches or buried under headstOnes
marked unknown" the soldier, Ed
ward Nolan, disappeared. His name
was reported among the killed. and no
doubt was entertained that he was
dead. Since no one was found who
could vouch for his death his widow
declined to marry again for some
years after his supposed death.
Nolan's father during the war made
a great deal Of money in army con-
tracts. He died without will and
without issue. and the fortune by the
law Of Inheritance descended to his
two children. both boys and both mi
nors. Ten years after the battle In
which Nolan was understood to have
been killed his widow married again.
Her husband. Thomas Chadwick. took
the management Of the estate belong
Ing to the Nolan boys and did what
he liked with 1t. Then Mrs. Chad
wick died.
One day a man appeared who claim
I'd to be the departed Nolan. II he
we're what he claimed to be the prop
,rty his father had left belonged to
him. One Of his boys had died. The
,ther was In delicate health and left
he management of the property in his
hands. where 1t had been
since the death of Nolan senior.
Chadwick was thrown into an uncom-
state of mind, for II Nolan
could establish his claim to the prop
erty Chadwick must not only give up
It's management, but render an &C.
Since he was unable to &c.
count satisfactorily. he would be in
trouble.
Nolan put his case-that Is. collect
Ing proof Of his identity-in my hands.
He refused to state why he had not
shown up before. but l inferred that
another woman than his wife was the
cause. The only point of law invOlv-
ed was his identity with the son Of
the Nolan who died lea wing a fortune.
As is usual in such cases. those who
knew anything about the real younger
Nolan stood on opposite sides Of the
question. Nolan's letters. written
when he was n young man. were pro-
duced and compared with his hand
writing at the time of his reappear-
ance. Some experts pronounced them
to have been written by tho same per-
son. while others said they had not
Pictures taken when he was q boy
were compared with his face, but
there was little resemblance, though
1t was admitted that they might have
been Nolan's likeness.
I failed to find any proof that the
man was Nolan. Had he accounted
for himself from the day of the battle
the difficulty might have been over.
come. As 1t was. I SOW no way to
establish his claim.
One day a man came to me and
said:
~ understand a man has turned up
claiming to be Ned Nolan. who went
to the war and was killed at the bat.
tie Of Gettysburg. knew Nolan well.
and I can tell II this man is he with.
out looking at him. Nolan had
murky smell to him. l once took up
his hat and noticed the odor in the
lining. 1t was quite strong. Any one
could smell It,"
selected a dozen men and lined
them up, placing Nolan the ninth from
one end, the third from the other.
Then I blindfolded Mathews. the man
who said he could identity him. and
introduced him into the line. He put
his face up against the bodies of eight
men successfully without pause. but
AZ soon as he came to the ninth, the
claimant. he said. "Give me your hat"
The man took Oh his hat and placed
It In Mathews hands. He smelled 1t
and said:
"Hello. Ned! Where you been all
this timer
The odor in the hat lining, where
Precipitation had lodged. was very evi.
dent to me and others.
This case may be palmer than 9TH
ers, but believe that every person
has his smell and the day win come
when criminals will be detected by Il.
Nolan came By hin own. or. at least,
Ill that was lafk