Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-09
TRACING A CRIME.
Clever Detective Work by a Uni
verSity Professor.
THE KEEN EYES OF SCIENCE.

Pointed Direct to the Criminal.
Nine. CUBAN was the wealthy widow
of Jean Howard CUBAN. former presi-
dent Of the Bank Of France. Mime.
CUBAN was seventy years old. One
night she took n train ut Fontaine
bleau for Paris. She had to herself a
first class compartment. When the
train arrived III Paris the porters found
her compartment ~unoccupied. The door
had been half torn from its hinges.
there was Il great pool of blood on
the floor. and the police picked up from
floor IA handful Of woman's hair, n torn
piece Of skirt and a first class railroad
ticket from Fontainebleau to Paris.
A search along the railroad tracks re-
suited ID the finding Of Nine. Guian's
body beside the rails just outside Fon-
t%ainebleau. 1t was greatly mangled. A
little farther on was found the satchel
she had carried. There were no rings
on her fingers and no money in her
pockets.
Mime. Guian's relatives took the
EIOullu LudI SIC Jiuu DCCh SCiLCN VIII
a hemorrhage. to which she was sub
ject. had tried to open the door of her
compartment to summon aid or to get
air: that she had in her paroXysm
wrenched the door open and had fallen
off the train. killing herself. The po-
lice were not satisfied with this ex-
PLANTATION. particularly after Professor
Reiss. the famous Lausanne university
criminologist. had pointed out that the
cut on the woman's satchel had been
made by 4 knife and not by a sharp
stone. as had been thought. This. how
ever. was very little evidence, and Pro-
feSsOr Reiss turned his attention to the
compartment which Nine. CUBAN had
occupied. After be had finished his in
vestigation he went TO NJ. Lepine, pre-
feet Of Paris, and said to him:
II am sure that Nine. Guian was
murdered. and | am equally sure that
her murderer was q soldier. In the train
compartment there were a towel and
a stationary washstand. There were
no stains upon the towel visible to the
naked eye. Nevertheless we subjected
every square inch to one of the most
delicate tests for blood. We at last
discovered an area which gave us the
positive reaction for human blood.
Upon this towel the murderer Of
Nine. Guian wiped his bloody hands.
He knew that this would be evidence
that the old woman did not meet her
death by accident as he wished it be-
lieved, and so he washed the towel
thoroughly, as he thought, and hung
it up to dry.
The detection then Of this micro
scopic quantity of blood, which can be
removed from a fabric only by acids,
revealed to US that Nine. Guian met
death by the hands of a murderer.
But | found another piece Of evil
dence. There was, if you remember.
q railroad ticket picked up on the
floor. On its back was the imprint Of
a thumb. / compared it with that Of
Nine. Guian; it was not hers. / threw
its image up enormously on q lantern
screen. was then struck by the Pc
culiar in%dentation of the little ridges
on the inner side of the mark. Care
full analysis of these marked ridges
showed me that this was the thumb
Of a man who was actually serving as
a soldier. The frequent drills with
guns result in the pressure upon the
ridges of the inner side Of the thumb.
This causes a peculiar f%1attening, which
is visible under a microscope when en-
larged and is true of no other occupa-
ton except that Of a soldier.
"As | reconstruct this crime this SOL
der managed to get into Nine. Guian's
compartment after the train had left
FOntainebleau. He knew that she usu-
ally carried a number of jewels and
q large sum Of money. He tried to
rob the old woman. and. meeting with
unexpected resistance, fought with her
in the compartment, killing her by
beating her head against the register
and then stripped the body of its jew
els. He th~oughtlessly wiped his hand
upon the towel. He knew that this
would be evidence Of the presence OF
some n else In the compartment, so
he washes the towel with soar and
water, but does not know hat we can
discover blood ever when it Is only to
the amount of one one-thousandth mil
limeters.
He then wrenches the compartment
door open and throws out the body.
He is pressed for time, rips open the
satchel with his knife. Then, taking
advantage of the slowing down OF the
train between Fontainebleau and Paris,
he jumps from it and makes his es-
rape"
As a result of Professor Reiss' analy-
sis ii was found that two soldiers, Ora
Wy and Michel, had followed Nine.
Guian to the train on the night of her
murder. They had hidden in her COM
partment. and when the train had
started they murdered her, as Profess
or Reiss had indicated. The rest of
the reconstruction was proved at the
trial OF these two men. They both con
fessed, were convicted and sentenced
to life Imprisonment.
Certainly.
fTEhc 80 49, 5000 ~-a--r -.