The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-04
(New York American.)

Paris police found Jules Decasse, a
retired shopkecper, dead in the kitch-
on of his house at No. % Rue Mont
! marte. Decasse had been killed with
a heavy butcher knife. almost a cleav-
er in size. \ charwoman was up
stairs ut the time. hut she had heard
no nj with Dccassc, nor had she
knowledge of any one having entered
the house. She identified the knife
found as one belonging to the MUIR
dcrcd man
The police found nothing in their
first examination In point To the as
sassin. DR.. Lacassagne, the famous
~criminologist. was sent for by NJ. Lee
pine. the Paris chief of police.
All hat we have as evidence is
this knife" said Lepine. "Unfortu-
natcly. il is one of Dccassc's. and so
! gives 10 Glow toward his murderer"
DIR. l.~acassasnc went through the
usual procedure of photography and
then began his examination of the
floor. y flower pot had been over
turned in h kitchen, and upo the
earth which had fallen from it was
u sharply defined footprint. Com
parison showed that il was not that of
the victim.
Next the criminologist began a mi
mute analysis of the cuts which had
w -
to IL microscopic examination of the
knife.
M. Lcpinc," he said. let your men
seek for a butcher who wears Il PAIR
OF heavy shoes made by oberheimer,
of Berlin. n butcher committed this
murder. Ills arm is exactly thirty
one inches from shoulder to palm, and
ne is . feet 10 inchc i'll height.
NJ. Lepine save his orders and the
b1lNt for tho hptch,nr brv1
Now, said Dr. lacassagne. lot
mo begin with this knife. 1t is cor
tainly Mr.. Decasse's. You will see
mere Wher the man mad II upon MS
wall. The reached up Tor
it. and in doing so overturned this
llower pot. Here ne left his llrst bit
OF in the footprint.
NOW. Nou VIII see taat the blade OF
the knife was used not t" stab or TO
cut, but i'm the same Way that a clcaN-
er is used-to chop. IN" blood marks
come within three inches OF tho top.
Now look mt the upper part of the
hiade Wherc IL lolhS the handle. You
VIII observe curious parallel strcaks
there.
Looking at these streaks under the
microscope YOU VIII see that they have
been made by being run along
tho edge.
I'm i" " 'lNiit ~ HN''S
butcher invariably does this t" test the
sharpness OF his nstrume before ne
begins to cut or chop meat.
MY hfst deduction points Ia a
hhtcher, then! 1 began to reconstruct.
| See the murdered reaching down the
knife. III" is bent upon killing and
every ous is directed toWard that
end. The moment the knife is in his
tlhlld II suggests tn him his occupa-
sioh' Ill 1act IL Is. as YOU see, a butch
erS tool. lnronscl"uSlT ne performs
tn" orcupatlohal habit action. He
runs thumh and f"reiing"r down the
blade to See whether it is sharp. He
could no more stop lis habit action
under the force of III" double sug-
geatlon OF. using tn" knife and hand
ling it than he could. when talking
about something else, tie up packages
III any other way than he is used to
tying them.
Very Well. conclude that here is
valid evidence that he is a butcher. l
go further. You Will see that there
are blood stains on the handle of the
knife. Look az them again under the
microscope. You will see plainly that
thiS marx was made by Il light hand
ana TINS ny a l"tt hand. The knife
couid not ne eilectlNoiN held in both
hands at once. We luz admit, then.
THAT some blows We're dealt when it
was being held by a right hand and
some When II was being held by a left
hand. This is unusual. 1t either
means mat there We're Two men who