Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-05-02
A REAL SHERLOCK HOLMES
Detective Work Of Physicians Sur
passes That Of Fiction sleuth.

/ passes That Of Fiction Sleuth.
Dr. De Neuville, French physician
who has specialized on the medico-
Illegal aspects Of his profession. has
been telling some true stories OF de-
tective work by physicians that equals
the mythical achievements Of Sherlock
Holmes. There are several sides OF the
law that bear on medicine and surgery
and there are various specialists who
devote themselves to one or all Of these
important relations.
| The specialist who receives IN the
| United States good deal more atten-
ton from the newspapers than from
medical journals Is that useful adjunct
to the police force, who is known as
the police surgeon.
Here his duties seldom II ever go be-
yond the office Of diagnosing ailments,
attending illness and preventing the
spread of contagion. But in France ne
oftentimes brings to bear upon mys-
terious crimes the acument Of his train
ed intelligence and the knowledge OF
his practical profession. He is likely to
act, as an assistant to the detective
along the lines of his expert observa-
| ton.
Four years ago one Of the legal doc
tors" of the police force received his
notification to accompany gendarmes
to the scene of death-that Of a wo-
man innkeeper. The apartment where
the woman had been found dead had
not been disturbed; the legal doctor
had full play for his faculty of obser-
walton. He went all over the room,
and used his microscope at various
places and on several objects that ap-
peared to interest him particularly. At
last he inquired the name Of the last
vessel that had come in. It proved to
be the Donna Maria, from Sicily. He
delivered his opinion, then, without a
moments delay or sign OF uncertain
ty:: -, s ,,o, ua.-,ne q
slight mustache, murdered this wo-
man. He is probably a Sicilan, who
arrived on the Donna Maria. He Is
over fiye feet six inches in height. He
was acquainted with his victim, hay-
ing been a guest previously at her Inn.
So he knew that she often got drunk.
He broke In, killed her because he feef-
ed she would awaken while ne was
robbing the place and made good MS
escape. He has in his pocket now the
stump of the candle he used to light
him in committing his crime. Make a
for QnaWarlnQ
this description"
while one of the Havre detectives
hastened to take up the quest, the doc
tor gave his reasons for deducing all
these details: ..
In entering, the murderer cut MIN.
self at the door, and blood stained
splinter of the wood makes 1t clear
that he is left-handed. To one side OF
the spot where the blood dropped on
the floor you can see some candle
grease: that is where his candle drip
ped. 1t is obvious that, while he held
in his left hand the weapon he used.
he carried the candle In the right.
When put the microscope on the can
die droppings I could recognize them
as coming from Sicilian candle, nav
ing studied very closely the Bertillion
collection Of candles, assembled from
VI Iuc WOllu. io"
that any one who would be using 81
Gillian candle must have just arrived
from Sicily. In the candle greases
there appeared two small, reddish hairs
very different in their texture from
those which grow in the beard. The
assassin must have stood there, hold
ing the candle after he committed the
murder, biting or twisting his mus.
tache while he debated his crime and
his next procedure"
1t was not long before the detective
brought in a Sicilian named Foforaz-
20, who had been one of the Donna
Maria's passengers. The doctor, hav-
ing a piece of paper ready, offered 1t
to him. He reached out his left hand,
which was cut, to take 1t. When they
searched him the candle end was found
in his pocket; and when they question
ed him he broke down and con-
fessed the murder-Philadelph North
American.