Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-19

seen Clarke murdered by Aram and one
Terry. a skeleton dug up in the place
indicated by Houscman and Aram was con-
vlcted of the murder of Clarke Conduct
ing his own defense at the trial Aram
made n memorable address on the doctrin"
Of circumstantial evidence Before his exc
cuton he confessed his guilt to two clergy
men. Whatever may have been the facts in
the case of Aram, it is remarkable that on
several occasions in the history of criminal
trials men have confessed to crimes which
subsequent events showed they had not
committed.
One of the most famous criminal trials
in American annals was that of MolneuX,
convicted in New York for the murder of
Mrs Adams. The evidence against him was
purely circumstantia 1t was charged that
Mrs Adams had died from n poison sent
her through the mail. All over the United
States an outCry arose against MOlineuX's
conviction on circumstantial evidence The
public feeling over the conditions surround
ing the trial and conviction of Leo Frank
was more rebellious MolineuX was
granted new trial By the New York Court
of Appeals and on the second trial was ac-
quilted.
Cases Of mistaken identity are not uncom-
mon. A man named jenkins was arrested
at Newburgh, NY, charged with the murder
of one Sarah Bloom, who had short time
previous mysteriously disappeared. The dead
body of a young woman had been found,
which Jane Bloom identified as that of her
sister Sarah She was very positive of the
fact: described with great accuracy and
minuteness certain physical peculiarties of
her sister and insisted that the body was
hers, Notwithstanding directly opposite tes-
timony given by Jenkins But. during the
investigation instituted by the Coroner, the
original Sarah Bloom appeared in Newburgh
alive and we'll The young man Jenkins,
who had been confined to await the result
of the inquest was at once set at liberty,
all cause of suspicion against him having
been removed by the discovery that Miss
Bloom was living. The question then came
up: How could Miss Blooms sister have
been so deceived as to testify positively that
the dead body was that of her sister? The
result of a comparison of marks upon the
bodies OF the two women, however settled
the doubt, The peculiar marks on the dead
body and those on the body of Sarah Bloom
were identical in form, position and number
The body had scar on the left eyebrow;
Sarah Bloom had the same. The body had
a scar on the middle joint of the middle
finger of the left hand; Sarah Bloom had
the same. The two middle toes Of the left
foot of the corpse were grown together nearly
to the first joint; similar popularity ex-
listing in Miss Bloom. The toes of both feet
in the corpse and in those of Miss Bloom
were compressed, as from wearing tight
shoes. A mark, as from a ring which had
been roughly drawn from the finger, was
found on the hand of the murdered woman,
but the ring was not found Miss Bloom
wore a carnelian ring on the corresponding
finger. Those curious condolences, very re-
markable as far as regards physical pecu-
llarities, seemed to Justify the conclusions
which We're arrived at prior to the reap
pearance Of the missing woman.
A False Confession
The foregoing story is told in Waterbury's
American edition OF Archbods criminal
Practice and Pleading" An equally strange
story is that of a murder case cited in
William Wills famous essay on the "Prin-
eiples of Circumstantial Evidence" It was
the case Of the two Boorns convicted In the
Supreme Court Of Vermont in September
term, 1919, Of the murder of Russell Colvin.
May 10, 1872. 1t appeared that Colvin, who
was the brotheF-in-law Of the prisoners. was
a person OF weak and not perfectly sound
mind; that he was considered burdensome
TO the family Of the prisoners who were
obliged TO support him; that on the day OF
his disappearance. being In a distant field
where the prisoners We're at work, a violent
quarrel broke out between them and that
one OF them struck him a violent blow on
the back Of the head with a club which felled
him to the ground. Some suspicious arose
at that time that he was murdered. which
were increased BY the finding OF bis hat IN
the same aelf few months afterBaFd