Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-29
YOUR OWN DETECTIVE
By Frederic J. Haskin

instantly wells his eyes and slightly
lifts his hand as If to shrink from it.
Unconscious that he has made these
typical gestures however, he swears
that the knife does not belong to him
and he has never seen it before.
The stimulation of various emotions,
at all times very difficult unless the
person be peculiarly gifted. is next
to impossible in cortroom. In
cases where 1T has been attmepted the
effort was easily discernible and de-
ceived no one. Astonishment, for eX-
ample, is expressed by raising the
hands in the air. often covering the
mouth with the palm. This gesture
is so entirely inadvertent that any de-
liberate stimulation of it would be per-
fectly obvious.
One of the hardest emotions to de-
tect is that of scorn, for 1t is one
which people go to the most pains to
conceal. There are many persons for
whom YOU may feel contempt, but out
of a sense of politeness or eXpediency
you cannot show il. The keen OBJ
server, however, can always detect the
presence of scorn. 1t is characterized
by an artificial tone of the voice al
most nasal, and dilation of the nos
| trils. The shoulders are also raised,
as if the person were trying by main
! force to lift himself into another at
mosphere. Sometimes the breath lis
rapidly inhaled through the nostrils,
producing a sort of sniff.
The exhibition of scorn in the court
room is always considered a good sign
| by the criminal lawyer. 1t is diff
cult for q man with a very guilty con-
scious to feel scorn for another. II
! is sometimes simulated, but in such
cases is always accompanied by what
is meant to be desprecating smile
Real scorn does not smile. If a man
has just uttered a slander against you
and you are scornfully angry, you dc
not feel like smiling.
Every one of the emotions has its
significant and typical gestures. De-
fiance and spite, which are a combin-
alton of resolution and scorn, are ex-
pressed by clenching the teeth or bar
ing them slightly. This always oc-
companied by a frown, while the
breath is inhaled rapidly through the
nostrils.
Rage is characterized by many ges-
lures. The persons body is held rig
idly erect or thrown well forward
His muscles are contracted and his
mouth and teeth pressed tightly to.
gether. The voice is vibrant or lower
than usual with touch of hoarse-
ness. The forehead is wrinkled and
the face either flushed or pale. All ot
at once, but separately or all to-
gether, they are typical. Resignation
is characterized by the unconscious
folding of the hands in the lap and 8
slight droop of the shoulders.
II The hands, although held carefully
in the lap, tell much. The involun-
tary clench of the fingers in anger, the
cramped fingers expressing pain, oi
any of the other spasmodic and nerv
Gus movements of the hands and fin
gers are keenly observed by the crimi
nal lawyer.
In women the feet are most ex
pressive. Unable to give vent to theil
anger by stamping their feet, the!
press their toes close to the ground
When embarrassed they turn theil
curves on the floor. When impatien
they tap the floor with great rapidity
first with the heel and then the toe
, OF course these movements seem per
fectIy obvious. but when there is jus
the faintest suggestion of them it re
, quires very keen perception to SCI
them at all.
A prisoner may keep his secret 70
months, but in the end his gesture
} will tell the truth to the trained oh
{ server. The shifty man in business
J the woman who is trying to hide tn
J truth, the acquaintance who poses a
friend while he really dislikes you
; they are all betraying themselves ever
minute, if you only know what t
watch. 1t is no more than a plail
, statement of fact that murder will out
and mot only murder but everythin
( hide. Learn to look, and you will see