Evening star., 1922-04-15
how do you explain
Mr.. I4angley's death?' de-
manded Harrington. NJ!
theory of a spark from


manded Harrington. My
theory of a. spark from
cigar may be true. after all.
II am coming to that in moment,
answered Kennedy. quietly. MY hrst
suspicion was aroused by what not
even DR.. Putnam seems to have no
ticed. The skull of Mr.. Langley,
charred and consumed as 1t was,
seemed to show marks of violence.
1t might have been from fracture
of the skull, or it might have oeen
an accident to his remains as they
were being removed to the anteroom'
Again, his tongue seemed as though
1t was protruding. That might nave
been natural suffocation, or 1t might
have been from forcfble stranguia-
tion. So far l had nothing but con-
lecture to work on. But in LOOKING
over the living room tound near tue
table, on the hardwood floor, spot
Just one little round spot. Now, de-
ductions from spots, even IL we know
them to be blood. must be made very
carefully. l did not know this to pc
a blood-spot. and so was very carerui
at first.
Let US assume that it was blood
spot, however. What did it show?
1t was just little regular ROUND
spot quite thick. Now. drops OF
blood falling only few inches usu-
ally make a round spot with a smooth
border Still. the surface on which
the drop falls is quite as much q
factor as the height from which 1t
falls. II the surface is rough the
border may be irregular. But tnis
was a smooth surface and not ab-
sorbent. The thickness of dried
- T.
face is less the greater the height
from which it has fallen. This was a
thick spot Now, if it had fallen, say,
six feet, the height of Mr.. Langley,
the spot would have been thin-some
secondary spatters might have been
seen. or at least an irregular edge
around the spot. Therefore, if it was
a blood-spot. it had fallen only one
or two feet. I ascertained next that
the lower part of the body showed
no wounds or bruises whatever.
Tracks of blood such as are left
by dragging a bleeding body differ
very greatly from tracks of arterial
blood which are left when the victim
has strength to move himself Con-
tinuing my speculations, supposinS
it to be a blood-spot. what did it in
dicate? Clearly that Mr.. Langley
was struck by somebody On the head
with a heavy instrument, perhaps In
another part of the room, that he
was choked, that as the drops OF
blood oczed from the wound on his
head. he was dragged across the hoor'
in the direction of the fireplace-
But. Prof. Kennedy" interrupted
Dr. Putnam, have you proved that
the spot was blood-spot? Might 1t
not have been a paint-spot or some-
thing of that sort?
Kennedy had apparently been
waiting for just such question.
Ordinarily, water has no effect on
paint" he answered. Il found that
the spot could be washed off with
water. That is not all. I have
test for blood that is so delicately
tian mummy thousands of years old
will respond to it. 1t was discovered
by German scientist, DR.. Uhlenhuth,
and was no longer ago than last win
ter applied in England in connection
with the Clapham murder. The sus-
pected murderer declared that stains
on his clothes were only spatters of
paint. but the test proved them to be
spatters of blood. Walter. bring in
the cage with the rabbits"
cage from the groom. who had
brought it up from the stable and
stood waiting with it some distance
away.
This test is very simple, DIR. Put
NAM" continued Craig, as l placed
unwrapped the sterilized test tubes.
"A rabbit is inoculated with human
blood, and after time the serum
that is taken from the rabbit supplies
the material for the test.
II will insert this needle in one
of these rabbits which has been so
inoculated and will draw of some
of the serum, which l place in this
test tube to the right The other
rabbit has not been inoculated. /
So l.; nl vnIo
that tube here on the left-we will
call that our control tube. 1t will
check the results of our tests.
Wrapped up in this paper l have
the scrapings of the spot which /
found on the fioor-just a few grains
sensitive the test is, i will take only
one of the smallest of these scrap
ings. 1 dissolve it in this third tube
with distilled water. l will even
divide it in half, and place the other
half in this fourth tube.
Next I add some of the serum OF
the uninoculated rabbit to the half
in this tube. You observe. nothing
happens. I add a little of the serum
of the inoculated rabbit to the other
delicate the test is
Kennedy was leaning forward. al
most oblivious of the rest of US in
the room. talking almost as II to
himSel1. we, TOO, ndu ElVeteQ- our
eyes on the tubes.
AS he added the serum from the
inoculated rabbit. cloudy milky
ring formed almost Immediately in
the hitherto colorless, very dilute
blood-solution.
"That." concluded Craig, triumphant.
ly holding the tube alcft, that con-
cIusively proves that the little round
spot on the hardwood floor was not
paint. was not anything in this wide
world but blood"
No one in the room said word, but
knew there must have been some
one there who thought volumes in the
few minutes that elapsed.
Having found one blood. spot. be-
gan to look about for more, but was
able to find only two or three traces
where spots seemed to have heen The
fact is that the blood spots had been
apparently carefully wiped up. That.
is an easy matter. Hot water and
salt. or hot water alone. or even cold
water, will make quite short work of
fresh blood spots-at least to all out
ward appearances But nothing but
most thorough cleaning can conceal
them from the Uhlenhuth test. even
when they are apparently wiped out.
1t is case of Lady Macbeth over
again, crying in the face of modern
science: Out, out. damned spot
."I was able with sufficient definite-
ness to trace roughly a course of blood
the door of the living room. But be-,
yond the door, in the hall, nothing"
"StilL" interrupted Harrington. ito,
get back to the facts in the case. They
are perfectly in accord either with my
theory of the cigar or the Records, Of
spontaneous combustion. How do you
account for the facts?s
ssY AZ ri