The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-10-16

Il
planned. some years ago to him by a
prominent lawyer of Maine. George
w. Cover. Mr.. Cover was not d
photographer and knew very little
about the workings of a microscope,
but the idea just occurred to him and
he bold it to Professor Whittier.
After the Bowdon professor used it
in the Terrio case in Maine some one
wrote to Washington and suggested
its use in the Brownsville riot case
The murders and the shooting up of
the town OF Brownsville, Tex, were
pinned on few rioting soldiers. by
microphotography.
Detectives of the New York homi-
eide squad had occasion to use the
process short while ago, and thru
it discovered the killer" who other
wise might have gone scott free.
a young man had come home from
work and was resting on one of the
bridges in the Bronx, when an older
man who was passing suddenly drew
a revolver, fired at him and fed. The
victim was removed to the hospital
and recovered there.
The bullet that lodged in his body
was preserved.
About a week later two little boys
were playing in the streets when a
passer-Dy suddenly shot at both of
them and killed them. Just as in
the previous case no motive could be
assigned to the shooting From a
witness the police learned that a
black bearded man had passed about
the time of the shooting.
Microphotographs of the bullets
showed that they all bore "a slight
marking where the bullet had passed
out through the barrel of the revol-
yer. The detective believed that this
mark was caused by a slight imper-
lection in the barrel of the gun, too
small for the naked eye to see, but
clearly revealed by microphotography.
MAN WITH BLACK BEARD
The bullet that had struck the
young man who was standing on the
Bronx bridge bore the same marking.
Finding no motive the. police con-
cluded that the criminal might be in
sane, and an order was given out to
check up on all the inmates recently
paroled from the various institutions
for the mental detectives.
AT private sanitarium on Long Is
land the man with the black beard
was found and arrested. A pistol
was discovered and microscopic pho
tographs of the barrel showed that
there was slight imperfection in it
that left a mark on the bullet identi-
cal with the marks on the bullets TAX
en- from the bodies of victims,
Handwriting has also been photo
graphed microscopically in disputed
will cases and where forgeries were
alleged to have been committed or
where is was believed additions were
made. These photographs show up
the different kinds of ink used and
even the slightest variations from the
handwriting of the original signee.
The most remarkable use Of micro
photography was shown quite recent
ly at the United States Arsenal in
New York Scientists there were
sent fragments of metal taken from
the debris of an explosion. The
fragments were so minute that little
hope was held out for the discovery
OF their origin.
w CPI-D WIN iN+NAl -
However, experts made microphoto-
graphs of the bits of metal and from
them made it possible to tell even
where the fragments had been manu-
featured.
The report told at what degree the
steel of which the fragment was
part, had been annealed, it described
the process of cooling and told the
formula that had been used. 1t even
went so far as to show that steel of
that type was manufactured in COM
paratively few American plants and so
made it possible to determine the
origin of the whofH container of the
explosive from a tiny fragment.
Prof. Whittier has made d long
study of the individual characteristics
ofahrearms. He does not believe that
much can be done with the markings
on the lead of a bullet caused by the
bore of ii rifle or revolver. such mark
ings as were used in the Bronx shoot
ing case.
The geography of the firing pin and
the primer, however, he says are in
fallible tests, because the chances of
two firing pins being alike is about
one In 100000.
The microphotograph process has
been used in cases where other wea-
pons than guns were employed but
not with any particular success, the
doctor said. Knife wounds have been
photographed hut there are no abso
lutely distinguishing marks left by a
knife as the firing pin leaves on the
primer of a shell.