Evening star., 1924-10-26

off and leave Leopold's
glasses lying on the tramp ed s,ound
near the culvert into which they had
stuffed the body of their victim?
Why did Hightower. the half-mad
slayer of Father Heslin. take that
piece Of tent rope back TO his room?
Why did one Of the DAutremont
brothers, now hunted by the police
for brutal murders Incidental to the
hold-up of the Southern Pacific cx-
press in the SiSkiyou tunnel, leave
an discriminating pair of overalis be-
hind? Why does practically every
criminal, no matter how sophisticated
or how skillful, manage in some way
or other to leave his card on the job?"
Obviously, these Were rhetorical
questions. And there was no mistak
ing the fact that my host was very
much in earnest about the implied
answer.
Edward Oscar Heinrich. legal chem
st--so he is listed in the San Fran
cisco telephone directory-was sum
ming up the DeraliZations lie has
arrived at after fifteen years spent
with microscope. chemicals. photumi
crometer. etc. in the practice Of that
very modern technique of crime de-
lection for which he is famous.
Heinrich is also Instructor in Grim
MIA. as well as crime expert for a
score of city. State and Federal de-
partmen;S.
Sitting in his Berkeley laboratory,
surrounded by Ietorts, scales, micro
scopes-all the paraphernalia of sci
ence--I had been looking through the
microscope for two hours at chips.
bits Of leaves. cloth fiberS. hairs and
other scraps of refuse Guided by my
L. Il
had seen these minute and common
place materials yield TO the searching
eye of the lens the whole history of
complex crime. Yes, the criminal
does apparently leave his card on the
job-that is, If he happens to be pur-
sued by legal chemist" a sort of
spectacied assistant Nemesis who is
d . to read the accusing letters Of
that card printed in boldfacr Oh an
innocent looking twi~ or cloth fiber.
But 10 Mr Heinrich these were only
the comInonplaces Of his technique.
It was something else that my host
was mining al now-A CONCLUSION 50
uneN NDected that ! stared at him in
/ astoniShment. Scarcely the mystic
typo, l was obliged 10 admit this pre-
! cis". ascetIc. middle-aged man Of
science The very tilt "f his spec
taclc.= was scholarly. and his patient
sherlock Holmes nor craig Kennedy.
:; = :;
VET there was no tni<ta<ing what
he as saying. Quietly but with
utter conviction, this mndern profes-
Sioral sleuth was stating Il belief in
I he fate Of the Greeks: in Il rctr. .t,u-
Tive justice working above and apart
rom the trivial man made iuStrumcH-
ta!ities Of the police. the courts and
tn" prisons. in coSnic hand. which.
when a criminal tres to beat the
zane. reaches out and curre"ts the
disturbed balance oC ratuTe 50 that
IN" offender IS defeated and over
whelmed not merely by his own con
science. hut actually in the field of
objective circumstances.
Look here. don't YOU sec"'' urged
Heinrich. What's law abiding citi-
zen: lie * merely a person who ac-
>epts his social environment and ad-
iusts himself TO il. What's GRIM
inal" \ criminal is u person who en-
deavors 10 order his environment TO
suit himself Take Loeb and Leo
Doid. for example. They conceive the
perfect crime, which naturally i'm
oles Il perfect lIr-for all crime is
founded on lie. But this lie re-
tuires too many external props Truth
tarth II will rise again. The warped
and distorted environment tends to
restore itself. The two boys fail to
take account of chauffeur who has
never been anything to them but a
sen1i-animate serNitor. but who
proves capable of remembering facts
and dates and of telling the truth
Then Leopold drops his glasses-the
perfect lie collapSeS.
Il tell you. the criminal is working
against too great odds. 1t is not mere
-ly the policeman and the jailer who
defend society. The very laws of
physics. chemistry and psychology are
ranged alike against the 'supe rma n
or half-wit who attempts to set up his
own environment
After the demonstration l had just
witnessed. Heinrich's faith did not
seem so very mystical. Cnquestion-
ably the laws of physics and chem
istry had operated to the serious in
convenience OF a long list of crimin-
ais whom Heinrich's efforts have aid
ed In apprehending.