Year: 1864

sons


The latest development in this delusion
has taken place in San Francisco, Califor-
MIA, where, woman having been murder
ed, photograph was taken of her eye,
with the result set forth below. The &C.
count is taken from letter written to the
Bulletin by an individual who seems to
have more fondness for sensation para
graphs and sentences than naked facts
and he "romsnces in such style IS to
make us rather seepticsl whether his ac-
count be not wholly Imagination, though
he AYERS in his letter that he is not at all
given to flights of fancy. Here is his
statement:


The experiment Of photogrsphing the
retina Of the murdered Womsn's eye, des-
pite persihsge and inoredulity with which
it has been in most quarters received, has
either developed a remarkable coincidence
or produced wonder result. Stamped
upon the center Of the retina, and convey
eddy the Photographic process to the plate
upon which the picture was taken there is
plainly to be seen the outline Of human
figure, SO plainly as at once to arrest the
attention Of the most unimsginstive eye.
The figure is that Of tall dark man, the
lower part Of the face mufied in heavy
black moustache and beard, the left arm
extended and the whole body thrown into
the position Of man doing some vio-
lent deed. The fuU1 has 1nUugh or outline
to suggest the possibility of filling it up
80 as to recognize the man were he met in
q crowded street. The bushy hair sur
mounting low forehead, heavy eyebrows
arching over the caVernous depths where
the eyes lie, the shsdowy suggestions Of
the whole face, which cannot be described,
but which impress the observer with 9
strange weird horror, causing one to start
back as though with profsne hand he hsd
rent the veil and caught q glimpse Of that
world which lies beyond the confines of
the grave. 1t is idle to laugh at such
things. A fool can deny everything, but
it is only wise man who can seriously
make up his mind to believe anything.


nThe writer is not at all an imaginative
man (2) and took no stock in the unau-
thenticsted accounts Of marvellous success
es, which had attended similar expert
ments in France. Physiology and philos-
ophy both seemed to laugh at such theory,
and the writer was prepared to trest the
thing lightly. But seeing is believing;
plainly from the Photographic plate the
figure Of man looks out, the last object
the murdered woman saw on earth, as
| when che turned her piteous eyes to heav-
en- for help, and saw only the cruel face Of
| the murderer bending over her, while his
remorseless hand held the sharp knife
quivering to her throat.


To suppose that the Photographic fg-
ure to which we refer is the result of an
accidental grouping of shadows, is simply
TO seek a miraculous explanation for a
very simple natural fact. For it is much
easier TO suppose the outline Of the mur-
derer was caught on the sensitive retins,
than to believe that in the only instance
in which the experiment has been at
tempted in this country, 8 combination OF
| light and shade should have occurred to
produce shape so exactly like human
figure as to deceive many sensible and uu-
! impressionsble men. In any event the
experiment is worthy Of further trial,
and demonstration is easy. Oxen are
killed daily. Experiments by photograph
ing their eyes would soon determine
whether there is anything in this theory or
not


"Whether or not, granting that the ex-
pertinent proves successful, it will ever
prove OF any actual use, IS q metter OF
question. For once establish this fact,
and murderers will punch out their VIC
tins eyes before leaving them. And the
dead retins might in some instances mis-
lead tho living judges. For supposing
that a man were talking to and facing
you, and that another, suddenly coming
up behind, dealt a blow which finished
him. Your image would be the one i'm
pressed upon his retins, and an innocent
man might hang were the eye taken ss
conclusive evidence. The Coroner in this
case mentioned to the jury that he had had
q photograph made of the retins ef the
eyes of the murdered woman. 1t was i'm
perfect and showed nothing. He did moi
have any faith in the thing, but for curl
osity's sske, he would have another am
brotype taken Immediately. y."-ScisHtyf
american