TRUE DETECTIVE STORIES.

Taihape Daily Times, 21 August 1919, Page 3

TRUE DETECTIVE STORIES.

Dr. De Neuville, a French physician 'who has specialised‘ in the mcdico—legal aspects of his profession, has (sfiys the Public Ledger of Philadelphia) -gather ed some :t:rue stories of detective work‘ by physicians that equals the mythical achievements of "Sherlock Holmes. Some years ago" one of the “legal doctors” of the police force received notification to accompany the gendarIl’l'€S to the scene fo 3, dea.th—tha't: of a woman inn-keeper. The ~a.pal‘-tment where the woman had been found dead had not been disturbed; the legal age. tor had full play for his faculties of observation. . He went all over the room, and used his microscope at various places mid on several objects that appeared to interest him particularly. At last he inquired the name of the last Vessd thaatl had come in. It proved to be the Donna. Maria, from: Sicily. He delivered his opinion then, without a moment’s aelay.

“A left—h'a.lld man, wearing a slight moustache murdered this woman. He is probably a Sicilian, who arrived on the Donna Maria. He was acquainted with his vietini, having been a guest previously at her inn. So he knew that she often got drunk. He. broke in, killed her, because he feared she would awaken while he was robbing the place, and made gooii his escape. He has in his pocket now the stiinifi of the candle he used to light him in committing the crime. Make 3. swift search for ..s per- ‘;: 1: "mg this description.”

While one of the Havre. detectives hastened to take up the. trun. the doctor gave his reasons for (](‘.dll:.u2g all these details.

“In entering the murderer" cut himsell‘ at the door, and a blood-stained :.}llll)‘.'C-1' of the wood made it clear that he is Left-lianded. To one side of the spur, Where the blood dripped on tnc floor ;nu can see some candle grease; that is where the candle dripped. It is o":)\"‘ous that While he held in his left hand the weapon he used, he eur-':ie-1 the candle in his right. When I out the microscope on the candle drippings I could recognise :them as coming from a Sicilian candle, having studied Very closely the Pertillon collection of candles assembled fl"6in all pazrts of the world. I now surmises that anyone using a Sicilian candle mus’: l:-3.2:?

come from Sicily. In the candle grease there appeared two small reddish hairs, very diiferent in ‘(Texture from those which grow in the beard_ The assassin must have stood t.he“re, holding the candle after he committed the murder, biting or twisting his moustache while he debated his crime and the next procedure.”

It was not long before the detective brought in 9. Sicilian named Forforazzo, who had been one of .the Donna I\:7v.l‘ia-7s passengers. The doctor, having :1 piece of paper ready, ofiered it to him. He reached out his left hand‘, which waé cut, to /take it. When they searched him the candle was found in his pocket, and when they questioned him he broke down and confessed the murder.

In a Pennsylvania town a physician was knocked down and robbed while on his way to see a patient. His pockets were rifled, and one of the articles stolen was a. clinical thernlomct.er, with which, earlier in the evening, he had taken the teniperature of a patient. He remembered the temperature registered and also that h had not shaken down the thermometer in his pocket. He conimunicated these facts to the police. Some time afterwards 3. tlicrmomcter registering the identical t"enlperat'lll'e was discovered in a pawn shop, and the police were "enabled to track the docto*’s assailants and capture them. Even clergymen have disclosed Sherloey Holmes-like qualities. Dr. John Donne, "the famous English divine and poet, was walking in‘the churchyard while {L grave was being dug, when the sexton cast up a moundering skull. The doctor idly took it up, and in handling it found 9. headless nail driven into it. This he nranaged to take out and conceal in his handkcrchief_ He

questioned the sexton, and learned that the skull was’ probably that of a, corfain man who was .-the proprietor of a. brandy shop, and was a drunkard, being foun'<T dead in bed 04x1c‘n1o1‘ni11g after :1 night in which he had drunk two quarts of brandy.

“}fa(l he" a. wife?” asked the doctor. “Yes.” “What character does she

bear” “She bore a very -good character, only the neighbours, gossiped about her because she married the day after her husband’s funeral. ‘She still ‘lives here.’-' The doctor soon called 30-11 the woman. He asked for, and received the particulars -of the -death of her husband. Suddenly, opening his handkerchief, he showed her the telltale nail, asking in a 1-oud voice, l“Mada.m, do you know this nail?” EAma.zed,‘the woman, taken ‘off her fguard, confessed, and was tried and !-executed,