DETECTION OF CRIME BY PHOTOGRAPHY. THE detection of crime is a matter of fascinating interest to all but those who, unhappily for themselves, have to pay the penalty of wrong-doing. The novelist, as well as the dramatist, knows well that a crime round which a mystery hangs, or which involves the detection or pursuit of a suspected individual, is a theme which will at once secure the attention of those for whom he caters. In one respect it is a mis fortune that this should be so; for there has arisen a copious supply of gutter literature, which, by its stories of wonderful escapes and lawless doings of notorious thieves and other vagabonds, arouses the emulation of youthful readers, and often, as the records of our police courts too frequently prove, tempts them to go and do likewise. On the other hand, we cannot look without admira tion at such a wonderful word-picture as that given us in " Oliver Twist," where the wretched Sikes wanders with the brand of Cain upon him, haunted by the visionary form of his victim. Both novelists and playwrights have many clever ways of tracking their puppets and hounding them to death. Some of these are hackneyed enough, — such as the foot mark in the soil, the dirty thumb-mark on the paper, etc.; and he who can conceive a new way of bringing about the inevi table detection is surely half-way toward success. Once again has romance been beaten by reality. In this matter of the detection of criminals, the photographic camera has lately performed such novel feats that quite a fresh set of ideas is placed at the disposal of fictionmongers. The subject recently came before the Photographic Society of Great Britain, in the form of a paper by Dr. Paul Jeserich of Berlin, a chemist, who has devoted his atten tion for many years to the detection of crime by scientific means, and more especially by the means of photography. This paper was
illustrated by a remarkable collection of pho tographs, which were projected by means of an optical lantern. Some of the wonderful results obtained by this indefatigable worker we will now briefly place before our readers. Most persons are aware that for many years it has been the practice in this and many countries to take the portraits of criminals when they become the unwilling tenants of the State, and such portraits have proved most useful in subsequent identi fication. There is little doubt, thinks Dr. Jeserich, that this system might with advan tage be extended to the photographing of the scene of the crime; for the camera will faith fully record little details, at the time consid ered to be unimportant, but which may supply a valuable link in the chain of evidence later on. Thus, he refers to a case of murder, when, in the course of a terrible struggle, the contents of a room were upturned, — a clock, among other things, being hurled from its place and stopped. A photograph would have shown the hour at which the deed was done, — a fact of first importance, as every prisoner who has endeavored to establish an alibi knows well enough. But it is in microscopical examination, and in the sub sequent photographing of the object exam ined in much magnified form, that Dr. Jeserich has done his most noteworthy work. Such a photograph will often afford evidence of the most positive kind, which can be readily comprehended and duly ap praised by judge and jury alike. Let us now see, by a few examples, how the method works out. The first criminal case brought forward by Dr. Jeserich was one in which the lib erty of a suspected man literally " hung upon a hair; " for by a single hair was he tracked. The case was one of assault, and two men were suspected of the deed. A single hair was found upon the clothing of the victim, and this hair was duly pictured
