CRIMES DISCOVERED BY ACCIDENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5955, 21 August 1897, Page 1

CRIMES DISCOVERED BY ACCIDENT.

(Tit Bits.)

A daring yet wary member of the lightfingered fraternity once fell into the hands of the police in this peculiar way. HeJiad been practising lug nefarious calling amongst a crowd of people one afternoon, when he had the misfortune to become suddenly ill. Quite unaware of the man's character, the police at once went to his assistance, and in the course of their ministrations were surprised to find several purses containing money on him. As he could not satisfactorily account for their possession he was taken into custody, and on his trial it was proved that the purses had been stolen, with the result that the thief was sentenced to several months' imprisonment. Still more curious was a case which occurred in Manchester. The police of that town were endeavouring to trace the perpetrator of a recent robbery ; and, while pursuing inquiries to that end, an officer noticed a notorious female asso- ) ciate of criminals in the act of leaving a house. j On seeing that she was observed, the I woman drew back, but before she could close the door the constable ran forward and forced his way in. His astonishment can be imagined on finding inside three •men, who were stripped to the waist, busily engaged in the manufacture of base coin. A violent struggle ensued, two of the criminals making good their escape, while the third, a desperate character j who fought like a tiger, was kept at bay by the policeman until help arrived. An arrest for drunkenness not long since led to the solution of the mystery of a daring burglary which had been committed in a Lancashire town, A few day's after the robbery had been reported to the police a man was taken into custody for being in a state of intoxication. On being searched at the police station he was found to have in his possession a number of postage stamps perforated with the initials of the firm whose premises had befcn broken into. In consequence of this discovery the prisoner's house was also searched, and there the police found amongst other property a portion of the money which had been carried off. Of a rather different character was an offence accidentally brought to light in a South of England town. From some cause or other a fire broke out on the premises of a brewer ; and, in the course of their endeavours to extinguish it, the police came across an illicit still in a back room of the establishment. Proceedings were forthwith instituted against the proprietor, and, notwithstanding his defence that he merely used the still for producing spirit for fortifying old brandy, he was fined in the heavy penalty of .£2OO. One of the most horrible and sensational poisoning mysteries that ever engaged the attention of the authorities owed its solution entirely to an accident. When some fifteen different people had died within twenty-four hours after dining with a certain South American professor, it was decided to institute a prosecution against him, although, according to the medical certificates, death had in each case been due to cholera or yellow fever. The accused would undoubtedly have been acquitted but for his accidental neglect'tothrow atf ay ice left over from his last dinner. This his butler put into a bottle and took to the public prosecutor, who had it examined by a chemist. The latter testified in court that he found it to consist of a living mass of cholera germs, which ha"d been frozen without in the least affecting their activity and poisonous power. The professor had been in the habit of serving this deadly ice to his guests, taking care not to partake of any himself. Small wonder that they died shortly afterwards of virulent cholera ; or that the miscreant professor defied detection until his own accidental neglect brought home to him his terrible crime.