The Republican Journal

Detection of a Criminal. Not long Ago there occurred in Prussia one of those cases of detection of crime by scientific means which interest a large and intelligent class of readers. A quantity of gold, packed in boxes, was dispatched by a railway train. On arriving at its destination, it was discovered that the gold had been stolen from some of the boxes, which were refilled with sand to make up for the deficient weight. Measures were at once taken for the discovery of the thief; and, that no chance might be lost, Prof. Ehrenberg was requested to make microscopic examination of the sand. The Professor, who is a member of the Academy of Sciences at Berlin, well known for his researches into minute objects, and his comparisons of volcanic dust from all parts of the world, asked that a quantity of sand from every station by which the train passed should be sent to him. Examining these one after another, he at last came to a sand which was identical with that found in the gold boxes. The name of the station whence this sand collected was known; inquiries were set on foot at that station, and among the persons there employed the thief was detected.