Then I saw that against the end of every finger had been glued a strip
of rubber, about an inch in length and half as wide; and, bending
closer, I perceived that the surface of each of these strips was
covered with an intricate pattern of minute lines.
"Forged finger-prints! That's a new idea in crime, isn't it,
Simmonds?" and Godfrey laughed excitedly.
Simmonds took the glove, got out his pocket-glass, and examined the
finger-tips minutely.
"You think these reproduce Swain's finger-prints?" he asked, sceptically.
"I'm sure they do! You see it's the right hand; look at the thumb--you
see it's a double whorl. Wait till we put them side by side with
Swain's own, and you'll see that they correspond, line for line. Yes,
and look at those stains. Do you know what those stains are, Simmonds?
They're blood. Did you notice the stains, doctor?"
"Yes," said Hinman. "I think they're blood-stains. That will be easy
enough to determine."
"Whose blood is it?" asked Simmonds, and I could see that even his
armour had been penetrated.
"Well," answered Godfrey, smiling, "science isn't able, as yet, to
identify the blood of individuals; but I'd be willing to give odds
that it's Swain's blood.
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