THE PRECIPITIN TEST FOR BLOOD. 8l 



these stains. He evidently believed that it was impossible to 

 identify the origin of blood in a stain on clothing. 



During 1907 precipitin tests were applied to blood stains on 

 five exhibits submitted in connection with a case* in which the 

 accused was charged with the murder of a native woman who 

 had been hacked to death. The exhibits comprised a hat, jacket, 

 trousers, shawl, and axe found in the possession of the accused. 

 Blood stains were found on all these articles except the shawl ; 

 of four on the jacket, three were proved to be human and one 

 ox blood ; of two on the trousers, one was ox blood and the 

 other human ; while two on the hat were both ox blood. 



The accused alleged that he had been engaged in slaughter- 

 ing an ox and accounted in that manner for the stains on his 

 clothing. The blood on the axe was too minute in amount to 

 test more definitely. 



The case of Rex. vs. Klaas and Hendrik,f tried in Grahams- 

 town at the Criminal Sessions before Judge President Kotze, 

 in July, 1908, affords a very interesting instance of the applica- 

 tion of this serum or precipitin test for differentiating mammalian 

 blood. The prisoners were charged with malicious injury to 

 property in having killed a heifer. The animal's intestines had 

 been ruptured per aiiuni, and a stick, the property of Klaas, was 

 produced in evidence at the trial. It was stained with blood for 

 about ten inches from one end. but had been rubbed in earth 

 after being so stained. This prisoner had stated at the pre- 

 liminary examination that he had killed a snake with the stick, 

 and he adhered to this at the trial. The microscopic test clearly 

 showed that the stains were not snake's blood, the corpuscles 

 being round and non-nucleated, and the application of the serum 

 test showed as clearly that the blood was that of a bovine. It 

 is not surprising that Klaas, who no doubt thought his story 

 of the snake a clever one, asked. " How can you distinguish the 

 blood of a snake from that of a cow?" Both prisoners were 

 convicted, largely upon the circumstantial evidence afforded by 

 the stick. 



During 1910 another important case from the Transkei was 

 submitted to me. The accused, two natives, were charged with 

 the murder of a little native girl ■ at Mount Ayliff. It was alleged 

 that she was hacked to pieces and the body terribly mutilated 

 so as to obtain the blood, together with certain special parts of 

 the flesh (ears, cheeks, etc.), for some witch doctor in order to 

 assist him in his iniquitous profession. 



In addition to the putrid mixture of blood, hairs, sand, 

 starch, and other fibres made from the deceased's body, there 

 were submitted also the following exhibits : — A, Large knife ; 



* Report of Senior Analyst (G. 23, 1908), p. 108. 

 t Report of Senior Analyst (G. 31, 1909), p. 114; also South African 

 Law Journal, 1908, vol. 25. 



