something about clowns but I won’t.’
‘Dr Horton enjoys arguing for its own sake,’ Lombroso said dismissively.
Horton laughed. ‘What he means is he doesn’t like it when someone dares to disagree with him.’
‘I am more than happy to discuss my theories with equals, Signor Horton, but I do not consider you as such.’
‘What about DeClichy? What do you think about him?’
‘I think he is wrong, as you will find out tomorrow,’ Lombroso said, ‘assuming, that is, that you can keep your own views to yourself long enough to hear those of others.’
‘Well, you know, Professor, I have as much right to an opinion as the next man.’
‘You have bought that right, not earned it.’
‘Maybe so, but you don’t have a monopoly on knowledge. Anyone with a brain can read a book!’
Lombroso sighed impatiently. ‘How can I help you, Dr Horton? I am rather busy showing my new assistant round the museum this morning.’
‘I was just being sociable, paying my respects and all. Don’t mind if I follow you around, do you?’
Lombroso gave a look that made it absolutely clear that he minded very much but Horton had already set off to the next room. The professor sighed with resignation and went after him, again beckoning at James to follow.
‘What have we here?’ Horton asked, giving a low whistle.
‘These are examples of criminal pictography,’ Lombroso replied.
‘He means drawings by criminals – quite common, or so I’ve heard,’ Horton said. James thought that the American had a way of expressing himself that made him sound as if he always knew better.
Lombroso went on as if Horton had not spoken.
‘As you can see, we have examples on paper, clothing and pottery. It is interesting to see the way in which criminals express themselves through art. Many of them seem to have a strange compulsion to do so. They’re probably frustrated by their inability to express themselves through the use of language alone, although it is true that I have also seen literate criminals use illustration in this way.’
James looked curiously at the examples before him. Some of them were fairly primitive in their use of images but others were quite sophisticated. One in particular got his attention. It portrayed the bloody murder of an entire family including a number of small children. A man stood, surrounded by bodies, wielding a pickaxe in one hand and a club in the other. His expression was terrifying – not because it was particularly realistic but because of its lack of any emotion other than sheer determination. James peered at it and shivered slightly.
‘Here we have another similarity between the criminal and the savage,’ Lombroso announced with a note of triumph.
‘Well, maybe,’ Horton added.
Lombroso continued, ignoring him again. He picked up a framed piece of skin, once bright with tattoos but now faded.
‘The criminal often uses his own skin as a canvas. They are often rather ingenious. Look at this!’ Lombroso picked up another frame. This contained a photograph and James drew nearer to see it closely. It was of a tattooed arm, in the crook of which was the figure of a naked woman, her legs splayed. ‘As the arm moves, the lady, though I doubt that we can describe her as such, masturbates!’
Horton laughed loudly. ‘Well, would you look at that?’
The room also contained photographs of documents written by criminals, proving, according to Lombroso, that handwriting could reveal criminal character. Horton moved around the room, examining the exhibits as Lombroso told James about an experiment using hypnosis that he had conducted in order to confirm, as he put it, the atavistic nature of the handwriting of criminals.
‘Having mesmerised him, I suggested to a young man of honest habits that he was in fact the brigand La Gala. His handwriting, normally so civilised and cultivated as to be almost feminine, became rough and malformed, resembling that of some very well-known criminals.
‘Dr Horton enjoys arguing for its own sake,’ Lombroso said dismissively.
Horton laughed. ‘What he means is he doesn’t like it when someone dares to disagree with him.’
‘I am more than happy to discuss my theories with equals, Signor Horton, but I do not consider you as such.’
‘What about DeClichy? What do you think about him?’
‘I think he is wrong, as you will find out tomorrow,’ Lombroso said, ‘assuming, that is, that you can keep your own views to yourself long enough to hear those of others.’
‘Well, you know, Professor, I have as much right to an opinion as the next man.’
‘You have bought that right, not earned it.’
‘Maybe so, but you don’t have a monopoly on knowledge. Anyone with a brain can read a book!’
Lombroso sighed impatiently. ‘How can I help you, Dr Horton? I am rather busy showing my new assistant round the museum this morning.’
‘I was just being sociable, paying my respects and all. Don’t mind if I follow you around, do you?’
Lombroso gave a look that made it absolutely clear that he minded very much but Horton had already set off to the next room. The professor sighed with resignation and went after him, again beckoning at James to follow.
‘What have we here?’ Horton asked, giving a low whistle.
‘These are examples of criminal pictography,’ Lombroso replied.
‘He means drawings by criminals – quite common, or so I’ve heard,’ Horton said. James thought that the American had a way of expressing himself that made him sound as if he always knew better.
Lombroso went on as if Horton had not spoken.
‘As you can see, we have examples on paper, clothing and pottery. It is interesting to see the way in which criminals express themselves through art. Many of them seem to have a strange compulsion to do so. They’re probably frustrated by their inability to express themselves through the use of language alone, although it is true that I have also seen literate criminals use illustration in this way.’
James looked curiously at the examples before him. Some of them were fairly primitive in their use of images but others were quite sophisticated. One in particular got his attention. It portrayed the bloody murder of an entire family including a number of small children. A man stood, surrounded by bodies, wielding a pickaxe in one hand and a club in the other. His expression was terrifying – not because it was particularly realistic but because of its lack of any emotion other than sheer determination. James peered at it and shivered slightly.
‘Here we have another similarity between the criminal and the savage,’ Lombroso announced with a note of triumph.
‘Well, maybe,’ Horton added.
Lombroso continued, ignoring him again. He picked up a framed piece of skin, once bright with tattoos but now faded.
‘The criminal often uses his own skin as a canvas. They are often rather ingenious. Look at this!’ Lombroso picked up another frame. This contained a photograph and James drew nearer to see it closely. It was of a tattooed arm, in the crook of which was the figure of a naked woman, her legs splayed. ‘As the arm moves, the lady, though I doubt that we can describe her as such, masturbates!’
Horton laughed loudly. ‘Well, would you look at that?’
The room also contained photographs of documents written by criminals, proving, according to Lombroso, that handwriting could reveal criminal character. Horton moved around the room, examining the exhibits as Lombroso told James about an experiment using hypnosis that he had conducted in order to confirm, as he put it, the atavistic nature of the handwriting of criminals.
‘Having mesmerised him, I suggested to a young man of honest habits that he was in fact the brigand La Gala. His handwriting, normally so civilised and cultivated as to be almost feminine, became rough and malformed, resembling that of some very well-known criminals.
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