he
arrest of the owner of the well, a certain Fissore, a man of very bad
reputation, with whom Ferreri had been seen on the day of his
disappearance.

On being arrested, Fissore admitted having committed the crime, but not
alone, and named as his accomplices three others, Martinengo, Boulan,
and a prostitute, named Ada. All three strenuously denied their guilt.
They all appeared perfectly normal.

But after a month of investigations, Martinengo, a tipsy porter of
thirty-five, the son and grandson of drunkards, who at first had
advanced an alibi, after being confronted several times with Fissore,
admitted his complicity, and in the latter's absence added various
details to his (Fissore's) version.

The four accused persons were examined anthropologically with the
following results:

Boulan had the appearance of an honest country notary with broad
forehead, precocious grey hairs and baldness, small jaws and a
well-shaped mouth. He was a quiet man and had only once come into
conflict with the law, but for an action which is not a crime in the
eyes of an anthropologist (striking a carabinier who had ill-treated his
father). He worked hard at his trade, which was that of a journeyman
baker, and showed his kindly nature by substituting for sick comrades.
He showed great attachment to all his companions, relatives, and family,
and was generally beloved. In short, he was an honest, hard-working man.
His alibi was corroborated by several persons who had been playing cards
with him on the evening of the crime.

The second prisoner, Ada, although a prostitute, had never shown other
criminal tendencies; she had adopted her calling in order to maintain
her father and children, of whom she was very fond.

Martinengo, who had admitted his complicity, had no previous
convictions. He was, however, an individual of earthy hue, with
precocious wrinkles. Height, 5 feet, 3 inches (1.60 m.); span of the
arms, 5 feet, 7 inches (1.70 m.); flattened, nanocephalous head, normal
urine (phosphates 3.1), but anomalous reflex action and senses. Rigid,
unequal pupils, tongue and lips inclined towards the right, shaky hand,
astasia, aphasia, strong rotular reflex action, absence of cutaneous and
cremasteric reflexes, illegible handwriting--a defect of long standing,
since it was also found in writing dating back nine months before his
arrest, uncertainty and errors of pronunciation (bradyphasia and
dysarthria), complete insensibility to touch