The Power of Textual Analysis

Sometimes specific scientific techniques may disclose the concealed and unobservable pattern of the events behind the postulated and quite different occurrences - although the persons involved may have been absolutely certain that such events could never be disclosed.

Carl Jonas Love Almqvist (1793-1866) is one of Sweden's greatest authors. He also had a modern liberal attitude to sexual morals. As a result of this he had many enemies. Around 1850 he was suspected of murder and embezzlement. Knowing that he would not get a fair trial, he escaped to America.

It can safely be taken for granted that if he was not guilty of embezzlement, he was neither guilty of murder. Later generations of literary critics have engaged in some speculation around these crimes. But the final and non-speculative conclusion can be found in Jägerskiöld (1987).

In one document supposed to prove the embezzlement, the beginning and the end of Almqvist's signature are found before and after the seal, while the middle part of the signature is apparently covered by the seal. Now, modern technology has verified that there is no writing underneath the seal. This is a clear indication of the fact that the signature was not written by Almqvist but was forged.

Digression. It is a recurrent phenomenon in science that certain theories or hypotheses will not be falsified, but will collapse under the weight of the supporting assumptions necessary to uphold them. I think this methodological device is sufficiently interesting to be exemplified here. Could Almquist have signed the first and the last part of his name, but left out the middle part that seemingly was covered by the seal

Such a strategy would entail the following supporting assumptions. (a) Almquist had reckoned that this document would be preserved for some one hundred years. (b) He had also expected that science would meanwhile have developed techniques that could detect that there was no text underneath the seal. (c) He must have expected that someone in the distant future would undertake the work of investigating this document.

In chapter 40 some aspects of the case of Violet were described. The central point is that some occurrences that had not been directly observed, were nevertheless disclosed with certainty. Someone else than Violet had written a short-story about what she had experienced, and at the training sessions Violet had made the mistake of memorising the sheer verbal formulations.

Now we shall encounter the same pattern in the case of Embla. (Both cases are presented in much detail in Scharnberg, 1996.)

Fourteen-year-old Embla was more fond of social company than most people of her age. But she had no really close friend. On a certain Thursday Swedish television broadcasted a section of the TV series Degrassy Highschool. Embla's schoolmate Jane video-taped this episode. On the following Sunday Embla visited Jane, and they saw this episode together on video. Although the actors are older, they are meant to be of an age when young people will experience their first kiss. One girl confides to her best friend that her mother's boyfriend abused her when she was 11 years old. Her friend consoles her and caresses her, the girls are weeping together, head against head; the scene is deeply moving. Embla may have felt that it would be wonderful to be so treated by Jane, so she said, "I will give you a letter tomorrow."

The following day at school she handed over a letter according to which her father had slept with her, licked her breasts, and inserted his fingers into her vagina. There is no indication of her having considered the possibility that anyone might be harmed. And if the matter had been handled in a rational way by the school and others, Embla might not even have lost face. But very soon the authorities were informed, and two hours later the father was arrested.

The procedures by means of which the secret patterns of events in the cases of Violet and Embla were unearthed, are described in much detail in Scharnberg (1996).

The readers have in this book been given a close insight into how I proved that it was Fanny Mollbeck who fabricated all the abuse events, and who indoctrinated Elvira. No other expert has suspected Allmo/Mollbeck of having this central role.

Allmo/Mollbeck could have learned from many different sources that I was writing a book about the Elvira case. But she must have been highly astonished to learn that I had managed to reveal her central role.

How and when did she find out about it In 2005 the reporter Kristina Hjertén von Gedda published a book whose title means Beyond Reasonable Doubt. Her aim was to present the views of the defendants in five legal cases, without taking a stand on the question of guilt. She interviewed both Oswald and Helena and me. This was the first time when my first cardinal result became available to more than a handful people. Could this also have been the time when Allmo/Mollbeck decided to write her book It is manifest in her book that she is very anxious to disqualify me.



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Uppdaterad: 2009-11-19

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