Alkali Indicator Trick Fools Murderer into Confessing

A contemporary legend dating from the 1970s concerns cops who get a crook to confess by convincing him that a photocopier is a lie detector (“The Colander Lie Detector”). In a similar vein, there are earlier stories about clever cops who fool an unsophisticated murderer by using an alkali indicator to turn his hands red, which he is led to believe are traces of his victim’s blood. I have found three variants of this tale, all from comic books from three different publishers. Does it appear anywhere else in print media or TV or film? Has it ever been told as true?

 https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=31044

 “Blood on His Hands!” Western Thrillers #3, Dec. 1948.

https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=15038

 C. H. Moore, “How They Were Trapped!” (detail), Crime Does Not Pay #88, June 1950.

https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=19517

 “Down the Drain,” Crime and Justice #14, July 1953.

Organ Theft Rumors (India) – Mudflat Victims (Alaska) – Gay Passenger Kicked Off Flight (1992 legend)

https://www.boomlive.in/fake-news/child-kidnapping-rumours-revived-with-debunked-images-8896

 

BOOM [India], 15 July 2020

 

Child Kidnapping Rumours Revived With Debunked Images Child kidnapping rumours which in the past have led to mob attacks, are being revived on Facebook and WhatsApp.

 

After a brief lull, rumours about child kidnappers disguised as beggars, taking children away and selling their organs have made a comeback on social media. The fake messages are being shared with old unrelated photos with text and audio warning about child kidnappers.

 

One such viral message is in Telugu and claims that about 500 child kidnappers have left from Bihar and are headed towards Jharkhand. […]

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https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/2020/07/13/the-true-history-of-cook-inlets-deadly-mudflats/

 

Anchorage Daily News [Alaska], 14 July 2020

 

The true history of Cook Inlet’s deadly mudflats

 

The deadly mudflats that line Cook Inlet, Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm are the setting for some of the most enduring and gruesome Anchorage urban legends. All the stories begin with an unlucky soul wandering too close to the water and becoming trapped in the quicksand-like mud. From there, victims either drown in the rising tide or are ripped in half by a rope attached to a helicopter.

 

The exact details vary. Sometimes the victim is a tourist who strayed a little too far from the trails. Sometimes the victim is a member of a wedding photoshoot, an attempt for that perfect Alaska background turned tragic. Sometimes the victim is a duck hunter who pleaded to be shot, preferring a quick death over drowning. The longer you live in Anchorage, the more versions you will hear. […]

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“Playboy After Hours,” Playboy, July 1992, p. 14. A mix-up between an airplane passenger named Gay and two gay passengers. “Hell, I’m gay, too – they can’t kick us all off!”