Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-07-16
THUMB AUTOGRAPHS.
Tho Most Reliable and Safest Means OF
Iden tltlca ton.

Two men Of science In two different
cour tries-Mr. Francis Cation in En-
gland aud NJ. BertiIlon in France
have lately recommended a means Of
ldep tifcation which policemen and de-
tectives. with all their ingen uity. seem
never to have employed. These gen.
tlenen have observed that the human
thumb. dipped in ink. in blood, black
lead or in any other loose. adhering
substance, and pressed upon a sheet Of
paper, leaves mark which is per-
fectly characteristic of the individual.
Mr.. Galton has remarked that no
two persons thumbs make the same
mark; the lines and depressions in the
skin, which make q series of wave
lines when pressed upon paper, are
never the same in two different indi-
viduals.
1t is urged that this fact would be
of very great value in the administra-
tion of justice, because a criminals
thumb-mark would be sure means Of
identifying him, no matter what dis
guise he might assume.
If q business man wishes to make
use of q signature which it is quite
impossible to forge or counterfe;t, he.
has only to dip his thumb in the ink
bottle and make mark with it in con-
nection with his written nama No
other thumb will make the same
mark, and it would be practically i'm
possible for any one to initiate this
new kind OF photograph" with pen
~ nh,n
'In testimony whereof I hcrcunto
set my hand and thumb" the new
form of subscription may, some time
in the future, run, the seal having by
that time, perhaps, completely gone
out Of use, as it, has now except On Of
fetal documentscahd with fashionable
letter writer's. ..
The experiment with the thumb
mark may be mado by any one who
will take knife-blade, hold it over q
lamp until it's black with smoke, al
low it to COOL. apply the thumb to tho
, black surface and tben press it lightly
upon a slightly sticky bit of paper,
such as the back OF q postage stamp.
Examined with magnifying glass,
the differences in the thumb-marks Of
! different individuals como out very
strongly. ~:
According to Mr.. Galton. thumbs
run in family groups, dividing them
selves. as it wore, into seven or eight
distinct typos or grand divisions; but
within these divisions the differences
, are SO ma ked as TO leave no chance
for confusion. Youths Companion.
Why lllinoisans Are Called Suckers.
The first settlements of Illinois were
made in the southern portion Of thc
State. The land was now and rich,
and yielded abundantly with but little
cultivation; but there were no means
of transportation or markets, and
money was scarce and hard to get, an
old fashioned picayune looking rs biz
as the bottom OF u half-bushe!. and
was carefully boarded to meet some
contingency. AS result of = this
state Of things all the surplus popula.
tion regularly every spring took up
their line Of march to the Galena lead
mines, whore they worked during the
summer; and as regularly every ial
took up their line Of march for their
homes in the southern part of tho
State. This beng the habit OF that
numerous family OF fsh called Suck
ers, which then, as now. asconded the
Streams in the spring and descended
in tho fall, the bands Of illinois set
tiers nuctuatinp between their home:
and the mines soon became known al
Suckers, and later ON the name was
generally applied md Illinois became
known a. the Sucker State and hei
people as Suckers --Galesburg Oil.
Register.
! The. little prayer beginning