The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-27
NO PIcKPoCKErs ESCAPE.
An ingenious Method of Identifying
Professionals in Paris


rangements, however, these unwelcome
guest were not forG Jttsl. A special de-
tective force was organized to looS after
them. Wherever there is q crowd waiting
at the entrances, listening TO bands, filling
the passages or thronging round offsets of
special interest there is sure to he detect
i've In it. The French system of Identifying
prisoners, coupled with the prompt and
severe punishment melted out t. them, has
struck terror into the ranks of professional
pickpockets, and is thus described il tire
Pail Mall Gazette. One of the first things
done when the French police arrest anyone
is to measure him and see if he is not in
their books already. The measurement
and Identification department in Paris is in
the Palais de Justice, and the Gazette cor-
respondent had an interview there the
other day with NJ. Alphonse Bertillon, the
inventor of the authropomstrical system.
NJ. Bertillon was operating in a large
square room. There were shelves on ons
side containing thousands Of cards, with
the photographs and records of criminals.
Several assistants were busy taking meas
urements to add to the collection.
my system for identifying criminals
said II. Bertillon, was adopted by the
French police four years ago and is now III
operation throughout the whole of France.
1t was found that many old offenders es-
capped detection. the classification of crimi-
mails under their names was not satisfactory.
1t is in their interest to keep their anteced-
ents hidden and to give 1als5 names. The
Paris police had amassed in ten years 100,-
600 photographs, but it was impossible to
search this collection every time an arrest
was made. Now the search can be made in
a few minutes. We now classify our photo
graphs and cards giving the antecede ITS of
prisoners under measurements based .on
system of anthro pom strical desCriptio is.
This system is simple and certain. Identi-
fication does not depend on the uncertainty
of a name or the doubtfulness Of q photo
graph. We take no notice of names, and
photographs might be dispensed with.
Criminals are classified under measurements
of CO. thin bony parts Of the hu nan frame
We have here 1000 photographs and cards
with the record OF adult male prisoners
who have passed through the hands of the
police.
1--WE begin our classification with the
measurement of the length of the head.
We found by experience that it was better
to begin with the head rather than The stat
ure. The size of the skull can not be
changed, but prisoners refuse to stand up
straight when their hight Is being taken.
The exact hight could not be obtained except
to within three centimetres, while the length
Of the head can be measured to millimetre.
We divide the length of the head into three
classes-short, medium AMI long-which re-
duces our collection to 10000. Then we take
the width of the head, and making three sub
divisons-of narrow, medium and wide-we
have 5000 left. Next We take the le 18th of
the middle finger, and again making three
classes, as we do with all our measurements,
we have 20J0 photographs left. We con-
tinue on the same system with the measure
fSLa FOOT fNaf fbn hirrl,t
etc., until we reduce our collection of o.
900 photographs to six. But you will see
the system in operation.
"Call in that maa who vas arrested on
the race course yesterday, said M. Bertillon
to an assistant The charge against the
man was watch stealing, bu5 he swore that
il was all mistake.
Have you ever been here before"
Mon Dieu, no.
"Never been measured here?'
Certainly not"
"Where did you come from"
"Geneva.n
'Where did you reside last?'
"Bruss .lSn
"a popularity of the International thief,n
remarked NJ. Bertillon. The prisoner SUD-
mitted calmly to be measured. He was
placed on stool and the length of his head
taken with a special compass made for the
purpose. One leg of it was placed in the
hollow above the bridge of the nose, and
the other moved round to fad the greatest
length behind, The compass shows the
length to a mlllmeter. Next the brea 18th
of the head was taken-from one parietal
bono to the otner. Another instrument
was used for taking the length of the mid
de finger. "Fnese three are the surest
measurements" said NJ. Bertillon, ''and
give the best results" The measurement
of the left foot was next taken. Tne pfis-
oner was barefooted, and was made to
stand on the left foot when its measure
mont was being taken. The process con
continued with the length of the ear. OF thu
forearm, lengat of the arms extended, tae
hight, and the color Of the ewes. L 10 color
of the eyes is registered according to the
intensity of the fermentation of the iris,
but it requires some experience to record
CHS DESCRIPTION accurately. 1t is used
most in the classification Of young persons
who have not reached maturity. After the
man was measured search OF five minutes
showed that he was an old thief VINO had
bean expelled from France, and was now
liable to a very heavy punishment.
The next man brought Ill was an Italian.
After he was measured the card was
handed to me to find him among the $1,000
records of prisoners in the room Boxes of
cards with photog apps and description
are systematically arranged on the shelves.
The length of heads is divided into three
series: Short up TO 1873 millimete s, medium
from 1874 to 189, aud long to 1919 upward.
You can see at glance in which ella your
prisoner is to be found. This ore was in the
medium list. Looking at tina three subdi-
visions in which this was divided we saw
where he was catalogued for breadth f
heal. The measurements are carefully
marked OF the outside of the beavers or
boxes containing the card, SO that all yol
have to do is to pess our eve down the
shelves. No other search was required until
/ reduced the collection to one box full OF
about thirty photographs. l pulled it out
and found that it again contained sub liy!-
sions until only about six were left to ex-
anime. "Olr man is among that lot if he
mas been here BEFORE" said NJ. Bertillon.
a d I commenced to examine them. Com
pare the figures, don't look at the photo
gra phs," said the chief. There is nothing
more deceptive. We are never guided by
the photograph" Two measurements fire.
auently coincide, but when three or four
are the same it IS suspicious. The Italian
was easily found, although there was
no photog aph GA his card. h protested,
as usual, that he had never been arrested
in his life.
1--WE measure from 100 to $50 prisoners
day,n continued NJ Der illon, and if a man
has been here before we never miss him,
and the police are rarely mistaken with
their man. They receive a premium on
l - n