The herald., 1894-02-13
TO IDENTIFY THEM.
TIE FRENCH SYSTEM OF MAKING
sURE OF CRIMINALS.

Enable the Police Of All Countries
to Hunt Down 1Ealefactors-
DR.. Alphonse Bertillon. the author of
the French system for the Identification
Of criminals, writes as follows in re-
gard to the best means for making it of
general use by the police of the large
capitals of Europe:
The growing ease and rapidity of
communication between the great cities
Of Europe have so lessened distances that
the intercourse between the police of the
various countries daily becomes more
frequent. London, fer example, may
now be said to extend as far as Paris,
and Brussels is practically suburb of
the French capital. In the midst of
these daily exchanges of good services
where is the officer who has not longed
for the creation of an international de-
\ scriptivo--or distinctive mark, signal
eltiQuesmethod and language?
Elm the other branches OF human ac-
tivity, especially I'm electricity, con-
crosses have, in proportion to the nee
essity, supplied this want Of universal
understanding. 1t is thus that the cleo
trical units watt, ampere, volt, etc.
have been created and unanimously
adopted. Why should not the police of
civilized-er policed, for it is all one
countries doa much for the description
and notation Of the different shapes of
forehead, nose, color of the eye, etc.?
ssThere exist under the name of hip
poloey whole treatises filled with words
of English origin for the description of
the coat and the points of the horse.
For the desoriptiop Of the human being
all seems left teschance- Nothing was
attempted in thE difsction until the APP
pointment BY Mr.. Asquith of the COM
mission for ceiHpatipg the different
methods Of Identification and descrip-
ssThis commission found at Paris, by
the side Of systsm of measurement
which has borne stkne little testimony
everywhere, very carefully considered
method Of describing the human body,
and thsface in partmplar. There is in
this neither invention nor personal pro-
prietorship. My Intervention has con-
sisted in Transporting and adapting to
the wants of the poaice the procedures
of description in use u anatomical sci
ences, and particulart in anthroPology.
Anthropometry, properly SO called.
is only part Of thatSwhole knowledge
necessary in tracking criminals, and its
sole aim is to supply9a basis of CLASH
fication. One is able BY means of the
metrical information supplied by it to
classify several .hundrd thousand indi-
v1dual notifications. But let me hasten
to say that these notifications should
themselves always be accompanied by
an abstract of particular marks found
upon the person examined, and it is this
last document much more than the
agreement of measurements which is
appealed to to give judicial certainty to
an ulterior identification.
At Paris photographs of the perRa
In profile and full face are added, whicn
by themselves also afford the certainty
of Identification. Thus the elements of
certainty are not wanting. A photo
graph or impression of the ear would
alone suffice to establish an identity. 1t
is, as matter Of fact, impossible among
Toe, coo individualssto find two ears ex-
actly alike--except in the case of twin
brothers.
The great advantage of adding to the
anthropemsffical notification complete
descriptive photograph of person is
that the police are provided with docu-
ment which, in case of fresh ofense,
Of escape. ETC., can be looked to to rem
der the greatest possible assistance.
ut may be we'll to add to these ele-
ments of information, clearly independ-
emit OF one another-measurement, par
ticular marks and profile photograph
which, together, 10 years experience
has shown to be absolutely infallible-
fourth element, finger tip impress
sions' Q'impression des fligrsmmes du
pouce). 1t goes without saying that l
see no major difficulty in it. But am
afraid that the exercise of the process
may at first sight appear much more
simple than it really is. In the first
place, let me repeat that the finger tip
process neither does away with nor re-
places in any way judicial anthropom-
etry, for these delineatiens are SO diver
nt6ed that they do not offer an adequate
element Of ciassiication-that is a point
which no ono disputes. Therefore the
finger tip process sheuld be considered
as afording supplementary information
only, capable at the most of replacing
photography.
Moreover, does not Mr.. F. Cation
himself say that the examination of
these impressions can be properly made
only by means OF Photographic enlarge
mentsf Then why not photograph the
man himself whose measurements have
Just been taken?
must own, however, that up to the
present have always postponed the full
trial Of the finger tip process on account
OF the unpleasantness Of sending all my
mbjects before the court with their fin
gers more or less blackened, for every
body knows hew viscous printing ink is
and how difficult to get off. Never
theless | have quite determined, if
the process should become customary
in England, to petition the minister of
the interior and the project of police for
the requisite authority to add it to the
antbropometric description great is
the importance that attach to interna-
tional uniformity in police communica-
fions New York Herald