Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1895-05-24
TO IDENTIFY THEM.
THE FRENCH SYSTEM OF MAKING
SURE OF CRIMINALS.

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Method Based on Anatomical Science.
Would Enable the Police OF All Countries
to Hunt Down NIalefaotors.
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 1t Of
general use by the police of the large
capitals of Europe:
1.-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, for example, may
now be said to extend as far as Paris,
and Brussels is practically a suburb Of
the French capital. La the midst of
these daily exchanges of good services
where is the officer who has not longed
for the creation of an international de-
scriptive-or distinctive mark, signal
eltiques--method and languagef
I'm the other branches of human ac-
tivity, especially IN electricity, con-
crosses have, in proportion to the nee
essity, supplied this want Of universal
understanding. 1t is thus that the elec-
trical units-watt, ampere. volt, etc.
have been created and unanimously
adopted. Why should not the police of
civilized--or policed, for it Is all one
countries do as much for the description
and notation of the different shapes OF
forehead, nose, color OF the eye, etc.S
There exist under the name of hip
pology whole treatises filed with words
of English origin for the description OF
the coat and the points of the horse.
For the description of the human being
all seems left to chance. Nothing was
attempted in this direction until the APP
pointment by Mr.. Asquith of the COM
mission for comparing the different
methods of Identification and descrip-
ton.
This commission found at Paris, by
the side of system of measurement
which has borne some little testimony
everywhere, very carefully considered
method Of describing the human body,
and the face in particular. There is in
this neither invention nor personal pro-
prietorship. My Intervention has con-
sisted in transporting and adapting to
the wants of the police the procedures
of description in use in anatomical sci
ences, and particularly in anthropology.
"Anthropometry, properly SO called,
is only part Of that whole knowledge
necessary in tracking criminals, and its
sole aim is to supply basis OF CLASH
fication.' One is able by means of the
metrical information supplied by it to
classify several hundrd thousand indi-
vldual 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 1t 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 person
q PRONE anu iu,l Iacs aie auaeu, wnlen vie.
.nelnseises aiso aloiu 'ns cerls..u'y
"a iuen.inoa'ion nus eio e'e'nsn's y
ceI.ainsy are ". Wansins. : pno'v
siapn " ihipiesslon - .ns eAI MVu,u :.
aioue sulioe - sssaoiisn an luen'i'y. s
y, oo as ood q ,a',er ~ iac', ~ a..'ous
tov,ooV inuiViuuais 20 hnu two ea1s 81
actiy aiiAe-eAcep' y siie lass y s"in
oro.ners'
Ine great advantage or ADDING 70 tne
antnropometricai notincation arumpiele
descriptive photograph q person y
tnat tne ponce are proviaea win = docu-
ment wnicn. N case q 2 Iresn oliensa'
OF escape etc, can pc looked % % rem
oei tne greatest possible assistance.
IL may pe wen 70 aad 70 these eie-
ments OF information clearly independ-
ent or one anotner-measurement, par