Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-05-24
TO IDENTIFY THEM.
THE FRENCH SYSTEM OF MAKING
SURE OF CRIMINALS.


gard to the best means for making it 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 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-
scriptive-or distinctive mark, signal
eltiques-method and languageP
''In the other branches of human ac-
tivity, especially In electricity, con-
crosses have, in proportion to the nec-
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-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.?
"There exist under the name of hip
pology whole treatises filled 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 a basis of CLASH
ication. 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 Interior Identification.
"At Paris photographs of the person
in profile and full face are added, which
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, impossi BILE among
100, 900 individuals to find two ears ex-
actly alike-except in the case of twin
brothers.
1.-The great advantage of adding to the
anthrcpometrical notification complete
descriptive photograph of person is
that the police are provided with docu-
ment which, in case of a fresh offense,
of escape, etc., can be looked to to rem
der the greatest possible assistance.
1T may be we'll to add to these ele-
ments of information, clearly independ-
ent of one NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. par
ticular marks and profile photograph
which, together, 10 years experience
has shown to be absolutely infallible-
fourth element, finger tip impress
sions' l'impression des filigrammes du
pouce). 1t goes without saying that l
see no major difficulty in it. But l 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 delineations are SO diver
sifed that they do not offer an adequate
element of lassifcation-that is point
which no one disputes. Therefore the
finger tip process should be considered
as affording supplementary information
only, capable at the most of replacing
photography.
Moreover, does not Mr.. F. Gallon
himself say that the examination oil
these impressions can be properly made
only by means of Photographic enlarge
, ments? 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
: subjects before the court with their fin
. gers more or less blackened, for every
body knows how viscous printing ink il
3 and how difficult to get off. Never
9 theless l have quite determined, i
, the process should become customar,
f in England, to petition the minister o
' the interior and the project of police TO
. the requisite authority to add it to tn
!. anthropometric description-so great i
the importance that attach to interna
s tional uniformity in police communica
2 tions. New York Herald.