The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-07-13
TO IDENTIFY THEM.
THE FRENCH SYSTEM or MAKING
SURE or CRIMINALS.


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, for example, may
now be said to extend as far as Paris,
and Brussels is practically a 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 language?
In 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 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.l
There 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 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 a 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
2 ences, and particularly in anthropology.
E "Anthropometry. properly so called.
? is only part Of that whole knowledge
f, necessary in tracking criminals, and its
e sole aim is to supply basis Of CLASH
( fication. One is able by means of the
= metrical information supplied by II to
! classify several hundrd thousand indi-
= vldual notifications. But let me hasten
e to say that these notifications should
4 themselves always be accompanied by
an abstract Of particular marks found
: upon the person examined. and il Is this
k last document much more than the
5 agreement Of measurements which Is
S appealed to to give judicial certainty tC
o an Interior Identification.
e AT Paris photographs Of the person
o in profile and full face are added. which
e By themselves also afford the certainty
a of Identification. Thus the elements o.
d certainty are not wanting. a photo
r. graph or impression Of the ear woul'
II alone suffice to establish an identity. 1
.e is, as matter of fact, impossible among
100, 900 individuals to find two ears ex
IT actly alike-except in the case Of twill
lie brothers.
f. The great advantage Of adding to tn
it anthrcpometrical notification a complet
is descriptive photograph Of a person l
: that the police are provided with docu
3 ment which. in case OF "A fresh otfense
ut Of escape, ETC., can be looked to to rem
1r der the greatest possible assistance.
er 1T may be we'll to add to these ele
e. ments of information. clearly independ
Of ent OF one another-measureme pan
L. ticular marks and profile photograph
;. which, together. 10 years experienc
IN has shown to be absolutely infallible-
re a fourth element. finger tip impre:
ar sions' d'impressiOn des filigrammes d
m poucel. Ii goes without saying that
a. see no major difficulty in it. But | al
in afraid that the exercise of the proce.
EFF may at first sight appear much mol
es simple than it really is. In the fir
K place. let me repeat that the finger Il
ev process neither does away with nor r
an places in any way judicial anthropou
be etry, for these delineations are SO dive
81 siiied that they do not offer an adequa
an element of classifcation-thatis poii
ON which no one disputes. Therefore q
.ix finger tip process should be considers
in as affording supplementary informati'
lr only Cdpdoie AT TIC lloot "a AcPA1SA'
a.. photography.
Moreover, does not Mr.. F. Calf
himself say that the examination
these impressions can be properly ma
" only by means Of Photographic enlarg
IN mentsg Then why not photograph G
ess man himself whose measurements ha
nd Just been taken?
I'VE Il must own, however, that up TO
re-. present l have always postponed the Il
of. trial OF the finger Tip process on accou
ron Of the unpleasantness Of sending all L
mo subjects before the court with their 4
I've, gers more OF less blackened, for ever
Oh. body knows how viscous printing ink
ire and how difficult to get of. New
the theless | have quite determined.
ifh the process should become customa
Of in England. to petition the minister
raw the interior and the project Of police
nv. the requisite authority to add it to
at anthropometric descriptions great
eel the importance that attach to inter-
! - tional uniformity in police communi'
Inc tions. New York Herald.
The Knife Was All Right.