The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-19

| about eight inches square, and the out
lined figure OF man is printed on both
sides. One side shows front view OF the
Inquire, with the hands and arms straight
down at the sides, and the other shows
the rear figure. Blank cpaces are provided
Tor the mans name, age, height, nation
atty color of his eyes and a few minor
questions that might assist in identifying
him.
When a man shows up to recruit the
surgeon strips him and subjects him to a
scrutiny for scars, moles, tattooing and
other permanent marks on the body. He
indicates with ink on the card the nature
of any marks, and the card is sent to
Washington, where there is a card on file
for every man in the service. In fact, the
military detective bureau, under the sur
geon-general Of the War Department, is a
most important concern.
When man is honorably discharged
his card is destroyed. When man de-
serts or commits any other military
ottense the commander of the post at
which he is stationed forwards his name to
the department and his card IS removed
from the alphabetical files. The mans
name is then lost sight of entirely and his
card IS CLASSIFIED in a criminal file by the
section IN which his most prominent scar
is located. If his most prominent scar is
on the right foot his card is placed on the
rlght-foot file. If he has several large
scars in different sections duplicate cards
are made out and a card is filed in the
proper file for each scar
1t is claimed for this system that it has
never yet failed. No two men have ever
been found to have scars just alike. Some
have half dozen permanent marks,
others as many as six times that many.
Criminals are not captured by any particu-
car class of marks, but by a combination
OF marks.
When man deserts his name is for
warded to the bureau by the commander
OF the post and his card is filed with the
undesirable men, according to his most
prominent scar. If the man re-enlists he
naturally presents himself in a strange re-
crulting office under false name. He is
enlisted and examined like ell new re-
cruits and his Identification card is for
warded to the department. Cards of cur
rent recruits are examined by corps of
CLERKS Tor the most prominent scar. This
scar is marked with a circle of red ink and
compared with cards on file of the Grimm
ais with scars in an identical location.
Ii the card shows no identical scars with
the card OF a criminal, it is filed alphabet
cally; but if one scar is identical with that
OF criminal all the other sears are COM
pared with that criminals card, and if the
two cards tally the new recruit will find
himself in a guardhouse without much
more delay than is required to transmit a
telegraph message to the commander of
the post at which the enlistment took
place.
In the Naval Department a similar
bureau exists. 1t is separate and distinct,
OF course, from the Military Detective
Bureau, but the system is identical. When a
marine or sailor deserts or is dshonorably
discharged his name is dropped from the
alphabetical list and his Identification
| card, by marks, is not only filed among
the undesirable men" at the Naval
Bureau but also sent to the War Depart
ment Bureau. Criminal cards are likewise
J transmitted from War to Naval bureau.
Thus double comparison is made, one in
each department, and a deserter or Grim
NAL from the navy is thus barred from the
army, while an army deserter or criminal
Will seek to enter the navy in vain.
As was remarked above, hard times may
drive great many into the ranks; but
still forever there will be the proverbial
recruit who is intent on seeking the bub-
bic reputation even in the cannon's
mouth; or the one who, crossed in love,
thus fees the vanities of heartless world
and still forever will the young seeker after
adventure in the service be disappointed
IN the mouotonous routine of a soldiers
life IN time of peace.