Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1897-08-10


of the system will be required. In fact,
the chiefs of police of other cities have
begun to visit the Chicago bureau to
perfect themselves in the system in
vogue here. In comparison with the
benefits to be secured, the cost of
the system of maintaining cen
trail bureau OF Identification, at the
most a matter of Il few thousand dol
lars year, which will be shared by so
many cities that it will be noticed by
none, is slight.
One of the obstacles with which Off
GERS have had to contend in identi-
! flying criminals, and which would form
a fascinating chapter of criminal life,
is their practice of obliterating the
marks by which they are the most
easily recognized. All of the common
marks like scars, wens, moles or tat
too marks are likely to be effaced or al
tered, and it is this fact that gives the
! Bcrtillon system its value. Another
| difficulty is often encountered in the
refusal of criminals to submit to the
camera. Force is often necessary to
bold them before the instrument, and
then they will so distor-t their features
that a correct likeness is hard to take.
In altering their scars and other marks,
the ingenuity shown is often remark
able. One of the most common in
stances is the changing of The form OF
sears with u knife. with hot iron, or
| by the use of acids. Their treatment
Of themselves or of each other is he
role The printed description of one
notorious malbox thief gave him as
carrying upon his abdomen a tattooed
cruciiiXion scene and on his arm the
| figure of woman. He was arrested on
one occasion, when his Identification. so
far as his features were concerned. was
perfect, but none of the tattoo marks
were to be found. So certain were his
captors of his identity that they sub
iected him TO a close examination, with
the result of finding that the marks
upon his abdomen had been entirely
removed by tearing away the skin
from an area of several inches, but
scars in the same place showed where
ucw skin had been grated to replace it.
/ On his arm, Instead of the figure of
! u
bunch of flowers. A close examination
with glass disclosed that the flowers
had been pricked into the skin in such
n way as to entirely cover the Original
design of the female figure.
Among the lower classes of criminals,
like petty thieves, the fondness for tat
tooing is marked, particularly in the
nf fhnCa
Often these marks have been acquired
while their owners we're members of
band of young criminals who had
formed themselves into a secret organi-
zation and marked themselves with let
ters or designs which they would be
glad to get rid of when they are farther
advanced in crime. However the marks
may have been acquired. their owners
are sooner or later in a position when
dnything which will distinguish them
is not desirable, and they set about re-
moving the offending designs, at the
cost OF an amount of suffering worthy
of some better object
Distinguishing scars may be treated
with knife or hotirsn in such a way as
to change their original shape. warts or
noles may be renewed, but the position
= and size of the scar remaining will cor
respond With the original description
and the experienced officer is not to be
thrown off the trGcl, by such devices
Changing their appearance By shay
: ing off mustache letting the bearG
grow. or shaving 3: of, are the most
common eXpedients of criminals. The
barber is the first resort Of the criminal
, in escaping Identification Well known
as these tricks are, they are often suffi-
) cient to cause the officers plenty OF
trouble before the Bertillon descrip-
tions can be secured Even the best of
detectives are often puzzled by so sim.
pie an operation as shaving off the
mustache, while the appearance OF
some criminals may be so changed by
growing a beard that the officers may
be Temporarily baffled. But the clever
est criminal is not bile to alter his stat
ure. the length of his feet, or the color
of his eyes. and sooner or later, If he
continue his career of crime, he will
find himself In the hands of the Bertil-
Ion experts who record the measure
ments from which he cannet escape.
A. 8. CHAPMAN.