The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-11-10
Weekly Letter on
Municipal affairs
New York. Nov. 10,

New York, Nov. 10.
<<1>IIE BERTILLON system for the identified
tion of criminals was born in France
i but it has been perfected in America,
said the superintendent of state prisons
of New York the other day. "The world owe:
NJ Bertillon debt of gratitude ii nothing
more substantial, for invcnting most ingeniou.
system of protecting the lives and property o
citizens. The system is so complete and positive
in its workings that errors are practically I'M
possible. While NJ. Bertillon has given the
principles, we have added to and perfected many
OF the details in adapting it to American uses
and these improvements save hours Of labor be
sides increasing its efficiency.
"The system was inaugurated in this state ir
July, 1896, since which date we have accumu
lated more than $4,000 cards, each pne represent
ing criminal who has been inmate of some
penal institution in the state under sentence, al
some time since the bureau was established. O
these convicts, 24,411 are over 81 years of age
3,6l0 are under FL years. ,232 are women.
''The records are carefully classified and the
system is so perfected that should you ask for
the record of any one OF the 100000 for the pur.
pose of testing the system, we could turn to his
record in thirty seconds after completing his
measurements. The criminal may change his
name and resort to all sorts OF ways Of alter.
ing his appearance; he may grow full beard
or wear none, wear glasses, dye his hair grow
stout or thin, anything else within his power,
but he cannot avoid identification, for he cannot
change his bones. There is where we have him;
it is an infalliblc method Of determining the
identity Of any person whose measurements have
once been taken.
''The New York state bureau is by far the
largest in the United States, and it is the only
one under state control. The only other bureau,
of any consequence. is that under the control
and management of the chiefs Of police Of the
United States and Canada At the recent session
OF the National Prison association at Cleveland,
steps were taken TO cooperate with committee
from the organization of the chiefs of police,
whose object it is to bring about the establish.
ment of national bureau of Identification which
shall be supported and controlled by the United
States government. The increasing number Of
applications for information to our state bureau,
is sufficient evidence as to the need and useful.
ness Of national bureau to the chiefs of the
police throughout the country, not to say the
world. Only the other day Chief Devery, of
New York, called on us for the record of man
who had been arrested OH suspicion in Berlin
Our records showed that he was a one term man
and that he had been last employed in Philadcl.
phia We inquired about him in that city and
found out that his life, since his discharge from
one Of our prisons, had been exceptionally good
all OF which was transmitted to Chief Dcvery,
who in turn cabled the information to the Berlin
authorities and the man was discharged. At
that Cleveland meeting it was decided to make
this bureau national in its scope, until such q
time as the United States government should see
fit to take up the work. Since then our b,isi.
ness has largely increased.
"There are about 400 cities Of 10000 pop,ila.
tion and over, onetenth of which are making
Use of the Bertillon system We are glad to
render assistance to any Sty in the United
States. system for an Interchange of records
among the cities now using the Bertillon iepart-
ment which makes the life OF the criminal classes
more OF a burden than ever, is now in operation.
A part of a mans record is good photograph,
front and side view, which, being sent to the
leading cities in different parts Of the country,
familarizes the police authorities of every section
with his record, and thus renders it impossible
for a criminal to remain long in hiding. II the
system were in universal use, this country would
BIZ too small for the professional crook
There is an increasing tendency as well as an
increasing need, among cities of 25,O0O popula-
tion and upward, to organize and equip all de-
parments along modern lines. Unfortunately
most Of these cities take New York as model,
thereby adopting its imperfectons Politics
dirty American politios-will be found at the
bottom Of nine tenths Of the blacknailing and
other schemes OF the police departments. The
enormity of this system is likely to be revealed
once more IN New iork clty ny the investigation
which has been set on foot by Bishop Potter
New Yorl.'s police department Is the most ex-
pensi,e one In the world, not excepting London,
although il is only about half the size Of the
London force. 1t has property consisting of
land, buildings apparatus and forth--yaued
at nearly $i,OOO,O00 and it will cost not far
from $i,O0O00O TO run the department in 1901.
AT present the pay roll includes 7,i04, OF
whom G,2io are patrolmen, sol officers. 90 de-
tectiyes, Dab mounted patrolmen and l02 bicycle
patrolmen. Sixtytwo patrol wagons are also
employed Last year l3ss7j arrests were made,
OF which 4i,0l3 were for drunkenness.
Chief William $. Deyew, despite the many
criticisms OF the man as a man, Is most ef-
ticent officer when he sets out to be. lie has
worked his way mp from the ranks by a long and
faithful service, having filled every position in
Gotham's great department. from patroman to
chief. lie was appointed to his present position
by Mayor Van Wyck on May 81, 1895.
In referring to the work of his detective force,
he told story about q case Of what Is tech
nically known as .'pennyweighting, which dis.
played remarkable amount OF nerve on the
part Of the criminal and of ceverness on the part
Of his detective force. "All crimes" said the
chief, shaving tha illegal gain OF money as their
end, may be divided into two classcs-thosc
which require mere physical force or lucky op.
portunity, and those which depend upon superior
ability and intelligence. What is called pen
nyweightlng' is classed among the latter.
''Thc methods Of the pennywcighter. were clev-
erly shown by one of the substituting fraternity
in an almost sw,'c'.s,i o'.-''''' - 80 r'-.-.