The Washington times., 1901-09-29
TO IDENTIFY CRIMINALS.
Methods Proposed by the National
Bureau to Be Located Here.
Many Valuable Features to He
Added to the BertilliOn system
How Thieves Are Traced-rhe Ear
the Only InfalIabIe Evidence.

The removal OF the National Bureau
e of Criminal Identification from Chica
q go to this city, as at present contem
= plated, makes the subject of crimina
, identification a pertinent one in th'
| consideration of the police authorities
Should the bureau become a Govern
mcnt institution. and it is said that {
bill to have it made so will be brough
before the next Congress, the question
of arranging the immense number o1
photographs and descriptions of Grim
inals so as to render anyone available
after brief search, will become of par
amount Importance.
The work of the bureau under its
present organization is limited in scope
only extending to those cities which
contribute toward its maintenance. In
the event of its being made Govern
ment Institution. every officer of the law
in the country having need of it could
obtain the picture, record and descrip-
ton of any person that had ever been
convicted in any part of the country,
| and thus be able to trace out their
methods and deal with them to the
limit of the law. This plan, efficiently
carried out. would place this country
on par with France in regard to po-
lice regulations.
The Bertillon system, which would
undoubtedly be the one employed in
| the bureau in the case of its becoming
national in scope, Is perhaps the most
| wonderful method of classification and
| arrangement, as we'll as of identitica-
ton, ever devised. In the city of Paris,
| for example, where the system is to be
found in its perfection, the collection OF
| descriptions numbers over three hun
dred thousand. Yet this immense col
| lection has been so compiled and class
| ified that even where the name is ur-
| known any given decription can be
| found in two minutes.
Although the Bertillon system of
measurements is now in general use in
| the larger cities Of this country, II is to
| be noted that most of the descriptions
| of criminals in the "RogueS' Gallery"
| in this city. for instance, were obtained
| in a general sort of manner, and, for
| purposes of identification, are said to
| be practically valueless. This is owing
| to the fnaccuracy with which the public
| uses descriptive terms. The ordinary
observer, in seeking to convey an idea
of another's personal appearance, does
not try TO define. but to depict. For in
stance. people speak -of black eyes,
while, in fact black eyes are an i'm
possibility. The pupil of the eye is al
ways black. but the iris never, and even
the eye of negro or an Arab is only
of a dark maroon color.
OF late years the Identification of
criminals has received more attention
from the authorities in every country
than any other branch OF the police SER
vice AS a consequence, many methods
have been devised for establishing, be-
yond all reach of doubt the question of
personal identity. This involves the
question as to the most distinguishing
characteristic or characteristics by
which to establish identity. DR.. Ed
ward Schaeffer, the eminent micro
scopist, of this city. has a theory which
he has had several occasions of putting
to the test, once very recently. DR..
Schaeffer believes that the imprint of a
persons hand, so made that the minute
ridges of flesh are plainly to be dis |
cerned, is a sufficient mark of identity |
when it can be compared with another |
print of the hand. In the case adverted |
to. in which DIR. Schaeffer had occasion |
to a certain extent to employ this test |
question arose as TO whether the inn
print of bloody hand upon a window |
sill was made by the victim or his slay
er. Owing to the developments of the
fIa tnSf
ployed further than To indicate the sex I
of the person who had made the hand
print. and to show. from prints taken
from the hand of the victim after death,
that 1t could not have been made by
him 1t has been urged that this meth
cd of taking hand prints be adopted by
the Government in addition to anthro-
pometry, as a means of criminal iden-
tification.
The formation of the ear is another
characteristic which, it is said, serves
as a certain mark of identified ton. The
similarity of two photographs may
often be confusing to the uninitiated OBJ
server, and may even cause an expert
to hesitate when both happen to be
taken in fuii-face pose. This hesita-
ton, say the advocates of the ear
theory, is impossible where a profile
portrait Is adjoined, for, even should
there be a resemblance between the
two profles. there will invariably be a
distinct difference in the formation of
the ear. supposing the originals are diff
ferent people. Nature makes no two
blades of grass alike. and there are no
two ears in the world which are abso-
lutely identical, as there is even a
marked difference to the experienced
observer, between the right and left |
ears OF the same person.
Owing to the great variety of its |
curves and hollows. the ear, like the
hand, would seem to recommend itself
as mark of Identity, and 1t has the
advantage over the latter of being
much more apparent. not having to de-
pend upon delicate prints made under ,
certain conditions or On minute ex- I
animation. Moreover, the ear seems to {
Undergo no modification of form from
he time Of birth until death In the S
'arious photographs of a professional
rinlinal, taken at considerable intervals !
throughout his life the expression of | !
lis face, the form. of his mouth the ar
and abundance of his hair.
ii change. but his ear remains unalter- c
lble. and the identity of its formation t
n different photographs is sufficient to .
firm the identity of the individual. h
1t is said that the lack of uniformity | &