Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-27

hand thumb, the right-hand thumb index.
middle and ring fingers: and that, discard
ing the left-hand thumb. those of the right
hand are marked respectively, e., u, u.
'e.' This means that on my right hand my
thumb print Is of the 'e' type. my index
finger of the u type, my middle finger of
the u type and my ring finger of the e
type. / am, therefore. Monsieur Euue.
for the purposes of finger-print research"
But each card must be handled?" l OBJ
jected.
Not at all. This 'fiche' containing my
portrait. and so forth, is only photograph
of the original 'fiche' in what you call the
card catalogue of the anthropometric serv-
ice And all it's 'fiches'-the classified origi-
nals-bear a slightly projecting slip OF pa
per on their upper left-hand edge, contain
ing among other information the finger
print name of the party. In searching for
a particular finger-print name, therefore,
the employe has but to run his finger and
eye over these projecting slips. Suppose he
is looking for the 'Messieurs Euue-all
those whose right-hand finger prints are,
respectively. e. e. u u and u che
will not glance at those beginning with l,
% or u And so on.
What was the name of the unknown
who made the finger prints on the broken
glass;" ] asked.
Look for yourself" replied NJ. Bertil-
lon. He placed before me the engagements
he had made from those prints.
II am sure the ring finger prints an o.
| began 'The middle finger makes u. :
And / think the two others are both or the
'e' type. being neither % nor u ana TURN
ing outward
Exactly" exclaimed NJ Bsrtillon. to my
immense relief. There is no doubt posi-
ble-the unknown persons categories are
e. e. ~ and o. Therefore we began the
search for Monsieur Eeuo'!'
But wait a Bit I exclaimed. There
must be thousands and thousands of Mes
sieurs Eeuo in that immense collection
Not so many as you might imagine. re
piled the director of the service. Here Is
a problem for you: How many compina-
tions, permutations and arrangements can
you make with the letters e, L., % ana u
arranged in groups of tours? Remember
that YOU may use each letter four times or
less. or not at all-for there are men whose
rght-hand thumb and three larger fingers
print all e. just as there are others VINO
print all 81 They run every way-eeei'
loo. oiue. uuuo. ole and so on
What Was Found.
Look at the central point of that thumb
print" he exclaimed. Look where the in
nermost loop moves up and over single
diagonal. Now. jumping two loops from
that Interior diagonal. toward the direct
left you see plain little fork in the tniro
loop 1t is the exact reproduction OF just
such another in the thumb-print on the
broken glass;
L
place. three loops distant from its center,
which is exactly such a diagonal.
then hastily glanced at the index niger
prints of both for correspondence. IN
each l found another such fork with much
longer prongs. Immediately below the cen
trail loop and slightly to the left, counting
down nine loops.
That was sufficient for you?" l asked.
1T was sufficient for me to have both
Photographic prints enlarged for further
comparison" he answered, that OF the
broken glass and that of this fche. or caro-
of the Leon Henri Scheffer, which so re-
sembled it in two particulars. Personally
I was almost convinced that the two prints
had been made by the same fingers: Tor
how many millions of chances are there not
against two men having the same tiny
forks in the same spots on the same tWo
fingers of the same relative lengths, point
ing in the same directions, and situated,
the one three lines and the other nine lines
distant from a central diagonal, in eacn
case and in each case with the same slant?
Here are the engagements, that of the
broken glass print being placed beneath
that of the 'fiche' or card found by my en-
ployes.'
herewith published, entitled arrangements
for Comparison" 1t is to be used before
the jury in the trial of Scheffer:
II would not give it for publication IN IN
hestated to give it to me for publica ion
anywhere, until [ assured him that it could
not appear in The Star until after the prob
able date of the trial.
For the Jury to See.
LAS this enlargement of the two prints
for comparison is to be used before the jury,
| have had some of the more striking and
obvious of their identities marked with
the same respective numbers on each. Thus,
l., - and % of the enlarged finger prints
of the upper line from the card in the
anthropometric service, correspond to i.
- and - of the enlarged finger-prints OF
the lower line (from the broken glass;.
Look at the index finger, the second in
the lower line. 1t is only partially printed
and very black in parts because the Grim
inal took no pains to make good print on
the broken glass, we may be sure0; yet,
look how the identities, g and y stand
out to damn the mani. he exclaimed.
Here - marks the central point of the
design. Count diagonally downward to the
left nine loops, and you will find the first
fork, already mentioned; 1t is perfectly
visible in exactly the same situation, on
the small print of the service card itself,
as 1 before pointed out, and here, in the
enlargement of the upper line, it fairly
stares at ole. Now, from the central g
lin both upper and lower Prints count
seven lines diagonally downward to the left
again: you will in each case come on an
other fork, short-handled, situated on the
left prong of yet another fork whose left
prong in turn, branches off from regular
loop. From that loop step back one line
interiorly Tin each print, and you will see
that line end, in both cases, a little distance
further on, as it runs upward!
Gould any doubts remain, they would be
settled a hundred times over by the
identities of the ring finger prints" 1 ex-
claimed. They must have been made by
the same fingeri Being of the % type, the
rings are clear and easily counted. q
looked always first at the lower line print,
the enlargement from the broken glass;.
Observe this fork marked q situated
twenty-one lines diagonally upward to the
left from the central ring! Here it Is again
in the enlargement from the service card,
in exactly the same place. twenty-o one lines
diagonally upward to the left. Look at
this other fork, marked T., with its prongs
pointing in just the opposite direction. In
both prints 1t is situated three lines below
~ and seventeen lines diagonally to the
left above the central ring"
For that matter, look at this other
print" replied NJ. Bertilon. (Here he hand
ed me the enlargement of the second thumb
print left by the assassin on second piece
of glass, herewith published over that
title)
AT first glance this print may appear
blurred. but once your eye has hit upon its
central point you can readily count its
lines said NJ Bertillon.
And all discovered through an accidental
finger print 1 murmured, as l started to