Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-07-16
AIDS FOR DETECTIVES
Marks Which the Ingenuity Of
Criminals Cannot Conceal.
Handsome Prices Are Paid by Male
factors for Effective DIsguises
Told by n New York
Detective.

IL can easily spot pickpocket in
crowd" said one of New York'S detec-
tives, who has been attached to the
detective bureau at police headquar'
tiers for the last Is years, in conyersa-
tion with a reporter the other day,
reports the New York Times. ut is
not necessary that 1 know my man by
sight first before can spot him. y
thief as a rule, you know, has habit
of glancing frequently over his shout
der in a furtive manner to see that he
is not being watched, and it is by that
habit that thief has often betrayed
his occupation to me.
Frequently have had to track and
identify men whom have never seen,
my only means of Identification being
a photograph taken years ago. Thisis
usually very difficult to accomplish,
however, as it is easy for the criminal
radically to change his appearance. 1t
is possible for a man 70 pose as sailor,
a farmer, a Bowsry tough, or pastor
within, say, 70 hours. Many criminals
make a speciality Of disguises, and l
assure you they can alter their appear
ance to a remarkable degree.
"Disguises, however, no matter how
cleverly got up, do not always con-
ceal mans identity. There are, for
instance, the color and expression OF
the eyes. These cannot possibly be al
tered, and they have been one OF my
most frequent aids in identifying fu'
gitive criminals. Another identified
ton mark, although not an infallible
one, but one, nevertheless, by which
l have on several occasions detected
q criminal when other means failed
me, are the cheekbones. Like the
color of the eyes, they cannot be
changed.
Descriptions as to the weight and
circumference Of a wanted man fire.
quently prove faulty. and therefore
unreliable as aids TO detection. This
is especially so where q man has
eva ed the detectives for any length
of time, for It is possible that dur
ing his evasion the criminal may have,
lost a great deal Of weight and eorpu-
lency, while, on the other hand, spare
man may have gained in avoirdupois
and bulk. In such ceSes, however,
have in one or two instances estab-
lished the identity of the man 1 was
after by his ears. As rule, the worst
criminals have oddly shaped ears. and
no matter how cleverly they may dis
guise themselves, they can seldom
succeed in concealing their tell
tale ear-marks from the detective who
has already made their acquaintance.
"The eyebrows also afford another
means of personal identity, because
they are invariably distinctive and
characteristic to the trained detective.
About three years ago I captured one
of the cleverest crooks, a man who
has served many terms IN Sing Sing.
by the peculiar slant Of his eyebrows.
At the time I arrested him he was
wearing a wig and flowing black
false beard. The disguise might cas-
ilv have deceived the casual observer.
but to me there was one thing lacking
TO make it complete. He had forgot
ten to alter his eyebrows, and they
alone gave me the clewto his identity
"Clever criminals, after making
perhaps a rich haul somewhere. Will
pay literally for effective DISCUSSES A
few facial artists In New York city
could tell you Of the handsome prices
they are frequently paid for make
ups"