St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-11-14
IDENTIFYING CRIMINALS.
Apprehension OF Lawbreak-
ers the world Over.

ers the world Over.
Man measuring first became science
about 80 years ago. M. Quetelet,
Frenchman, wrote the first important
work on the subject and soon after
this book was published the French
penal authorities took up the system
and made practical test of it by apply
ing it to the Identification and registra-
ton of criminals. Since then the sys-
tenn has been improved upon year after
year and adopted by the penal authors
ties in civilized countries practically all
over the world. says journal OF SCI
ence.
At first no fewer than 102 measure
ments were taken of each single ind1-
vidual. As may be imagined, this TOOK
up great deal of time, and year or
two later DR.. Rene Collegnon reduced
the number to only 20. Since then a still
further reduction has been made, and
now there are only IL. These measure
ments are made of certain bony portions
of the human frame, which. after at
tanning full age, practically never vary.
The five most important measure
ments are the length and width OF the
head, the length of the left middle fin
ger, the length of the left foot, and that
Of the left forearm. These measure
ments are easily and rapidly taken, and
two cases have been found In which they
all conceded. This system, now known
=. 49, Dor+{,lor fno1,,doc a m ref1Y1 oh.
servation of the color OF the prisoners
eyes. The IL records are entered In
duplicate on two cards, one Of which Is
lpigeonholed in an alphabetic register,
and the other in the anthropometric or
classified register.
The beauty of the Bertillon system is
the extreme simplicity of this classifica-
ton. BY dividing and subdividing the
many thousands of cards are reduced to
groups, holding not more than GO cards
apiece. These are finally divided ac-
cording to the color of the eye into still
smaller packets, which hold not more
than 20 apiece.
Thus when a criminal is arrested,
whether he admits or denies that he has
been measured before, it is always sim
pie matter to find out and hunt up his
record. The i've primary measure
ments are always sufficient to make
quite easy the location Of his card, II one
exists.
One great triumph of the Bertillon sys-
tenn was the proving that Salson. the
man who attacked the shah In the streets
of Paris in 1899, had been imprisoned as
an anarchist five years before under q
different name.
The criminal authorities Of Great Brit
ain have adopted system which has In
some respects distinct superiority over
the French. They identify habitual
criminals by means Of their finger
prints.
These prints are taken in India ink
on white foolscap paper. The system
Of taking them is SO absolutely simple
that Pentonville warder who had never
before heard of the science OF finger
| printing took in an hour IS perfectly
legible three-fnger imprints.
The Bertillon system, on the other
hand, requires the services of experts
to take the necessary measurements.
It might be supposed that there are
but few slight differences between the
finger prints of different individuals.
Examined, however, beneath q magnify
ing glass, the differences are seen to be
amazing. Mr.. Cation, originator OF the
system, has proved that the chances are
81 .oOo, 0Oo,0O0 to one against the prints
being the same In two different individ-
nails.
Finger prints-those delicate, curry
lines on the skin of the inner tips Of the
fingers-do not change appreciably dur
ing lifetime. Even hard work does not
alter them. All impressions can be
classified under four main types, known
as arches. loops, whorls or composites.
In the first Of them the tiny ridges
run from one side to the other OF the
finger without making any backward
turn. The loop shows q single backward
turn. The whorl is more complicated;
In this the turn runs through circle
or duplex spiral. Composites are min
glings Of two or more Of these simple
| forms.
The print Of one finger 10 quite sum-
cient to identity an individual, but three
fingers are usually taken In order to
make quite certain.
In 1898 the manager Of tea planta-
ton in northeastern India was found
lying murdered in his bed. The house
had been robbed and the dispatch box
rifed. But there was no clew to the thief
and murderer.
A few days later, going through the
scattered papers, two brownish marks
were found on the edge Of page of q
Bengali atlas. A magnifying glass
showed them to be finger marks regis
tered in blood. The book was at once
sent down to the central ONCE in CAL
cutta, and there the marks were COM
pared with the finger record Of noted
criminal, who was suspected OF the
crime. The correspondence was absO-