Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-27
AIDS FOR DETECTIVES.
Marks Which the Ingenuity of
 Criminals Cannot Conceal.
Handsome Prices Are Paid by Male. factors for Effective Disgufses ~-ToId by New York
 Detective.

"I can easily spot pickpocket in a crowd" said one of New York's detec- tives, who has been attached to the detective bureau at police headquar- ters for the last IS years, in converse tion with a reporter the other day, reports the New York Times. "It is not necessary that I know my man by sight first before can spot him. A thief as rule, you know has habit of glancing frequently over his shoul- der in furtive manner to see that he is not being watched, and 1t is by that habit that thief has often betrayed his occupation to me.
 Frequently have had to track and identify men whom I 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. It is possible for man to pose as a sailor, a farmer, Bowery tough, or pastor within, say, 24 hours. Many criminals make a speciality of disguAses, and assure you they can alter their appear ance to 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 identifca- tion mark, although not an infallible auorfhaln1C hU which I have on several occasions detected 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 fre- quent1y prove faulty, and therefore unreliable as aids to detection. This is especially so where man has evaded the detectives for any length of time, for it is possible that dur ing his evasion the criminal may have lost great deal of weight and corpu- lency, while, on the other hand, spare man may have gained in avoirdupois and bulk. In such cases, however, I have in one or two instances estab- 1ished the identity of the man l 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.
 s'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, 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 wig and flowing black false beard. The disguise might cas- ily 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 clew to his identity.
 "Clever criminals, after making perhaps rich haul somewhere, will pay libera1ly for effective disguises. A few facial artists in New York city could tell you of the handsome prices they are frequently paid for make ups"