The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-01
AIDS FOR DETECTIVES.
Marks Which Even the Ingenuity of
Criminals Cannot Conceal.
- - INr.n,,n tho Nam Xnrlr rri,,.o.

H"FAs W men EVEN the ingenuity or
Criminals Cannot Conceal.
From the New York Times.
II can easily spot a pickpocket in
crowd" said one of New York's de-
tectives, who has been attached to
the detective bureau at police head
quarters for the last fifteen years, in
conversation with a reporter the other
day. 1T is not necessary that l
know my man by sight before l can
spot him. A thief as a rule, you
know, has a habit of glancing fire.
quently over his shoulder in a furtive
manner to see that he is not being
watched, and it is by that habit that
a thief has often betrayed his occu-
patton to me.
Frequently 1 have had to track and
identify men whom l have never seen,
my only means of Identification being
a photograph taken years ago. This
is usually very difficult to accomplish,
however, as it is easy for the Grim
inal radically to change his appear
ance. 1t is possible for a man to pose
as a sailor, a farmer, a Bowery tough,
or a pastor within, say twenty-four
hours. Many criminals make a spe-
cialty of DISCUSSES, and l assure you
!
remarkable degree.
"Disguises, however, no matter how
cleverly gotten up do not always
conceal mans identity There are,
for instance, the color and express
sion of the eyes. These cannot pos
sibly be altered, and they have been
one of the most frequent aids in ideh-
tifying fugitive criminals. Another
Identification mark, although not an
4 -E.ITg ILL., - II
byzwl1ieh.I have on several occasions
detected a 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 a man has
evaded the detectives for any great
length of time, but it is possible that
during This evasion the criminal may
have lost a great deal of his weight
and corpuency, while, on the other
hand, a spare man may have gained
in avoirdupois and bulk. In such
cases, however, 1 have in one or two
instances established the identity of
the man l was after by his ears. AS
rule, the worst criminals have odd
Iy SNAPPED ears, ana no matter now
cleverly they may disguise themselves
they can seldom succeed in conceal
ing their telltale earmarks from the
detective who has already made their
acquaintance.
1.-THE eyebrows also afford another
means of personal identity because
they are invariably distinctive and
characteristic to the trained detective
About three years ago 1 captured one
of our cleverest crooks, a man who
has served many terms in Sing Sing,
by the peculiar slant of his eyebrows.
At the time 1 arrested him he was
wearing a wig and a flowing black
false beard. The disguise might cas-
lily have deceived the casual observer,
but to me there was one thing lack
ing to make it complete. He had for
gotten to alter his eyebrows, and
they alone gave me the cue to his
identity.
Clever criminals, after making per-
haps 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 makeups."