Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-12-09
FINGER PRINT SYSTEM
Newest Method of Detec-
ton to Be Used at
Reformatory

A communication from Supt. FRANK
L. Randall of the reformatory. says
the st. Cloud Journal Press, states
that the finger print system, made
famous by Mark Twain in his "Pud-
din Head Wilson, is TO be put into
use soon at the reformatory. Supt.
Randall encloses an address delivered
by J. K. Terrier, a detective from
the famous Scotland Yard, London,
at the prison congress at the world s
fair.
A brief resume of the system is
given below as explained by
Detective Terrier:
The Bertilllon system is not always
t. be relied upon because of the SINH
larity of the build of criminals and
the measurements Of three men are
shown which are also exactly equal
and the men might be trlplets from
the measurements. For this reason the
Finger print system has been
added.
Identification by means of finger
prints is not new science. The
Chinese passport for centuries has
been government stamped piece of
oiled paper, on which the tran
sient'' impresses the tip Of his hng-
ers. Long ago the Celestials. discov-
cred that this is an effec5uai means
of preventing the transfer of pass
port az the ridg of no fingers are
alike.
1t is only during the last few years
that we have utilized our knowledge
Of the value Of inger prints, as
reliable means Of Identification. DR..
Purkenie was the FIRST European to
draw attention to the definite and
varying patterns on the phalanges OF
the fingers and thumb. but unfortun-
ately his treatise did not receive the
attention which it merited. Sir Will.
lam Herschel, about forty years ago,
began to put finger prints into practl-
cal use in India. In registering the
sale or purchase of land, many Hitter
ate natives insist in signing docu-
ments by placing their nk-daubed
thumbs on the paper.
To Professor Francis Gallon is due
the discovery of the definite value of
finger prints. ae took the study up
about seventeen years ago, and in a
few years reduced the subject to a
science. He experimental and dis
covered the best means Of taking the
imprints from the fingers he collected
the finger prints of a large number of
persons, some Of whom were taken at
intervals of several wears. he estab-
lished the fact that the papilliary
ridges on the finger tips are perman
ent through life; thus every person
carries about with him ten infalli bic
witnesses as to mis- identity. A child
is born with its fingers lined in GER
tain unique way; the fingers grow
in size, but throughout boyhood, man.
hood, and maturity the patterns re-
main unchanged from infancy to SEN
ility, and until long after death the
finger prints remain true to their first
form; injuries may partially destroy
them. but never entirely, and as the
injury heals, the original lines assert
themselves exactly as before. [ have
had access to finger prints, between
the taking Of which there had been
lapse Of forty years, and they showed
no variation.
Here, therefore, is natures own
method of Identification No two fin.
ger prints have ever been found to be
alike, and Professor Cation calculates
that the chances of two finger prints
being alike are less than one in 1884,,
600. 600, and as we take the ten digits
that number has to be multiplied by
the square of ten, consequently if two
finger prints coincide it is certain that
they are the prints Of the same finger.
Oliver sely if they differ it Is equally
certain that the Impressions are made
by different persons.
In conjunction with finger prints
we use photographs. AS you have
seen, photographs alone are unreli-
able, but no mistake can be made in
a photograph when led up to by the
persons finger prints, as is done at
Scotland Yard, and in countries
which have adopted Mr.. Henry's
system. Prior to prisoners dis
charge from prison, we receive pris'
oner's finger prints and descriptive
form (similar to this one } they both
receive the same number the finger
prints are filed away according to
their classification the descriptive
form with photograph and previous
convictions are filed away numerical
ly. If the finger prints OF John Smith
are sent to US from Glasgow, Scot