The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-18
Latest System Adopted at the
Federal Prison.
WILL BE OF GREAT AID
Instructions from a Scotland
Yard Detective.
The First known Use Of the
Method Was in India.

Leavenworth, Oct. 1S.-A new system
of Identification has beeninauguratedi in
the federal penitentiary at the post by
Record Clerk NJ. W. McClaughry. Mr.
McClaughry recently returned from St
Louis where he went to take instruc-
ton in this new system from James
Kenneth Terrier, of the Scotland Yard
detective office, London, England, who
has been at ST. Louis for some time for
the express purpose of giving instrue-
ton to- the men who may become IN
terested in the system Of Identification
by means of taking the print of the
lines on the fingers. This system is en-
tirely different from the. Bertillon sys-
tenn
warden McClaugnry decided to have
two systems of Identification at the fed
eral penitentiary and he sent NJ w
McCIaughry to st. Louis to be instruct
ed in the finger print system 1t viii
be used in conjunction with the Der
tiIlon system, but the records of meas
urements and prints will be kept in sep
arate files.
Record clerk McClaughry is already
busily engaged in measuring the
prisoners at both the old and new pen
itentiaries and the finger prints OF sixty
men are taken each day He hopes 10
have all their prints taken within
three weeks.
Hereafter whenever a prisoner is
brought to the federal penitentlary ne
will first be measured by the Bertllon
system and then his finger prints Will
be taken The Identification of any man
can be made under any circumstances.
Although several police departments
in the large cities and several peniten-
tiaries in the east have taken up Inns
new system the federal penitentiary at
the Post is the first one this side OF the
Mississippi that has adopted II, al
though it looks now as though the other
penitentiary officials west of here VIII
hear of this new system and eonduct
it in conjunction with the Bertllloh
The system of Identification by fin
ger prints was adopted by the ponce
of England and Wales in July, 1901, on
the recommendation of the committee
appointed by the secretary OF state IN
1900. to consider and report on the pest
method of Identifying habitual GRIM
inals. The system had been already m
troduced and worked in INDIA some
years before, and had been adopted by
the government of India as complete
success
ton of prisoners on remand, hhseI
prints have, on many occasions, proved
of value in tracing criminals who had
committed serious soffenses, but hao
not been arrested at the time Several
cases have occurred where the thler
has left finger MARKS upon glass or the
painted woodwork of the door ana
windows; these marks have been pho-
preston of persons under suspicion OF
committing such offen6es, and whose
finger prints were already on record
In this manner several cases have oeen
proved and the finger print evidence
has been given in court, admitted by
the judges, and accepted by the jury
The number of finger print slips on
record is about 10000. This number is
being increased by the addition OF
about $50 slips weekly at present A
gradual increase in the number OF slips
90
tically all habitual criminals have been
registered and then only fresh cflml-
nails will require registration. Slfnul-
taneously the records OF men known
to have died, of those sentenced to
long terms of penal servitude and or
men apparently too old to commit fur-
Their crime are being removed from
the collection. BY this means IN
few years time the maximum average
number of slips will probably De reach-
ed.
1t is inferred that between birth and
death there is absolutely no change an
saw 699 out of 700 of the numerous
characteristics of the markings OF the
fingers of the same person such as can
be Impressed by him wherever 1t is de-
sirable to do so. Neither can there be
any change after death up 10 the time
when the skin perishes through decom-
position: for example, the marks on
the fingers of many Egyptian mum
mics and on the paws Of stuffed mon
keys still remain legible.
The appliances required are few ana
inexpensive. Ordinary white paper
with the surface not too highly glazed,
some printers ink and roller for
spreading it, consisting of a wooden
cylinder two inches in diameter, over
which a piece of rubber tubing is
tightly stretched; at either end of the
cylinder brass pins are driven in to
form the axle on which the handle
works. a piece of fiat tin; pointer,
which can be made of a penholder
handle, with a needle or sharp pointed
brass wire let in at one end. This
pointer is used for ridge counting and
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