The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-21
DROMIO CROOKS GAME is UP.
MIKE AND JIM TELLING, TWINS,
ARE ALIKE AS TWO PEAS.
Bertillon Measurements the same anu
Tattoo Marks and Fake Scars idonuoai
-Resemblance Long Helped EN- 70
Dodge Justice, but It's known NOW.

TATTOO Marks and Fake Scars Idonucei
Resemblance Long Helped 'Em TO
Dodxe Justice, but It's known Now.
Mike and Jim Telling, twins, like as two
peas hold-up men, second story workers,
piokpookets, panhandlers and ah-round
crooks uncommonly clever, are earnestly
soupht by heads OF the New Jersey Refor-
matory at Railway and the Middlesex county
iail at New Brunswiok
In jim neither the flesh nor the spirit
huneered for reform, 30 he broke his parole,
upon which he was released from the re-
formatory a month ago and coveted an
overooat belonging to a trustful employer
whom the reformatory had found for him.
He took overcoat and crooks leave at the
same time.
A too intimate knowledge Of the weak
nesses of the Middlesex Jail and the habits
OF Sheriff Carman have got Mike into
the worst mess Of his crooked life and that
means good deal II the police records Of
Jersey towns are to be believed. While
the Sheriff was dining comfortably, week
ago, Mike sawed his way through the roof
of the Jail and skipped to find brother Jim.
To their al gifts OF similarity OF
form and face, voice and tone, little tricks
"
ACQUIRED cleverness which gave the Jersey
police no end Of puzzlement and wWry.
In more than one instance when jim was
wanted for burglary or grating 1t was Mike
that put himself in the way OF detectives,
deceiving them just long enough to enable
Jim to get away, Or, when Mike had
turned trick and was needed for the good
of the State it was Brother Jim, exact size.
face, marks scars, complexion and all,
that let himself be taken and held without
a word Of protest until he was sure Brother
Mike was away clear.
In such places across the river as crooks
foregather this amusing trick Of the twin
feelings was a staple for jibes and Jokes
at the Jersey police, The cops know it and
all in all they didn't have much love for the
Brothers Telling. But the very things that
made for the safety of the crook cd twins are
pretty certain to be the cause Of their per-
manent undoing. The old game has been
worked out.
Largely through the efforts Of Edward
n. Swartz, assistant superintendent Of the
New Jersey Reformatory at Railway, the
police In every town for a hundred miles
around have got even the eyelashes Of the
twins numbered. They know Mike to his
every wrinkle and Jim to the thickness OF
his thunbnail. Like as they are every
significant point of difference has been
marked, measured, compared and tabled.
II Jim il wanted and Mike la caught, Mike
will suffer for his own sins but the hunt for
Jim won't slaoken any.
Tho twin feelings are "a years old and
claim Eizabeth n. j. as theiI home. Mike
Is s feet 4 inches tall weighs 1sj pounds,
has dark brown hair. blue eyes and sandy
q t... al IL In
covered with tattoo marks from head to
foot, and for every design Mike wears, Tim
has its Ike. On the breast OF each, worked
BY some tattooist Of a scripturai turn OF
mind. is biblical scene With clouds ana
that when he let himself be tattooed with
that picture he made the mistake OF his life:
mo good can come out OF crook nat1in'
up with Bible things. he told tho warden at
On Els breast each wears an anchor and
shield and an eagle and shield. The Ameri-
can flag Is on Jim's back and on Mikes
in precisely the. same relative position;
Their legs and lower arms are covered
with arrowheads, olasped hands, CROSSES,
hearts, stars and wonderful snakes and
dragons. Even exact Bertillon measure
ments failed to diherentiate In the smallest
degree the tattoo marks OF each In size.
ooioring and placing. That was part OF
But their fake scars were their keenest
stroke, Each has four made with acid In
the beggars way for b tIa ar,,I profit o16a
On the back Of the left arm OF each are
two Of these false SCARF. each scar an inch
and a half long and oval In shape, a dull,
angry red In color. Each has two OF the
same on his right ankle. II to9 OK t Msp police
lay, and IL was Superintendent and Ber-
tillon Expert Schwartz whose sharp eye
spotted that difference.
Jim first manufactured his scars before
having tattoo mark placed over them
Mike was tattooed before touching himself
up with acid. Save for this diiference,
and the fact that the corner OF Jim's right
eye is shaped differently from Mikes and
that the lobes Of Mikes ears are fuller and
larger than Jim's. the twin feelings are
These trivial differences, which will
probably put an end to the professional
iabors Of the twins, were discovered about
and was wanted by the reformatory au;,
thorities The police Of Elizabeth arrested
man on the street that was jim they were
positive. They sent for Expert Schwartz
to come over from the Railway reformatory
Schwartz came and at first was puzzled.
But he had Jim's measurements with him,
and while his and those Of the man arrested
we're singularly alike. yet the difference OF
the corner Of the eye and the lobes Of the
ears struck him at once. 1t was only diff
but II was as much for an expert as an inch
would have been.
Schwartz went over the prisoner and
then discovered that he had been tattooed
over his false scars, whereas Jim had faxed
scars over his tattoo marks. That settled
1t for Schwartz, and although the prisoner
insisted he was Jim, and the police were
disposed to accept bis statement, Schwartz
would have none Of him
But the reformatory man happened to
remember that Mike feeling had broken
out Of the Middlesex county jail at New
brunswick eighteen months ago and had
Sheriff Carman, who received him joy
fully. The SheriY's Joy didn't last long.
Mike knew the jail too we'll Last Friday
night while the Sheriff was eating dinner
Nike sawed his way out once more.
in ali my experience with crooks
said Mr.. Schwartz yesterday, u never
ran across such singular case Of likeness
between two men. Twins are usually close
In resemblance, but these fellows beat any
thing ever saw. Except for the variation
in eye and ear and the scars and tattooing
there is not an iota Of difference, It's
impossible for two men to be absolutely
alike but those fellows come as near 1t as