Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-20
FINGER PRINT SYSTEM.
Better Than BertiIlon One for Identifi

The New Jersey state prison keeper.
Mr.. Osborne, does not view with favor
the proposition to adopt in this state
the Bertillon system for the identitica-
ton of criminals. He believes that the
finger print system is the best known
way of Identifying men and women
who belong to the criminal class.
"The great advantage of the finger
tip SYSTEM" says Keeper Osborne,
lies in the fact that the papillary
ridges on the finger tips arq perma-
nent. The lines on the finger tips of
the baby become more clearly defined
as the child develops, but they do not
change in form.
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 them
selves exactly as before. No two finger
tips have ever been found to be alike
Professor Gallon estimates the chances
of two finger tips being alike as less
than one in 1,640, 100000 and as we
take the ten digits that number has to
be multiplied by the square of ten"
The finger tip system is not by any
means new science. The Chinese
passport for centuries has been a piece
of paper on which the person passing
from one province to another is re-
CURED to make an impression of one
of his fingers. In this way has the
transfer of passports been stopped.
The finger print system" says
Keeper Osborne, lis employed in Great
Britain, India and other British colon
les. Germany, Japan and other coun-
tries are taking it up, and before many
years | believe it will supplant tie Jser-
tillon system. IN good many cities
in the United States the police de-
partments have adopted this system.
1t is in use in Lowell, Chicago, ST.
Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Milwau-
kee, Baltimore, Grand Rapids, Louis
willie and San Francisco. The finger
tip system was adopted in Scotland
Yard in 1902, and in that year it re-
suited in 1.722 identifications. In 1903
there We're 3,642 identifications by this
system. In The year 1890 there We're
only 461 identitications by the Bertil-
Ion system and in 1901 tne'o We're SOB.
In connection With the finger prints
photographs are used. SD that it is
practically impossible for The cat1nin-
al to escape Identification. In Scot
land Yard there arc records of several
cases where the thief has left finger
marks or Impressions on glass or the
painted woodwork of doors and Win
dows. These marks have been photo
ssiaphed and compared with the inn
pressons of persons under suspicion of
committing such offences and whose
finger prints are already on record. In
this way many thieves are being
brought to justice.
The employment of finger prints has
not been restricted to police depart
melts. They have been introduced in
TO all branches of the public service,
leiug we'll suited to the requirements
If country where the mass of the
9eonle are uneducated. and where false
palscnation is an evil which even the
penalties provided by the penal laws
are powerless to control.
I'm India. the system has been adop-
ted by bankers. and since it went into
opera ton forgery is practically I'M
known in that country. On opening an
account with a bank the finger print
is taken opposite the persons name in
the register and a small pad is given