Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-09
HUNT FOR GRIMM AIS
HOW SCOTLAND YARD ATTACKS A
MYSTERY.
Net Which English Detectives Throw
Over London to Catch Evil
Doors
From the London Mail.

From the London Mail.
Directly big. mysterious crime occurs in
London, Scotland Yard throws over the me-
tropolis strong but invisible net, from
which only the very lucky the very clever
criminal can escape. When you consider
that the London over which Scotland Yard
has power has a radius of fifteen miles from
Charing Cross you will understand the Won
derful nature of the police organization.
Within few hours of the discovery of a
sensational crime. the author of which has
escaped. the six millions of people in Lon
don are more or less under surveillance.
Imagine a terrible murder such as that at
Deptford few days ago. The local police
Immediately communicated with Scotland
Yard giving the facts-stating, for example,
that three people have been murdered in
house and that fair-haired man of forty
wearing long gray overcoat has been seen
to leave the house. From Scotland Yard
there radate to the twenty-One metrOpoli-
tan police divisions, from the IA or White
hall district to the ''Y" or Highgate district
such facts as the authorities in the great
central building on the Embankment think
it necessary should be known. 1t is then
only a matter of a few hours before the po
licemen in the streets are keeping their eyes
open for fair-haireG man of forty wearing
a long gray overcoat But this Is only the
beginning of the work. One of the chief de-
tectives OF Scotland Yard is on the scene OF
the crime as QUICKLY as IL Is pOSSiUlt lOT It'll
to get there, and possibly the assistant COM
missioner himself rushes down on his motor
car. The chiefs, with their assistant make
a thorough examination of the place and
take photographs.
Finger Prints.
A piece of glass bearing the marks of two
fingers is sent off at once to Scotland Yard.
1t has been decided that the criminal Is a
casual laborer, and there is a detective
quietly watching every common lodging
house within radius of miles. Meanwhile
one of the senior detectives at the yard,
with a memory stored with the names OF
each of the desperate habitual criminals
who might be likely to commit such crime,
has set on foot a search for each OF these
men, whose movements will, unknown to
themselves, be traced for days back.
That business-like looking commercial
traveller who lounges round the oookstali
or near the booking office of one or more
of the great railway stations is also propa-
bly, a man from the yard The methods
vary according to circumstances; but In
every direction there are the strong, I'M
seen meshes of the police net. Up at Scot
land Yard the finger prints on the piece OF
glass are being carefully compared with
some of the finger-prints of known crimi-
nails For years fnger-prints have been
stored, and there are now on register more
than coco sets.
Comparing Impressions.
Prisoners have had to slightly INK their
fingers all around on a prepared slab, and
then place them on a piece of specially pre-
pared paper, turning them slowly round by
the direction of an official, until an impress
sion of all the skin markings has been left
on the paper Finally the sets of finger
prints are indexed and stored away until
wanted for comparison, either with finger
prints subsequently taken or with acct
dental marks made by escaping criminals,
such as those left on the piece of glass.
Perhaps the finger-marks on the glass coin
eide with those of criminal who has not
been seen or heard of for many months.
An independent search is at once made for
him, and possibly some of his old acQualnt
have been a frequenter of all kinds of low
dens. Be sure that in every one of those
dens there is official unofficial repre-
sentative of Scotland Yard. The milkman
coming up the court carrying two cans
may be a yard man. for all kinds of dis
guises are brought into use. And so in
score of different ways strenuous Scotland
Yard sets its silent machinery in motion
for the cause of justice. The criminal who
escapes from the ring-fence may esteem
himself fortunate. Day by day in any par
ticular case the ring is drawn tighter and
the criminal is kept within the region of
his crime. There is much less undiscovered
crime than is supposed. The police often
know the criminal. but lack sufficient legal
evidence to prove the case.