The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-01-29
WANT INNOVATION.
Sherifs Of Oklahoma to Discuss
Adoption OF Bertllion System in
Order to Capture ConVicts,

Lawton, Ok, January 2S-one oi
the most important matters to receive
the consideration of the Oklahoma
Association OF Sherffs at its next
! meeting in El Reno. April Z, will be
that Of criminal photography, a matter
given to Captain W. c. Mcintosh, OF
! Topeka Kas.. for di Gus ion at the
recent meeting of the association in
this city. Owing to the fact that Cap.
tain Mclntc sh ia led TO appear the
subject was left open and will receive
the consideration of the association
al the next meeting
The consideration given this mat
ter by the men who seek 70 prevent
crime AND to capture criminals will
tend toward and eventually result in
the adoption of common system of
criminal photography, now in vogue in
the Eastern and Northern States The
plan is well known throughout the
country beiag that of photographng
uspicious characters who are held for
the commission of crimes,
For many years Oklahoma has been
the most favored rendezvous for out,
laws ,murderers ana thieves Of any
section of tae country. Owing to the
sparse settlement here capture is best
eyaded. Conditions have changed
wonderfully during the past sixteen
ID.
I'd of this class of citizens, They yet
come in here from Kansas, Texas. Ar.
kansas. Missouri ana Indian Terri
tory, few in numbers In these latter
days but they come and many of them
are Captured and brought to justice.
A member Of the Oklahoma Assoc
citation Of Sheffis calculates that at
al least three-fourths of the suspicious
characters taken in charge by the Off
GERS and released for want of suffi,
cient evidence on which to hold them
are men who have committed crimes
in other states The Sheriffs get in
formation and descriptions OF bad men
through the ordinary system of print
ed circulars and correspondence but
they find that this is insufficient and
more than half of the suspects are
releared.
Another feature of the matter that
interests the Sheriffs is that Of re-
wards, Many Sheriffs could earn near
~ as much as their salaries during
their terms of office by catching es
capped convicts and other criminals for
whom rewards are offered in other
sectione of the country. 1t is not infr9
quent that the governor of a state of
fers $500 or even 81 900 for the arrest
Of a criminal Many times counties
aud the relatives of murdered people
offer handsome rewards
The association may 20 as far as to
recommend to the Secretly of War
that photographs of deserters from the
United States Army be supplied The
Sherffs and other officers Statistics
show that more soldiers desert from
the army posts in the West and South
west than in other sections of the
country They show also that a large
per cent OF the deserters are captured
in Oklahoma. The government offers
$50 reward for The apprehension of a
deserter and authorities might find
II a profitable business hunting de-
serters if they had the assistance
OF photographs.
The plan of the Oklahoma Sheriff
that each Sheriff, when he gets in
his custody a suspicious character
shall have him photographed. One
copy Of the photograph is to be re.
tanned by the Sheriff. one forwarded to
the headquarters of the association, in
order that copies may be made and
distributed, and a third sent to an
agency at Topeka Along with this
they may adopt the Bcrtillion system
of mca urcmcnt.