Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-02-03
THE SCHOOL Foa DETECTIVES in NEW YORK CITY,

er and declared 1t was his first crime.
Comparison at once showed Faurot that
the man was Frank Schtemann,' alias
John Smith, a convict of long stand
Ing.
Charles Crispi, alias Caesar Gala,
was convicted in general sessions, New
York city, Of entering a loft. He had
removed glass panel from the door
in order to avoid setting Off the bur-
glar alarm. The imprint of three fin
gers was on the glass. Captain Fau-
rot's testimony was a sensational fea-
ture of the Crispi trial despite a care
fully prepared alibi adduced by Crispi
and his pretesta tons Of innocence. But
Crispi lost courage before Faurot's pre-
else demonstration Of the peculiarities
Of his hand as compared with those
shown on the glass door and confessed,
entering a plea Of guilty. Judge Ro-
salsky asked him in the interest of sci
ence and justice to state whether he
actually removed the glass. Crispi con-
fessed that he had and admitted that
the prints were his.
"Pudd'nhead Wilson,"
Those who have read Mark Twain'z
story Of "Pudd'nhead Wilson" know
OF murderer by his finger prints.
But not many persons know of the
long, patient study that has been given
to finger prints by scientific men and
officials. The most noted of these
students was the English anthropolo-
gist Francis Cation, who began his
work on finger prints in 1888 and sub
sequently wrote many articles and
thran hnnES on than Prnha h1v "a
first thing to direct popular attention
to them was an article by Cation in
one of the English magazines in 1891.
But before these dates the anato-
mist Purkinje, writing on the sense
of touch in 1888, had described the
ridges on the finger balls. and a med
ical lecturer in Japan had described
finger prints in an English journal in
1888 and given an instance of their
use in detecting criminal. About the
same time a San Francisco man pro-
posed them to Identify Cinnamon, and
Gilbert Thompson Of the United States
geological survey, while in the west,
was using his thumb mark to prevent
fraudulent alteration of figures on or
ders or vouchers. Meantime a high
police Official in India, Herschel by
name, was making practical use of
the method, having begun with it in
1883. Though he did not describe it in
English papers till 1880, his records
furnish much of the scientific founda-
ton of the study.
There are writer's who think that
finger prints were used as a means of
Identification in China more than 1000
years ago, but the passages in proof
are ambiguous and may only mean
that the party touched the paper sym
bolically. as one among us, in making
his mark. touches the penholder or
witness being sworn touches the Bible.
An Assassin's Nemesis
In 1902 word came from Paris that
criminal had been caught by his finger
prints. This is the story:
A mysterious assassination had been
committed. The detectives arrested
one wrong man, discharged him and
were preparing to arrest another when
to their chief came a quiet scientist,
saying: The assassin's name is Henri
Leon Scheffer- Here are his photo
graph, his description and past rec
ord"
NJ. Cochefert. chief of the surete.
hesitated. My men know nothing of
this person" he said. How shall we
accuse him?''
Arrest him." insisted the other, "and
should he prove to be innocent I will
give him 1000 francs is an indemnify >,
But what basis have you for your
certainty Of his guilt:" asked NJ Coche-
fert
Some finger prints he left ON a piece
of broken glass;" replied the man of
science.
1t was not necessary to pay the in
demnity. He who was thus strangely
accused was arrested and confessed his
crime, and so "Pudd'nhead Wilson," in
spite Of its alleged extravaganza, found
1ustihca ton In real life.