The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-07-30
=
TRACKED BY F.
K How Wasted Piece of Bread or
: Cigarette End May Lead to
Capture Of Evil. Doer.
1Pearson,s Weeklxl

Y
(Pearson's Weekly.)
One of the clews which led the po-
lice to connect foul play with the dis
Dorset girl, who was murdered and
buried in a lonely wood. was the ind
ing of a set of false teeth in the plan
tation close to her grave.
Again in a recent American MUIR
der cas- in which the murderer en-
deavored to cover up all traces of the
victims identity. the body was recog-
nized by a dentist who remembered
filling a particular tooth. The MUIR
derer owed his detection solely to a
tooth.
Teeth have been used by the police
in the past and they will be used
still more in the future for identifying
both victims and murderers. For the
laws of probability are being applied
to teeth, just as they have been ap-
piled so successfully in Paris to the
moulding of the features. 1t is not
necessary that the teeth Of the sub
ject should be exceptional in any way.
1t Is possible to identify a person with
absolute certainty by his or her teeth
even when, to the casual observer,
there is nothing in any way distinctive
about them.
There have been many cases Of
burglars who have made an entry
into a house and have helped them
selves to eatables. leaving behind tooth
marks that have assisted in betraying
them. And in Russia not very long
ago. a murderer was detected through
an amber cigar holder that was found
near the body Of his victim-who was
also his uncle, a rich banker.
The holder was thought at first to
belong to the victim. but a detective
noticed that it was indented in q rath-
er peculiar way. He tried to fit it in
that none of the teeth could have
made these marks.
Following the line Of lease resist
ance. he kept a close watch on those
of the relatives who stood to gain by
the death. He soon noticed that two
of the teeth Of a certain nephew were
irregular. A furtive examination Of
another Of his holders justified an ar
rest which ended in conviction.
There is almost as much individual
fty about teeth as about finger tips.
Probably no two human mouths are
exactly alike. The appearance Of the
teeth counts for as little as the ap-
p%earance Of the finger tips. The laws
OF probability, as applied to teeth, do
not rely on anything SO obvious as
gold filing.
Teeth differ in size, shape, defects
and distance apart in the mouth.
There is also the angle at which they
protrude from the mouth to help the
tooth detective.
Criminals a be detected in this
manner: Two men, whose set of teeth
to outward appearance resemble each
other al near as makes no matter"
are invited to bite on the soft sub
stance that dentists use when making
a cast Of the mouth. In an instant
an expert can test the Variants" men
toned o And the chances aeains,
W Of these molds being exactly alike
IN every particular are Infinite.
AS tne head OF a great detective az
ency recently remarked, the detective
IN real life will get closer and q
to h detective in fiction-the sher-
lock Holmes who gets to work with
his microscope as soon az he reaches
the scene Of the crime. Such a ,one
viii find many opportunities Of testing
tooth marks. A wasted piece Of braaG
or a cigarette end may vet hrInr
many a crsaajps' t. Justice. -,