New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-25
WOMAN IS FINGER
PRINT EXPERT
Mrs. NJ E. Holland Tells How WomeL
May Succeed as Detectives-An Hon
orable Profession, She Says.
BY Isabel Stephen.

Work: work like Trojan. and never
let an opportunity to increase your know'-
edge about your work slip. If your nina
IS devoted TO Your work it will attract 4
multitude of chances for your advance
ment"
Mrs NJ. T. Holland. vino gives tins a"-
vice 10 ;ne ambitious business girl. IS
splendid example OF the success which re-
wards indomitable energy ana tenacious
perseverance. Her rame is known III
America from cOsst to coast. as well az III
every capital of Europe. for in her par
ticula- line she is an acknowledged eX-
pert Her career embraces men : WORN
and he proficiency was materially recos-
nizcd by the United States government
when she was engaged to teach the men
Of the United States Navy Department.
the United States Marine corps. the Ma
tiona Bureau OF Identification. Washing
ton: the police departments Of Washing
ton Toledo and Norfolk. Va: ;he Bureau
of Identification. Police Department. I'm
cago etc. She is perhaps the Only woman
In the world whc is a member OF the
chiefs Of Police Assoc iation.
u appearance Mrs. Holland Is very
modest and undssuming. She Is taii
woman. fully feet s inches. and has none
Of the hallmarks Of ,he female d"tec-
tive OF fiction. She told the wonderful
story Of her success very simply when u
was explained that there were many en-
byro detectives in the country VINO wouiH
be interested to learn how she arrived
Il was born in Galena. Ill. where my
father was a Methodist minister. she
said. He was also soldier, and in 1851
and 1862 ne met and became great ao-
mirer OF Allan Pinkerton. the founder Oh
the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
From the time | learned to read, my
greatest pleasure was TO be allowed 10
90 into my fathers study and look over
the detectiv. books. pictures. papers ana
everything relating to detective "orh'
II rather amused my parents at hrSt. nut
a. grew older my mother especially
tried to turn my mind To a more eleVaunS
class OF literature In that she failed
but strange as IL may be, since became
a practical detective | rarely read de-
tective story.
AS / grew 10 won inhood my one
dream was 10 become a detective. When
| was seventeen / was visiting in a near
by city when ! heard of some dresses
being stolen from a hotel. The wife OF
the Governor of tho state had lost three
gowns Through a friend OF mine | met
the parties concerned and was engaged
on the case was employed az linen
girl In the hotel In this way ! was able
10 meet all the maids on the different
floors / worked for several weeks and
finally found TIE thief In my roommate.
young Irish girl. ! went through
very trying ordeal. n had grown very
fond OF the girl; however. my duty 10
my employer was paramount. have
often fell that had failed in that case
my life might have been different
Willie on this case ! met Philip {.
Holland. who was just starting the pub
LEGATION of The Detective which Is now
the official organ Of the international
Chiefs of Police Association ana the In
ternationsl Bureau = Criminal ldentfi-
cation
We were married. and ! took an &C
tive interest in the publication and as
sisted my husband We received hun
dreds of pictures of criminals from po-
lice and prison departments throughout
this country and Europe.
Some time later the system invented
By the great French anthropologist. VI.
Alphonse Bertilon. OF Paris. began TO
Nttract attention. and at once procured
all the available information published.
In 1904 the British government sent
John Kenneth Ferrler an expert in the
fiugef-print system OF identification. from
Scotland Yard to America. | AT once
asked him TO teach me the system Al
first he was very much amused al the
idea OF a woman being interested in any
thing pertaining to police work, but ne
soon learned that | was In earnest. BE
fore Mr.. Terrier left this country he oro-