The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-07-10
Merchants & Savings Bank
to Use Finger Prints
for Identification.
PuDDINHEAD WILSON'S PLAN
System Which has been Endorsed by
the American Bankers Association is
to be Put Into Use in Kenosha-
Proves Great Aid to Illiterate,

The last word in protecting depositors
of banks from forgers and the obtain
ing of their money under false pre-
lenses has reached Kenosha and the
Merchants and Savings Bank has
adopted the finger print method for
safeguarding their depositors and for
IT, aid Of such illiterate depositors as
are unable to write. The system is
now being tried out in the bank and
H. Vaughn Hardy Of New York, al
representative Of p. A. Flax, the not
cd finger print expert, is in the city
taking the tellers and cashier Of the
bank through course Of training
which will make them expert in the
handling of finger prints. Finger
prints are not as yet taken Of all the
depositors in the bank, but many of
them mixed their digits and left a
mark, never changed by the ravages
of time, on the little cards which are
filed with the signature cards in the
bank
1t is wierd ana interesting system
this finger print system, and it is GER
tain that Il viii prove decidedly novel
to Keposha people More than two
hundred banks IN the United States
including many Of the greatest fnan-
cial institutions Of the patton, have
adopted the system which has receiv-
ca most cordial recommendation from
the American Bankers Association.
The method, evolved by Mr.. Flax
from years of experience with criminal
records Of India, where he was head Of
the Central Fngerprint Office at Singa-
pore, is sigularly free from annoyance
to customers of the bank. On taking
out a passbook, the customary record
card is made out by the clerk. Then
little slab of plate glass, neatly
mounted in rosewood case, on which
has been spread, thinly and evenly, a
small quantity of specially prepared
ink, is pushed through the grated win
dow. The depositor is instructed to
press the first three fingers of his
right hand on the mixed glass, and then
transfer their markings to the space
left blank on either the face, or the
back Of the regular signature card. A
little pad of cloth, wet with a solvent,
removes the remaining ink instantly
from the customer fingers. That is
all there is to it.
The card, numbered with the num-
Der of the passbook, is filed away as
is customary with this record. Prob
ably, in most eases, the need for using
the prints may never come. The pro
portion will, Of course, be about the
same as the proportion who are put
through the third degree by the
paying teller who does not use the
ingerprint system. With illiterate de-
positors, paying out money will be
much simplifed Should any doubt at
any time arise as to whether YOU are
you, when you hand over your with
drawal slip, you will be politely re-
quested to favor the bank with
repetition of the printing experiment.
The marks which you will make will
be compared with those made at the
5ime of deposit found by reference to
the account number. If you are you,
you get the money, but if you are
some one else, the developments of the
case will be chronicled by the police
reporters,
Reading the finger prints is trick
taught BY Mr. Hardy, who instruct.
ed the officials Of the local bank in
the art yesterday afternoon. The two
basic principles Of finger print identi-
fcation, which have been laid down in
song and story and central Office re-
ports-ever since Mark Twain wrote
Puddinhead Wilson, are these:
The marks Of the fingers Of a man
never vary from birth to old age; no
two sets Of finger prints are alike
The little ridges which may be seen b.
examining the tips Of the fingers are
modelled into four standard types
arches, loops, whorls and composites.
The arch is pattern in which the
arches run from one side to the other,
making no backward turn A loop is
pattern in which some Of the ridges
make backward turn without twist
ing. 4 wAorl is pattern in which