The Washington herald., 1913-01-19

Early last year the Chicago police
sent out a description of a man known
as John Kabusta, whom they wanted
for the commission of two particularly
heinous murders in the Illinois metrop-
oils. Because kabusta was thought to
have served in the navy, one of these
descriptions, containing a photograph of
his finger prints, was sent to the Finger
Print Division of the Bureau of Naviga-
tion of the Navy Department in Wash
ington, with the request that Mr.. ]. L.
Taylor, in charge of the division, search
his files to see # he had any record of
kabusta's entrance into the navy.
This search was made, but no trace
CT the suspect discovered.
On November %, 1911, a Washington
newspaper printed photograph of the
finger prints of John Smith," arrested
I'm connection with the Mickle murder
in the National Capital Mr.. Taylor
recognized the prints as being identical
with those on the Kabusta description
sent out by the Chicago authorities and
telephoned Maj. Sylvester, Chief of the
Washington police, who informed the
Chicago detectives of his capture.
"Smith's' physical measurements failed
TO agree with the Bertillon description
sent from Chicago, but his finger prints
were identical with Kabusta's, and he
later broke down and confessed that he
years which hal elapsed since the TAX
ing Of his Bertillon measurements had
changed his bodily characteristics but
had left the lines of his hands untouch-
cd, and the Chico go officials paid tribute
TO the accuracy of the naval experts
judgment in spotting the newspaper re-
production of Smiths" finger prints as
those OF Kabustas and thus bringing
the criminal to justice.
Catch Wanted Men.
This is only one of the many instances
Of changed identity which have been
traced through the expertness of the men
employed in Uncle Sans Naval Detect
I've Bureau as the Finger Print Divi-
sion might be called. During the first
twenty days of October of this year the
hnger print experts caught forty-four
crooks out of S6i applicants for service
in the navy, and nearly half of these
were men who were wanted for deser-
ton. The others had previously been
discharged for bad conduct and had tried
TO re-enlist under an assumed name,
only to be caught By the inexorable arm
of the law, which declared that the lines
Of their hands should change not. from
the day of their birth to that of their
death.
Prior to January /. 1907. it was well
known to the officials of the navy that
there were a number of men enlisting on
the warships who should not be allowed
20 do so-deserters, crooks of all sorts,
men with bad service records, and the
like. But there was no way to stop
them. They changed their names, grew
boards to disguise themselves, and, I'M
less recognized and reported by some
chance acquaintance who had known
them in the past. there was little reason
to suppose that they would be caught.
As this class OF men. for the most part,
would only obtain transportation and an
outfit of clothing-averaging in cost
about s75-and then desert from the navy
without giving any service for the money
expended, il was quite an expensive
process TO Uncle Sam, besides tending to
lower the entire moral tone OF the serv-
ice
Installed in 1907.
Commander Henry B. Wilson. U. 8. N.
was the first to become convinced that