Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-09
TRACING LOST 'KIDDES'
BY FINGER PRINTS TO
BE PUT TO TEST HERE
First Experiments Will Be
Made Today, and System
Of Recording All Chill
dren in the City May Re-
suit.

Soene-A room IN police station.
Time-Any summer afternoon. Police
men, neighborhOod characters and re-
porters standing about.
Lost Boy-MammG, mamma, mani
ma, my mammal IcGnt my mamma! q!
Won!
Police MatrOn--What's your name,
little boyG
Lost Boy-I tUanHa 90 home to my
mamma!
Police Matron-If you tell me your
name I'H give you a lot OF candy, a
fire engine, a Teddy bear and penny,
and I'U make you a policeman.
Lost Boy--I toGnt my mamma!
-.Hi. ----- NH.. s.r.
This picturesque scene Of agony may
soon be a thing OF the past In this city.
When It 10 gone, some expert Will be able
to reckon. In millions of gallons, the Bit
ter tears Of childhood that will have been
save yearly, to the great benefit of little
nervous systems and economy in little
heartbeRts. For as the big policeman
on the corner put 1t, 'T've sean many
pretty bad things In my time, men all
cut up In wrecks. and had to handle 'emi
but there's nothing that gets me like a
lost kid that doesn't know his name but
has that ache In his throat for his
mother"
He said he always had to turn his back
on the occasions of those rapturous re-
coveries Of lost ones within the bleak
walls OF station houses, when mother is
found again.
FINGER-PRINTs TAKEN,
The first experiment for a system to
identify lost children by finger-prlnts was
made today at City Hall, when the ten
fnger-tps Of a little person were pressed
ON card and fixed his identity forever.
For the flngeT-prlnts OF no two persons
In the world are alike even those Of
twins. OF course 1t would not be so
necessary 10 register the prints of older
children, who know their names. But It
is an amazing thing how many things
small children can say before they can
say their names
They can order meals before they can
say their names. They can criticise the
cut and fashion Of garments they are
compelled TO wear before they can say
their names. OF course. they know their
first names. but that's not enough to
Identify them.
whats your name, little boy2"
why Johnnie, OF course. Lead me,
II you please. at once to my mother Tor
words TO that effecD,
whats your last name7'
Johnnie An wanna go home now!"
IHeTeIoFet the necessity OF helping out
the child His finger prints taken in the
station, would be rushed to City Hall and
the search would be narrowed down TO
some particular classification by the
rougher outlines of Johnnie's prints until
you got to section 80, page IsS. and there
would be Johnnie's lost last name, and
his address. and his mothers name (even |
his father's), just how TO set him home.
In word,
DISCUSS NEW METHOD
Superintendent OF Police Robinson and |
Harry Hodkln, chief inger-print expert OF |
the Department OF Public Safety, today |
discussed the new method. They also ex- |
peFlmented In taking the fnger-pFlnts of |
a little boy, The prints taken by Bodkln |
were those OF James g. Farrell, I years |
old, Of 500 South Goth street, He Is a son |
Of City Hall Detective Edward 4. Far |
rell. Superintendent Robinson said:
''Finger-prints OF human being are the
only records Of the Individual that can
never be changed, The marks, as a rule, |
remain the same from cradle 10 the grave. /
II this little boy wandered away from his
home his Identity could easily be estab- /
iished short tirae after his finger-pTints
some clearing house."
In many foTelgn countries the finger |
prints OF gFown-up persons are kept on |
hle. This ls done 80 that IN the event o. |
z disaster the nngeFspFlnta Of dead per-
sons can be compared with those hled
away by the municipality,
Hundreds OF children wander away from
their doeFsteps during the summer sea-
son, Superintendent Robinson said NJ /
hodklR, who Is 3 veteran angeF-pFint er,
pert, suggested that the prints be taken
AZ either the schools or al the station
house II the district where the child lives.
In nay experiences ] have never heard
q tive sets of nnger-pFlnts being alike. 50
alsiineilFe are the markings Of a pair Of
thpmps that % an expert ne other naiF
Of thumbs may resemble them eiossly
enough 70 cause even temporary eonfti.
sion, The aFeat number Of delicate llnss
ana iheiF peculiar iFFegulaF aFFangemant
laahs possible the variety of e9mhinatlons
20 Infinite aa % AFFORD 8 different pattsFn
.oF every nnger fashioned By nature. me
qeiEAss breaks, feFks, aRglea and seean-
Fie curves are the marks that distinsuish
aeeh nnser and each thumb from everv
0tpeF nngeF ana thumb IN the world"