The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-03-11
TO TAKE MOVIES !. !.
OF CRIMINALS
PLAN TO INSTALL MACHINE AND
MAKE A RECORD.
IN ADDITION TO THUMB PRINTS
Some of the More Humorous are
Inclined to Affix to the Author the
Title of "Puddinhead Wilson"
-Sheean Doesn't Finch.

Des Moines, Ia, March S--A unique
method of criminal Identification will
be established in Iowa at the peni-
Tertiary and reformatory should the
| legislature pass a bill now under con-
sideration by Senator Sheean of Ami
mosa, where the reformatory is To-
Gated. The plan, is to install in each
institution a moving picture taking
machine and make record of every
criminal. SO that in case Of an escape
copies can be sent to moving picture
houses all over the state Offering the
state reward and giving good life
like view Of the fugative. 1t is esti-
mated that at reasonable cost a
record could be made showing each
prisoner walking full length, thus dis
closing his gait, and his face at close
range showing the expression of his
eyes and mouth and both side views
of his head
At both reformatory and prison
now are maintained photographers
who take for the state side view
of the face and front view for iden-
give bu vague idea of the man
and Is but a fair suggestion to train
ed criminologists. There is on them
but the one fixed face. On a moving
picture the finest expressions can be
magnified and portrayed. Then all
sides of the head can be shown, Alien
lists who have discussed the PROPOSE
ton say that the two sides oil a per
sons face do not look exactly alike
and that identification is sometimes
more certain by a view of the back
of the head than from any other
view point. In less than one hundred
feet of film, IT is said, a criminal
could be portrayed from all points OF
view and his mannerisms in carriage
and discourse shown.
Senator Sheehan has introduced in
the legislature bill providing for
the establishment of a bureau of iden-
LITIGATION under the supervision OF
the state board of control with au'
thority to make a complete thumb
mark record of all prisoners. Some OF
the more humorous of the legislature
have tried to affiX to the senator the
title of the "Puddenhead WelSOn" oil
the legislature because of the charac
ter In Mark Twain's novel who first
suggested thumb marks for identtt-
cation purposes. But the senator
doesn't finch under this appelatiOn.
He is sincere in mis- conviction that
the thumb mark is a positive identil-
cation mark and will urge the pass
age of his bill. If the bureau is estab-
lshed with this much authority for
Identification he will probably urge
the passage of the supplementary
measure to authorize the installation
of moving picture machines to make
films OF the ConViCtS. The machine
and apparatus could be installed in
each state institution, 1t is estimated
at about $1,000.
When the Sheean thumb mark
bill is called UP for consideration in
the committee G. ID. Ellyson of Des
Moines will appear in behalf of the
bill. Mr. EllySon was for years pres
ident of the Marquardt Bank in Des
Moines and is now president Of a
chemical company. He has for years
made a specially of Identification of
hand writing and thumb marks and
recently in the Federal court in Des
Moines obtained this distinction of
luC OIiy CApSAI vi "iAIiho
to convict on his supported testimony
men of black hand operations.
This week Mr.. Ellyson is an expert
on signatures before the Federal
Court in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The
hearing ON the Sheean bill will &C
cordingly be fixed for the latter part
of this week or the first of next. Mr..
Ellyson is supplied with all the
equipment for comparing thumb
marks and will give practical dem
Ionstration to the committee If the
committee reports the bill favorably
Mr.. Ellyson will probably be invited
to address a joint session of the leg
Iislature on thumb mark" identified
tion methods and give practical dem
lOnstrations there.