East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-07-10
FINGER MARKS ARE
USED TO TRACE MEN
WHO BREAK THE Law

NEW YORK COMMISSIONER BE
LIEVES PLAN TO BE GREAT
AID TO POLICE.
Those Who Violate the Law Are Eas-
lily Distinguished; Prints Taken of
Young Boys Brought Into Court for
Minor Offenses; Plan May Help to
Decrease Crimes.
NEW YORK, July 10.-Mark Twain
In his "Puddin Head Wilson" was
among the first to demonstrate the
authenticity of finger prints as a
method Of Identification. Now the
finger print method is in general use
in police departments and elsewhere,
A real lively controversy has arisen
in New York over the action Of a city
magistrate in having the finger prints
taken of three boys who were con-
vcted before him Of disorderly con-
duct. for playing baseball in the
street The Commissioner of Correc-
ton of the City of New York, de-
clares that criminals have drifted in
TO life Of delinquency because they
have not been made to feel that the
results Of continued minor offenses
are serious He believes that the TAX
ing OF finger prints in even minor
cases, is justifiable, because 1t en-
phaszes to the young offender the
seriousness Of disobeying the law.
Had the city of New York ten years
ago taken the finger printes Of every
young fellow summoned to court "
he says "and filed these finger prints
away-not to show that he was cri-
minal. but in order to identify him
We should have analyzed two hundred
and eighty-eig cases where the ac-
cused escaped sentences to which
they were entitled. He finds that
there two hundred and eighty-eight
persons served a total Of 1888 sem
tcnces that one man served % terms
one "a; two %: two q; one 20; two
10 one - iuui ip' anu 'liat 'il' iN7'
had all served from three to five
terms. He declares that all Of these
would have been discovered had the
system, under which the three boys
were finger printed, been enforced.
The complicated question as to the
ownership of a hole in the ground
has been puzzling the minds Of city
authorities. Unfortunately this hole
has appeared in the center of one of
the busy thoroughfares in the down
town district 4 wagon passing over
the spot suddenly dropped nearly out
os sight After it was rescued an in
Vestigation was made by one Of the
city departments, with the result that
it was found that a leak in a water
pipe was responsible for the cave-in.
Ii was stated in behalf Of Father
knickerbocker that until the plumber
for the owner of the pipe stops the
leak the city will do nothing as there
might be another cave-in Just WHY
the city's plumber could not plug the
leak vas not disclosed.
There have been many cave-ins in
the New York streets, but usually they
are provided for in some way by the
city regulations. In the early days
OF Manhattan large creek crossed
Fifth Avenue and Broadway, near
where the Waldorf Astoria hotel now
stands. still another creek crossed a
portion of the city in the immediate
vicinity of the great Wanamaker
stores. And there was good trout
fishing in Manhattan creek in the
neighborhood of the palatal hotels at
Fifty-ninth street. All of these streams
were carefully tucked underground
many years ago. and they have been
sent off to the Hudson and East riv-
ers through great sewer systems. Oc-
casionally these streams break loose.
A year or two ago there was a tre-
mendous hole in Thirty-third street,
and an underground stream threaten
ed to wreak vengeance on the sur
rounding property. Greenwich Vii
AflNN has bttil tItiNhlthSu 'ilNN Va
twice by its creek. which succeeded in
breaking loose.
In such cases the city IMAGES haste
to repair the damage and tuck the
streams back under the earth again,
A law is made and provided" for
such mishaps, But it is a plebeian
trick of somebody's water pipe to
spring a leak and make a hole in the
| street And such new things" are
very disturbing to some of the intel.
ligept officials of even great city
like New York. Perhaps when the
thing occurs again the inspectors will
be able to locate a printed rule that
will enable them to decide just what
should be done.