The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-09-12
FINGER PRINTS
AGAINST His
ENLISTMENT
But the Canadian Black
Watch Took
Him

Hal lIlC ISCOluo VI GliC liliBCA
prints of millions of men cannot be
fooled in the United States army and
navy is demonstrated by the expert
ence of Thomas j. Eagan, who has
tried to enter the Navy through the
local recruiting office, and has been
unsuccessful for the reason that ten
years ago he was discharged from
the Navy because Of i'll health. Even
an assumed name fails to be Of any
avail when it comes to the finger
prints which absolutely cannot fail,
Eagan had regained his health af-
ter being discharged to the extent
that he was able to join the Canadian
Black Watch regiment which saw
about the ferciest fighting of The wal
and was one of the few to come back
of the Princess Pats. On his dis
charge from the Canadian army, he
thought he would like to rejoin the
United States Navy and had no idea
that the finger prints taken ten years
ago would give him away when he
changed his name ind tried to enlist
far from home. 1t was not long, how
ever, before he received his End dis
charge for the people at Washington
found him in the files without much
delay. Eagan's record was all right
excepting that he is sickly and the
Navy will not knowingly take on any
body who will be source of trouble
10 it later.
The identification office of the Navy
now has on file more than 100000
identification records, taken since
1907. Every new man has his finger
prints classified, searched and filed 70
ascertain if he has ever had previous
discreditable service. Eagan's ut
tempt is not the only one made at the
local office, but there have been sey
raj who tried to enter the service
when they had been discharged dis.
creditably for one reason or another
previously.
The United States is far behinC
other countries in the use of finger
prints for Identification for the Chin
csc used it as early as 400 B. c.. Ir
Japan a criminal is not known by his
name but by his thumb mark. W
until 1900, although the finger print
was known as a positive means Of
identification no attempt to devise 9
system for c ssifcation was made, a
that time the commissioner of police
of London installed such system il
Scotland yard. The system has beer
installed even in South American
countries now. 1t has been of grea
value of late in establishing the iden
tity of men killed in accidents o.
battle. This is true of bodies fount
in the ocean or elsewhere in badl!
decomposed state.
Since the system has been installed
in the Navy 1856 men have been id
entitled as having previous discredi
table service. A seaman was recent
ly killed in Washington, d. c., anc
his head was completely crushed. Id
was at once identified by means of hi
thumb and index finger prints. A
few weeks ago man dressed in tho
Navy uniform got bad check cashet
in Philadelphia. He left his thumt
prints on the check and the bank sen
thee heck to the Navy department
to establish his identity. Within
very short time the man was Learned
to be Harry Williams of the receiv
ing station in New York.
At the time war was declared The
Navy only had seven finger-print ex
perts. The work increased so tina
the number was increased to 115.
Any number of robbery cases have
been solved by this division, as ev
erything that persons fingers
touch, except cloth, leaves laton
impression. This impression may b'
developed by sprinkling gray powder
or charcoal on the place where thu
impression is supposed to be an'
then brushing it off with camel
hair brush. This will bring out thu
impression as plain as if it were tax
en- in printers ink. After this is done
all that is necessary in order to pre-
.o A. ;,,,,,roccion ic to obtain