Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-01-23

FINGER PRINTING
OF EVERY MAN
Woman And Child In United States
And Canada Will Be Aim OF A
sSOciatiOn For Identification
Associated Press

NEW YORK, Jan. 23-Officials of
the international Association for Per-
sonal Identification here, an organi-
zation having for its object the ''fin-
ger printing" of every man, woman
and child in the United States and
Canada, have started an inquiry into
the charge made by Milton Carlson,
a Los Angeles handwriting expert,
that finger prints can be forged.
Carlson says he forged" the finger
prints of convicted murderer in New
Jersey in human blood on a butcher
knife, making perfect thumb i'm
preston of man 5000 miles away.
Experts, it is said, pronounced it per-
feet. So far as known, the Californian
is the first man to announce success
full duplication of finger prints, used
for the past 1000 years as an infall-
ible means of Identification.
Forged finger prints are possible
but ineffective it is said by officials
of the international for Personal Ia
entification here. "a criminal, said
the secretary of the association,
would not have ore change in mil
lion of success in fastening CRIME
upon an innocent person by means OF
forged finger print. Our researches
show that in every case of a reproduc-
ed print" the lines are too palpably
false to deceive a skilled eye. They
show up under strong magnlfylng
glass like a rubber stamp or wood en-
craving and not like the original fin
ger lines which, by reason of perspir-
alton and oil, are clear and sharply
defined.
Handwriting experts may attempt
to discredit finger prints because their
use detracts from their, business but
the fact remains that ''numan seals
as the finger prints ara called, are
an unfailing test so far as Identity
is concerned. They have practically
New York State but, until the law is
changed, the Bertiilion must be used
in the penitentiaries. WheE, the lines
are blurred, as often happens, finger
print is worthless but if they are
clear it is infallible evidence. 1t has
been shown that if the finger ridges
were shaved off or sandpape red they
came back.
"It is popularity supposed that fin
gerprints usually are only shown IN
blood The fact is that you leave
finger print upon everything you
touch 1t is quite invisible to the max
ed eye. The expert, however, will
take bit of powder-a dark pow
der on light surface or light pow
der on dark surface-and will quick
ly 'develop' the print. The powders
use are lampblack, granite, cinnebar
red and marcurious sulphide and dra-
CONS blood.
Mature has carved on our fingers
these seals and they should be put
to civilian as well as police use. I'm
doubtedly they have been the means
of detecting thousands of criminals
Hundreds of individuals who come tC
| New York and are swallowed up in
this great city, their bodies finally
landing in the morgue, might never
be buried in the potters' field if we
had National finger print registry
of civilians"
The New York finger print organ
ization officials say that despite Mr.
Carlson's charge, genuine finger
prints are an invaluable aid to identi-
| fy victims of train wrecks, or other
disasters and for ascertaining the i'd
entity of persons who have temporar'
lily '1ost" themselves.