The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-03-29
Fingerprints May Be
Forged Says Expert;
Demonstrates Scheme

NEW YORK-Officials Of the Inter
national Association for Personal
Identification here an organization
having for it's object the Finger print
ing" Of every man, woman and child
in the United States and Canada, have
started an inquiry into the charge
made by Milton Carlson, Los An
geles 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 a perfect thumb i'm
preston of a 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 last 1000 years as an infallible
means of identification.
Forged finger prints are possible,
but ineffective, it is said by officials
Of the International Association for
Personal Identification here. "a GRIM
inal, said the secretary of the aSSO-
citation, would not have one chance
in million Of success in fastening a
crime upon an innocent person by
means of forged finger print Our re-
searches show that in every case of a
reproduced print the lines are too
palpably false to deceive a skilled eye
They show up under strong ma gni-
flying glass like a rubber stamp Or
wood engraving and not like the or
iginal finger lines which, by reason
of perspiration and oil, are clear and
sharply defined.
"Ha ndwriting experts may attempt
to discredit finger prints because their
use detracts from their business, but
the fact remains that human SEALS
as the finger prints are called, are an
unfailing test SO far s identity is con-
cerned. They have practically super
seeded the Bertillon system in New
York state, bur, until the law is
changed. the Bertillon must be used
in the penitentiaries.- When the lines
are blurred, as often happens, a 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 sand papered they came
back
1T is popularity supposed that fin
ger prints usually are only shown in
blood. The fact is that you leave a
finger print upon everything You
touch. 1t is quite invisible to the
naked eye. The expert, however, will
take bit of powder-a dark powder
on light surface or a light powder
on dark surface-and will quickly
develop the print. The powders used
are lamp black, graphite, cinnebar, red
and mercurious sulphide and dragons
blood.
"Nature has carved on our fingers
these seals and they should be put
TO civilian as well as police use. In
doubtedly they have been the means
of detecting thousands of criminals
Hundreds of individuals who come to
New York and are swallowed up in
this great city, their bodies finally
landing in the morgue, might never
be buried in the potter's field if We
had national finger print registry of
civilians"
The New York finger print organi-
zation officials say that despite Mr..
Carlson's charge, genuine finger prints
are an invalua BILE aid to identify vic
Tins of train wrecks or other disas-
tiers. and for ascertaining the identity
of persons who have temporarily lost"
themselves