The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-31
AS HARRY GILMORE, 81.


AS HARRY GILMORE, 81.
previously moistened on a clean wet pad.
Very likely this method used in connection
with specially prepared impregnated paper,
will become the most popular for use in
banks and for business purposes in general.
This process does not as yet produce i'm
pressions as perfect and permanent as those
taken with the regular fingerprint ink.
Scotland Yard is credited with having the
most perfect system of fngerprints, and
many cities in this country have sent police
officials there to make study Of it.
More Than $4,000 on Record
So perfect has It become that criminals
now are hard put to 1t to commit their
depre6ations without leaving trail behind.
In the New York bureau there are more
than $4,000 finger tip impressions, but not
all are original with New York, for they come
from police investigations made in all parts
of the world. Should criminal come be-
fore the authorities in Japan, China, India
of any other, place and his fingerprints be
taken a copy is sent to be filed here.
The fngerprint system was adopted in
New York after Inspector of Police Faurot.
now Deputy Police Commissioner, made
study of it in Scotland Yard in 1906. He
had hard task to secure its adoption, but
his insistence finally prevailed.
The Deputy Commissioner says the finger
print has never yet failed in it's message of
Identification. When it fails for the first
time, then the whole system will fall to the
ground, but he is sure that failure will not
come. The Bureau of Criminal Identification
has abundant proof Of the tnfallibility of the
system.
One gruesome proof is tho case of a man
found wandering suspiciously in the corri-
doris Of ono of New York's largest hotels
tod by ono Of the Commissioners assist
ants:
I'm this case tho man could give no salts
factory account of his identity. his presence
there or his actions, and was turned over
to the police, but there was no evidence that
he had committed any crime We noted
when he reached here that he spoke with
strong English accent His fingerprints
were taken and as they did not correspond
with any here they were forwarded to Scot
land Yard.
Full Prison History Found.
1.-THE officials there returned them. with
full history of the mans criminal career. He
had been eight times In English prisons. In
our courts he was sentenced to seven years
and six months confinement His finger
prints had reached across the ocean to con-
other big hotels was found.
Had we not had his fngerprints he might
have been discharged. At the most he
might have been imprisoned as vagran'
for, say thirty days.
Another case was In a loft burglary. The
place was wired with burglar alarms, but
without touching any Of the wires a thief
gained entrance by removing pane of glass
from the door. This pane he lowered care
fully to the floor. In doing so he left five
finger marks on the glass, which we de-
veloped by sitting powder over them. They
fitted prints we had on file, which had been
made by habitual criminal named Celia.
ave found him and arrested him. He
not only denied knowledge of the crime, but
proved an alibi in court, stating that he had
been at the theatre with a party OF friends
upon the night Of the burglary, and had
afterward gone to his fiat with his wife and
gone to bed.
these things we're established as the
facts, but they did not shake our faith in the
fngerprints upon the glass. I was con-
WINGED the man had done the burglary. His
abb was strong. however; the testimony
of his witnesses could not be shaken.
Agreed to the Test.
Il offered to submit to any test of finger
prints which might be brought in court, and
both the prisoner and his attorney. who evil
agreed to this, the understanding being that
In case / failed the man should be dis
charged, but that II should win, his case
would then be given to the jury To this
plan the court consented.
ct was sent from the room, and while
was absen: twenty lawyers, newspaper men
and others had their nngerprnts taken
and one of these then picked up the glass in
q way similar to that which the prisoner
would have adopted. was then ushered into
the courtroom.
IT returned, developed the resulting finger
print and took ingerprints Of all those who
might have made IL, the prisoner, meanwhile,
watching all this with a smile.
1.-THE result was quick and simple. With
out the slightest difficulty picked out the
man whose fingers had, for a moment, rested
on the glass. The court adjourned till
morning, and when II reconvened the
prisoner admitted guilt Judge Rosalslsy ac-
cepted this plea on condition that the man
should tell the true story of the crime. ex-
planning the whole business of the puzzling
alfbi.
~He ala 10. He had been n member OF the
party which had visited the theatre, he had
gone home afterward and gone 70 bed, ex-
actly as he had declared he had. But, after
his wife was sound asleep he had left her
side, gone out and done the burglary. and
returning. had cautiously got into bed again
before she woke"