Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-12-06
ii.

washington, D. C., Dec.
has been SO much talk about finger
;prints as a means OF Identification
that it would seem as If everyone
must know something about the sub
ject. Detectives, however, say that
general knowledge OF finger print
science is vague, and that a good deal
of what people believe about it is In
accurate.
This Is said to be true even OF pO-
lice officials who regularly deal with
Identification problems. The question
OF finger prints arises in almost every
big crime mystery and we might
think that every official and employee
engaged in ferretiug out criminals
would be keenly aware of the i'm
p%nrtance Of prints. But are they?
Ear from it.
H h. Wilder and Bert Wentworth,
in al elaborate exposition on the sub
ltect Of Identification. point out a
practically IDEAL situation which OBJ
rains In Lyons, France. When a re-
port ts made to police headquarters
there that a murder OF robbery has
been committed. instant orders go out
that nothing in the place where the
kdeed occurred ia to be touched. Then
cnzsr print experts are sem out at
once to study the premises for prints
left on windows. door knobs, weapons,
1aiLa.
In contrast to this these experts
give q story Of this country. Aaprose-
cutting attorney picked up a razor
used in a crime. rubbed his hand
along the handle to brush off the
dust, and asked a finger print expert
in all s~eriousness II he could find any
significant prints on it.
These contracting stories show q
fundamental difference in attitude to-
wards a crime. The police chief at
Lyons takes II for granted that every
crime may become a troublesome
mystery and he approaches 1t az
such. His carefulness about finger
prints and removal Of objects may
turn out to be altogether unneces-
sary. The criminal may be quickly
discovered. But he believes in pre-
p~aredness.
Only too often the American atti-
tude seemS to be to regard a crime
az no mystery at all until 1t actually
proves itself such. Then skilled de-
tectives are set feverishly to work
on stale clues. and there is generally
a great deal OF fuss made over the
tact that innumerable people have
touched everything about the scene
OF the crime. 1t is practically i'm
possible then to do much with finger
prints. and yet suddenly finger prints
become the most sought after clue.
BUT IN the next mystery the same Sc
quence OF events occurs.
This is all the harder to understand
when you consider that finger prints
are authoritatively regarded as the
final proof OF identity. Experienced
detectives admit that they are some
times deceived by likeness between
two individuals, and that on the other
hand a disguise or the lapse of time
may SO change a persons appearance
that he is not recognized by his own
friends. But finger prints do not
change. and that two persons should
have identical finger. prints is said I'd
be virtually impossible. Even the
prints on twins can readily be distin-
guished.
No Duplicate In Millions.
Out Of the 100000 prints filed bv
the army and the 5000, 900 filed BY
the navy. no duplicates have eve,
been found, Nor is there any record
from other sources of any Discovers
lot duplicated. This IL possible be.
cause not only is<there wide variety
In the general designs. but also In thu
ridges of which the pattern il mad,
up. These ridges, which appear
smooth and regular to the naked eye
show distinct characteristics when 4
print ts put under Q microscope! Eine.
are shown TO be broken ana forkei
In Individual ways. Ridges vary ii
depth and distinctnsss. 7
The Importance Of all this varia,
tion II obvious when difficult 1uss
lions Of identity arise. The most 70,
.l1nous examnlA}is fhattof fvn sAWaA