Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-06

Washington, ID. c., Dec. 3.-There
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 subject.
Detectives, however, say that general
knowledge of finger print science is
vague, and that q good deal of what
people believe about it is inaccurate.
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 employe en-
gagged in ferreting out criminals would
be keenly aware of the Importance OF
prints. But are they? Far from it.
II. Fl. Wilder and Bert Wentworth,
in an elaborate exposition on the sub
ject of Identification, point out a prac-
tlcally ideal situation which obtains in
Lyons, France. When a report is
made to police headquarters there that
a murder or robbery has been com
mitted, instant orders GO out that
nothing in the place where the deed
occurred is to be touched. Then fin
ger-print. experts are sent out ut once
~ SAuuy LIZ PLCAliCcS LUZ PIIulS lttL I'll
windows, door knobs, weapons, walls.
In contrast to this these experts give
a story of this country. A prosecuting
attorney picked up q razor used in a
crime, rubbed his hand along the han
die to brush off the dust. and asked a
f~lnger-prlnt expert in all seriousness
if he could find any significant prints
on it.
These contrasting stories show a
fundamental difference in attitude to-
wards a crime. The police chief at
Lyons takes it for granted that every
crime may become a troublesome mys-
terry and be approaches it as such. His
carefulness about finger prints and
removal of objects may turn out to be
altogether unnecessary, The criminal
may be quickly discovered. But he
believes in preparedness.
Only too often the American attitude
seems to be to regard a crime as no
mystery at all until it actually proves
itself such. Then skilled detectives
are set feverishly to work on stale
clues, and there is generally n great
deal Of fuss made over the fact that
innumerable people have touched
crime. It is practically impossible
then to do much with finger prints,
and yet suddenly finger prints become
the most sought-after clue. But in the
next mystery the anne sequence of
events occurs.
This is all the harder to understand
when you consider that finger prints
are authoritatively regarded as the fl
nal proof Of identity. Experienced de-
t~ectives admit that they are sometimes
deceived by likeness between two in
dividuals. and that on the other hand
a disguise or the lapse Of time may
so change a persons appearance t1at
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 to
be virtually impossible. Even the
prints on twins can readily be distin-
guished.
No Duplicates In Millions.
Out Of the 6,O00,00 prints filed by
the army and the 100000 filed by the
navy. no duplicates have ever been
found. Nor is there any record from
other sources of any discovery of
duplicates. This is possible because
not only is there wide variety in the
general designs. but also in the ridges