The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-04-06
5000 Finger Prints Are Made
Of Persons Held At Jail Here
J. L. Sprinkle At Head
Of Identification Bu-
reau Since 1923

Finger prints have the same standing
in court as an eyewitness. They do
not lie, nor are they prejudiced by
friendship or other personal feelings.
They are the one sure means known to
criminologists for the placing of re-
sponsibility for murders and other forms
of crime. Unlike the handwriting.
they cannot be changed at will; and
their usefulness is not affected by the
passage of time.
Jefferson county has its own bureau
of Identification, OF which the finger
print department is the most important
branch. 1t has not been brought very
often to the attention of the public,
because its work is to associate sus-
poets with their crimes and it reports
only to the sheriff's department, of
which it is a part. Occasionally the
newspapers print story based upon its
disclosures, but usually its work is
hidden away in the body Of long
story about a criminal brought to JUS
tice, with more mention of the arrest
ing officer than of the man who,
through years of study and experience,
made the arrest possible.
Yellow Slips Familiar.
Newspaper offices are familiar with
the yellow slip filed in the sheriff's
department stating that so and so, ar
rested on a vagrancy charge, has been
identified as the man who robbed
bank in Cleveland or killed his wife in
Kansas City. But these slips are sell
dom printed; and the man whose name
is signed to them seldom gets the credit
and advertising he deserves.
J. L. Sprinkle has been in charge
of the Jefferson fcounty bureau of iden
LITIGATION since January, 1928. Since
that time he+has made finger prints of
nearly 5000 persons arrested and
lodged in the county Jail for various
offenses. During 1923 10 escaped con-
victs were apprehended, and a negro
man, John Minnifield, wanted by the
Jefferson county authorities, was ar
rested in Chicago ON a charge of muir
der. Eight defaulters Of their bonds
were located and punished during the
year. Nearly 1000 circulars describ-
ing escaped prisoners were mailed out,
225 persons were identified, and 70
suspects were investigated
Mr.. Sprinkle is well equipped, by
both training and experience, for the
work in which he is now engaged.
After several months in France as a
member of the 117th field artillery,
he passed a short time in Atlanta and
then came over to Birmingham, where
he obtained position with the juvenile
court of Jefferson county. 1t was at
this time that the science of finger print
Identification first appealed to him,
and he took it up in his spare time.
Becoming more interested, he took
course in the finger print department
Of the University of Applied Science in
Chicago, completing it in just Is
months. He now proudly displays in
his office in the county Jail his diploma,
said to be the second one of its kind
to be awarded a resident of Alabama.
Named Bureau Head.
His appointment as head of the JEFF
ferson county bureau of Identification
soon after Sheriff Shirley took office
came as a natural promotion. State
officials and experts on criminology
from various parts of the country have
inspected the Local records from time
to time and have been enthusiastic in
their praise of the manner in which
they were kept. III. B. Brown, super
intendent of the bureau of Identified
ton of the state convict department,
declared Mr.. Sprinkle's office to be one
Of the best regulated in the whole coun-
try.
To some people, finger printing is a
business. a means of earning a liveli-
hood. To Mr.. Sprinkle it is all that
and more. 1t is a part of the world
wide net spread to detect criminals and
protect law-abiding citizens against the
law-breaker; but it is also a contest,
q sort of game in which a man has ev-
cry reason to become enthusiastic. And
he does.
A man is known by the finger prints
he makes this is the only way in which
he is positively different from his fell
low men. A person may think he is
different from other people in voice,
general appearance, distinguishing
marks and in other ways; but, among
the several hundred million people in
the civilized world the chances are
pretty good that, somewhere, some
time, his double may be found. Presi-
dents and other prominent men are
constantly receiving photographs of peo-
pie claiming that they look exactly like
them. A district superintendent of
a school in Brooklyn looked so much
like Woodrow Wilson that he blocked
traffic for 10 minutes when he ap-
peared on Fifth avenue on Armistice
Day. Magazines were frequently pub
fishing pictures of men who could not
be distinguished from Roosevelt. But
finger prints show a wide difference.
Investigated. Report
Soon after taking charge of the bu-
reau of Identification, Mr.. Sprinkle
heard a rumor that two identical fin
ger prints had been discovered by de-
tectives at Scotland Yard, London. 1t
was contrary to all he had been taught
about finger prints; so he investigated
A letter was written to the commission.
er of police, who replied, through his
assistant, that the rumor was ground
less.
IF the rumor had been true, it would
have upset many Of our theories" he
explained. Finger prints have a high
standing in the courts, and they must
be relied upon as a means of identifi-
cation. That is why 1 wanted to find
out about it,"
Every person whose finger print has
been taken is listed on a separate card
for instant reference. The lines and
curves that appear to be all alike to
the eye Of the amateur have distin-
gushing characteristics plainly visible
under a microscope. These character
istics are described by technical words
and figures, 30 that it is possible to
make a mental picture of a finger print
mule sent by tilgraph. When a per-
1000 miles away merely from for
son arrested on suspicion or simply as
a vagrant is found to have the same
finger print classification as that men