New Britain herald., 1924-10-18
Police May Determine Today Beyond Doubt Through Comparison Of Telltale Marks
 Left By Hands.
Commissioners to Learn
 Directly From Officers Y Involved All Circum- ' stances Connected With K Murder.

Fingerprints which the New Brit ain police have in their possession are expected to establish today whether Gerald Chapman was the yegg who blew open a safe at David son 6 LeventhaPs department store last Sunday and fatally shot Police man James Skelly. z
 The police will make no statement concerning their anticipated revela- ton but 1t is known that they have .fingerprints of the man who is SUD- posed to be Chapman and also fin gerprints of the real Chapman which were obtained through the New York police. These prints are sbeing compared and it is believed that the result will determine be- yond all doubt whether Chapman was guilty of blowing open the safe and killing Policeman Skelly. How the prints of the supposed Chapman were secured is not knowlS nor will the police tell.
 Police Board To Meet
 The appointment of a successor to Policeman Skelly will be discussed at . meeting of the board of police commissioners next week. Several supernumerary policemen. it is said, have filed applications for appoint ntsnt to the vacancy.
 Policemen Lanpher, Atwater, Liebler and Malona, who responded to the alarm that burglars were in Davidson F&s Leventhal's, will be in structed to. attend the board meet ing. The commissioners wish to familiarize themselves with all the circumstances connected with the visit Of the crooks to New Britain and the death of skelIy. assyel.s ar fhs Incidents which follewed im- mediately after the shot was fired.
 It Is said that the board does not wish it's action interpreted as for mal inquiry, ia spite of public criti- cisn of some ot the policemen. They want to get at all the facts in the case so that they may determine how similar situations may be avoided in the future.
 No charges will be placed against any of the policemen involved in the case, according to the reports, but they will, be questioned to clear up the affair. Five men of equal rank went to the store last Sunday morning so that no one man could be held responsible for their neg lect to cover the front door as Chief William C. Hart said afterward, should have been done. It is under stood that the police bo%d is plan ming on introducing a system where by the oldest man in service shall take charge of an investigation and be held responsible for 1t, in cases where all the men detailed arc of the same rank. This is the ar- rangement followed in military af- fairs. and the police board regards the police department as a semi military organization.
 Chief Hart said today that no im- portant developments have been brought 10 light in the police hunt for Chapman today The federal agents who have been working in the city on the case since Sunday have departed, having accumulated all the evidence obtainable here. Chief Hart said that he was unable to tell where the center of the fed eral agents investigation is now located. No Identification has been made as yet of the stuff that was found fin tho offices Of the Shean Advertising company in Springfield and turned over 10 the local police.
 Walter F. Shcan, held in the Hartford county jail for murder. re- main uncommunicative. it is said.