Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-16

one of the speediest cases Of criminal justice
came about recently as the result of q chemt-
cal analysis of material found under the nnger-
nails of a dead woman. The coroner had about
concluded that she had been killed IN an auto
mobile accident, but Government officials on
the military reservation where the so-calied
accident occurred noticed suspicious circum-
stances and asked for special scientific assist
ance chemist analysed material which he
found under the woman's nails. 1t proved to
be human skin.
It had also been observed that the husband
had several deep scratches on his neck. His
seeming ironclad alibi was destroyed by careful
investigation, and when confronted with the
evidence the chemical analysis revealed he
confessed that he had struck her with an iron
wrench Then, becoming frightened, he had
headed the car over steep embankment. hop
ing to make his crime appear to have been the
result of an automobile accident
"Too much credit for the progress Of present
methods for crime solution cannot be given to
the international Association of Chiefs Of
Police who years ago saw the need for some
central bureau where information could be coll
lected and from which 1t could be disseminated
In order that they might prove mutually help
full to one another" j. Edgar Hoover, the dy-
manic young director Of the Bureau Of Inyesi-
CATION Of the Department Of Justice. said.
Identification was established at Leaven-
worth Penitentiary, and though its files were
extremely valuable as a partial catalogue OF
Federal prisoners, some Of the work had to be
done by convicts and, as might be expected,
they sometimes destroyed records or mutilated
and confused them One such record recently
furnishes q puzzle which taxed the ingenuity
Of the experts Of the National Bureau OF Identi-
dcation and Information.
"a bank embezzler escaped from Leaven-
worth and the authorities at the penitentiary
in order to expedite his apprehension de-
termined to issue wanted circulars showing his
photograph and fingerprints A search Of their
files failed to yield card showing his finger
prints, SO the classification index Of the prison.
er's prints was sent to Washington with the
request that the prints be furnished. A search
by the classification number failed to yield the
prints there also, but since it was remembered
that the bank embezzler had once been arrested
at Pennhurst Pa, the bureau wrote to the
police at that place for set OF the prints.
when the prints arrived they proved to bear
an entirely different classification from that
forwarded from Leavenworth. Only by accident
some time later was the record Of the fugitive
discovered at Leavenworth and his trickery
revealed. study of his record showed that
he had conspired with the convicts of the
hngerprint division of that institution to mix
his prints and thereby prevent his Identification
IL he should again fall into the hands of
authorities. On the card there were the Inn
pressions of the thumb and little finger Of his
right hand, but the. other three nngerprints
were those Of other convicts, as was the index
finger on the left hand.
"The value Of complete and accurate records
Is Immediately obvious. The records are avail
able to any police oficer Of the United States,
its possessions or OF foreign countries, and
although the fling OF criminal records with the
Bureau of Investigation Of the Department of
Justice Is not mandatory, most police officers
are doing 90. The department. Is glad to fur