Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-02
BY REX COLLIER,
STAFF Correspondent of The Star

STAFF Correspondent Of The Star
CHICAGO, July 2.-"If you tested
me with that machine, you'd find me
guilty of murder in minutes or less,
regardless of how innocent might be"
I remarked to the fair-haired young
man to whom I had just been intro
duced at the Scientific Crime Detec-
ton Laboratory of Northwestern Uni
versity.
The youthful scientist was none other
than Leonardo Keeler, credited with
bringing the so-called lie detector"
to what its advocates claim is re-
markable degree of perfection ;,
You are wrong" Keller smiled.
"That's what nearly every one says
when deception tests are mentioned, but
thousands of tests have proved the
notion an erroneous one. 1t is true
that you or 1 might suffer a distinct
emotional reaction If we thought we
were suspected of a crime we did not
commit, but the deception tester knows
how to differentiate between that Klnd
of emotional response and the guilty
kind"
Keeler's enthusiasm attested his SIN
cerity. He had cause for satisfaction.
for but recently he had been afforded
his big opportunity to demonstrate
his technique under notable auspices.
He had been made an associate mem
Der of the staff of the new crime
clinic presided over by Calvin God
dard.
Has Been Tested.
The "lie detector'-the term is
popular one not wholly to keeler'S
professional liking-looks like COM
bined portable radio set and ply
sician's blood pressure instrument, the
.gadget that goes around ones arm
and that has the unpronounceable name
of "sphygmomanometer." The latter Is
attached to the subjects arm and rec
ords blood pressure variations on a
paper record. Another device fastened
to the chest traces respiratory changes.
The idea, in short, is to watch a
suspects blood pressure and reSpira-
tory reactions under questioning ana
thereby to draw conclusions as TO MS
guilt of innocence.
The device has been given exhaustive
tests in California and other States and
has won a steadily widening circle OF
converts among scientists, police OIL
Gals and others. Thu courts, however,
have not always dealt kindly with it.
Several efforts to use it in important
homicide cases have been thwarted by
skeptical prosecutors and jurlstS.
Now comes Northwestern University
to bolster its prestige and encourage Its
sponsors. Under the plans OF Goddaro
and his colleagues. Keeler will continue
his researches and make practical tests
In criminal cases.
Goddard is convinced Of the ''vast
possibilities" of deception tests that are
scientifically conducted, and so is Au-
gust Vollmer, expert OF the WlckerSham
Crime Commission and also an associate
member of the Chicago crime laboratory
May End Third Degree.
"Keeler's method of detecting decep-
ton is the very anthesis of the third
degree" Col Goddard explained. Il
confidently believe that eventually the
process will be substituted for the more
brutal methods long practiced in many
of our cities. The public will demand it..
But the public must be educated to
1t. Popular misconceptions about 1t
must be dispelled. not only in the minds
of people generally, but of law enforce
ment officers, from policemen to judges
We are going to assist Mr.. Keller in the
campaign of education. through intelli-
gent demonstration of the lie detector's'
real worth in criminology."
Keeler is a graduate of Stamford Uni
versity, where he first conducted his ex-
periments, and he plans to take medi-
cal degree at Northwestern. He is but
rs years old.
The detector as perfected by Keeler is
30 sensitive that it can tell when per-
son IS voicing an "inconsequ ,ntial' lie
one in which emotional fear of a guilty
person or anger of a falsely accused one
is lacking. This was proved in novel
card test conducted among college stu
dents
Ten playing cards were handed to
on4 of the subjects with the request
that he mentally choose one and re-
I, IL, u
and dealt out, one by one, with the
question, us this the card you chose 2"
The subject was advised to answer neg
atively to each repetition of the query
even when the correct card was placed
before him.
Only Four Failed.
Thus the student told one lie, without
fear or anger or other emotional stress.
OF the rs students tested only 4
failed to show on the record of the tell
tale emotional response of liar, Keeler
declared. The curving line traced by
the uncanny machine showed slowly
increasing blood pressure as the test
progressed. with humps" for each
wrong card exposed and slightly greater
rises when the correct card appeared.
Than the line rapidly dropped back and
no other marked deviation occurred
during the showing of the remaining
cards.
The students told me in nearly every
case they had tried hard to fool. the
machine by surprising emotional, i'm
pulses, or by saying to themselves as
each wrong card was shown: That is
the card chose so as to record lie
in every instance"
Keller has devised certain procedures
to fit nearly every police need. He con-
tends that proper application of the
principles involved not only will point
to the guilty in mora than 80 per cent
OF the tests, but positively will free
the innocent OF suspicion.
A suspect, whether innocent or
guilty" Keeler states, naturally will
suffer much apprehension If accused
OF crime. If he is innocent, he be-
comes indignant, resentful and possibly
enraged. If he is guilty he is ruled by