Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-16

ti0n is made q report on the offenders true
name and record Is Immediately returned If
q frst offender, the print is carefully placed
in its proper classification as permanent
record.
The hngerprint industry, now ordered and
sure of itself, is routine. If the prints arrive
by mail, report the identification or lack
of previous record must be sent to the
tributing police official within "a hours II
a classification comes by telegraph, answer
must be made within one hour 1t is striking
fact that of the 447,3O1 fngerprints sent on
TO Washington during the year that ended on
June go SO per cent of them we're identified
despite misleading aliases in many cases, as
those of criminals with records and 1882 of
them were identified as fugitives from justice.
Criminal Identification is indispensable in
combating crime, and f1ngerprinting, as 1t has
been perfected in the last half century, is the
surest method of Identification that has yet
been devised.
DIR Henry Faulds an English dactylographer
laid the foundation for the science as it exists
today. While attached to a hospital in Japan,
in 1880 he established that the variety OF in
dividual fngerprints was immense; that these
patterns did not change during life, and that,
finally, even when temporarily obliterated by
Use of acid or pumice stone, the ridges soon
restored themselves with 'untmpeachable
fidelity"
Sir Francis. Cation, noted British scientist,
contributed the next important step. After ex-
tenSive research he discovered positively that
no two sets of hngerprints were alike His
findings were so conclusive that the government
appointed number of eminent scientists to
report on the matter with view to applying
thc knowledge means of criminal identin-
CATION. The formula was finally rounded out
By the research of Sir z. r. Henry, commits
sioner Of Scotland Yard, who devised simple
vet comprehensive method for classifying and
fling the prints. The Henry system" is now
In use throughout the world.
In its primary step, this system calls Tor the
division of all fngerpEint patterns in these
major groups-vhorls, loops, central pocket
loops lateral packet loops, ulnar loops, tWinned
1oops arches and tented arches and patterns
misceIlaneously classed as "accidentals. Wltnln
these primary values there are 1,o24 subdivi-
sions.
In the washington bureau, all incoming
prints first pass through the hands OF the tech
nical section which analyses them and assigns
IL them their proper classification The prints
are then fled in sequence. and another group
Of men taking them one by one, begins 70
search through that particular cabinet which
SiooR,ld contain a similar print If the subject
has a previous record When an Identification
Is made the new print is clipped with the old
print These prints then 60 to the card index
rornn where q search is made through the
3,eee. 900 cards bearing the nanass and aliases
Of an criminals whose prints are on ffle. tbs
IL q guard against missing print in the master
fle The whole operation takes less than hah
an hour.
In the jacket holding the respective prints
are incorporated the entire criminal record OF
Nhe subject. Once the identihcations have been
made, an expert passes upon them finally,
makes sure that everything is correct. letter
II then sent to the contributor Of the new print.
outlining the subjects record. Copies OF this
letter are forwarded to those officials who had
sent former records Of the subject and to other
ofacials interested in the case.
THE extraordinary thing about this finger
] print business is the universally Of its Ian
guage. The formula is now 50 well understood
that sheriff in New Mexico or commissioner
IN South Africa can, after appraiSine the value
Of the hngsTprints of a suspect in bis jail te1e-
graph or cable washington or Scotland Yard
and rest assured they viii be able to identify
the man If he has any previous record at all.
FIngerprint identification has even been made
over the telephone.
FOR the introduction of the Henry system in
this country, credit is largely due to Sergt. Fer
TieR of Scotland Yard, who came here in 1904
10 guard TIE Queens Jubilee presents on exhibit
ton at the st. louis Exposition. He knew the
Henry system thoroughly and advocated it con-
stantly TO those police officials whom he met.
by 1906, the system was operating on large
scale In New York and other cities Curiously,
the first man 1ngerprinted In New York was
the FIRST man convicted on his record
tablished by hngerprtnts.
His name was really Henry Jones' although
he had list Of aliases that stretched from here
10 there. He was arrested on charge of lar
eeny. smooth, Suave gentleman, he indig-
nantly informed the police that his arrest was a
mistake But it was noted, with raised eye
brows that Mr.. Jones had taken much trouble,
for an innocent man, to shave the flesh from
the bulbs Of his fingers, perhaps to remove all
ridge tracings and such Obviously NM Jones
had not read the work of the eminent Dr.
Yaulds
The police took impressions Of the young
kTOwIng ridges and forwarded duplicates TO Scot