Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-28
BY REX COLLIER.
stan Correspondent Of The Star.

Holmes, scientific analyst Of crime and
master of mysteries, has stepped from
the intriguing pages Of fiction into the
realm of present-day actuality. rs
The late Conan Doyle's remarkably
gifted detective has become more than
the Pigment Of a vivid imagination. He
has become the prototype Of q new or
der Of crininologist, schooled in the
fine processes Of investigation made
famous by the estinable Holmes.
Sherlockian methods of crime detec-
ton have received the official stamp of
approval of Uncle Sam, as well as one
Of Americas leading universities.
Desk sergeants and police detectives
Of the old school have been wont to
smile at the exploits of Doyles inter-
esting character and to join with DR..
Watson in remarking "1ncredible!"
Admirers Of Holmes.
Not so incredulous. however, are such
modern criminologiSts as j. Edgar
Hoover, director Of the United States
Bureau Of Investigation. or Col. Calvin
Goddard, head OF Northwestern Uni
versity's unique Scientific Crime De-
lection Laboratory, recently established
in Chicago. Not only are they pro-
found admirers Of Mr.. Holmes and Of
his curious methods Of deduction. but
they have undertaken to carry on his
work to heights far beyond the limits
Of Sherlock's widest fights Of needle
stimulated fancy.
In short the ultra modern detectives
Of this scientific age are aspiring to
out-6herlock Sherlock Holmes - and
they are succeeding.
A notable forward step in the direc-
ton OF that goal since science became
an ally of society in the war on crime
Is that taken by Northwestern Univer-
sity in creating Its extraordinary crime
clinic"
Taking shape quietly out Of a definite
crime emergency. the Scientific Crime
Detection Laboratory has come into
being with a minimum Of ballyhoo but
with a superabundance of efficiency.
1t was born of the St. Valentines day
gang massacre in Chicago. In that
atrocity seven followers Of Bugs"
Moran, facketeer, we're lined up against
q garage wall and moved down with
machine guns by rival gangsters.
Identified Death Weapons.
An outraged citizenry. aroused to de-
cisive action, called on Goddard for aid
in solving the CHASTITY case. Goddard
showed that the rain of lead had spurt-
ed from two Thompson submachine
guns ("Tommies," the gangsters call
them and later identified two captured
guns of that type as the slaughter
The initial move in the creation Of
the laboratory was taken by DR.. Her
man N. Bundesen. then coroner of Cook
County, but now Chicago's commissioner
OF health. In conference with a num-
Der Of the city's leading citizens. the
coroner proposed a permanent crime
detection bureau, the chief purpose Of
which at the outset was to secure God
dard's services on year-round basis.
My first thought" DR.. Bundesen ex-
planned to the writer, was TO establish
a crime laboratory under the munich
pality. but soon realized this would
not do. Such laboratory. to be effec-
tics-divorced from all petty and mar
row influences.
IT talked the matter over with o
number of prominent citizens who had
interested themselves in the city'S ef-
forts to abolish gangland. may men
ton particularly Bert A. Massee. soap
company executive, and Walter e.
and Mr.. Olson had been members of
the coroner'S jury which investigated
the Clark street massacre, the former
having served as foreman.
1T was the consensus Of all that The
laboratory should be set up as a part of
a university. Arrangements eventually
were made with Northwestern, and the
laboratory now has become a fact"
Government Becomes Client.
Uncle Sam was one Of the laboratory's
first clients The Bureau Of 1nvestiga-
ton enlisted Goddards professional adj
vice in connection with It's investigation
Of Washington's most sensational MUIR
der mystery, the Staying of Mary Baker.
The young Navy Department employe
was attacked by a man In her parked
car near the White House, and her
mutilated bullet-torn body was found
the next day in q culvert outside the
Sheridan gate Of Arlington National
Cemetery.
A revolver turned over to police by
O Virginia real estate man was identi-
fed by Goddard and also by DR.. Wilmer
Souder, Government balliStic expert
as the one used in the murder. Its
owner, who had contended the gun
was stolen from him and Surrepti-
tiously returned after the killing, was
tried for the staying, but was ac-
quilted by jury.
It was during the ballistic tests con-
Quoted at Goddard's laboratory that
two Of Director Hoover's special agents
obtained a view of the crime clinic
at Northwestern. Their report stirred
Hoover's curiosity.
Hoover. long student Of the GRIM
biological sciences, had known of the
plans for creation Of the laboratory,
and he readily accepted an invitation
to inspect 1t and to take part in
novel crime symposium, during which
straLegies in the war of science versus
crime were discussed.
The director also designated two of
his inspectors to attend, with a view
to adapting the latest devices and pro-
cesses in scientific crime detection to
the work Of the Governments pro-
gressive Detective Bureau in the De-
partment of Justice.
Laboratory Fills Need.
The university's adventure in the
virtually unexplored field of crime de-.
lection will have the earnest moral
support of Director Hoover. He has
often deplored Americas tagging inter-
est in European standards Of scientific
crime Investigation. London, Berlin and
Vienna for years have had their police
scientists" and their scientific police
bureaus" adequately stated with micro
scopists, chemists, medico-legal ex-
perts and other specialists.
America, until Northwestern Uni
versity stepped into the picture, was
far behind the times in these respects.
Prejudice against ."new-fangled ideas"
has had much to do with this back
wardness, but reluctance OF munich
palities to provide necessary funds has
played an important part.
That the country Is awakening from
its lethargy, however, would seem to
be indicated by the reception accorded
a special course in scientific crime de-
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