Evening star., 1932-08-22
EUGEN|CS EXHIBIT
BARES AMAZING
WEST TWINS DATA
Only Fingerprint Able to Dis
tinguish Pair Found in
LeavenWorth Prison.
CONFUSION OCCURS
IN CONFLICTING RECORD
1903 Sitting of Identifcations Re-
called by Director Hoover
of U. S. Bureau.
BY REX COLLIER.

To prove the unreliability of photo
graphs and Bertillon measurements in
criminal identification, the United States
Bureau of Investigation today laid be-
fore a group of scientists in New York
the straneest case of mistaken identity
in prison annals-that of the so-called
West twins"
These colored twins" who were not
known to be related at all. were alike
as two peas in a pod, except for those
infallible trade marks of individualiSm,
their fingerprints.
To make the coincidence more as
founding and confusing to officials of
Leavenworth Penitentiary, where both
were confined nearly 80 years ego, the
prisoners had almost identical names.
The case was called to the attention
of the Third International Exhibit of
Eugenics at the Museum of Natural
History in New York City by Leo S.
Schilder, head Of the division Of identi-
fication OF the Bureau of Investigation.
in connection with an exhibit of finger
print activities of the bureau arranged
by the director, J. Edgar Hoover.
Prison Clerk SkepticaI.
Director Hoover said here today that
in 1903 one Will West, colored, was
committed to Leavenworth Penitentiary
and on being questioned by the record
clerk during the process of measuring
and photographing him, West declared
he had never been in the prison before.
The clerk expressed doubt as to the
truth of this statment, for he was
struck with the resemblance Of West
to another prisoner he had checked
in some years before.
Comparing Vests Bertillon measure
ments with those on file in the prison
office, the clerk found a card with vir-
tually the same measurements. 1t bore
the name William West" and a photo
graph that left no doubt whatever in
the mind of the clerk that William
West stood before him.
The puzzling thing about 1t all, how
ever, was the notation on the card that
William West had been incarcerated
two years before to serve a life SEN
tence for murder. There was nothing
on the card to indicate he had been
released or had escaped.
Argument Is Raised.
The clerk handed the card to VIII
West and the latter's eyes widened in
amazement. That surely was his pic
ture, all right, and the measurements
and description seemingly were his a,so,
but Will only protested the louder that
there must be some mistake.
To settle the argument, prison officials
sent to the cell block in which William
West had been placed and socn found
Will Vests twin" performing his
prison duties as usual. Will and Will
liam were brought together and ex-
amined closely. 1t was found the men
were practically identical-from shape
Of the head to weight, height and other
characteristics.
When their fingerprints were COM
pared, however, marked difference wa
observed in the loops and whcrls that
invariably distinguish cne person from
another.
The similarity of body measurement
is shown in the following comparison
of Bertillon records of the two men:
Will West-177.5: 1880; 9l3:. 1913;
15.9; 148: 6.5; 27.5; 1872; sc; 50.3
VIM. West-178.5: 1870; 91.3; 1877;
1873; 14.8: sc; 282; 1913; 81. 50.2.
These figures, representing metric
measurements, are. respectively, height
standing, reach from fingertips to fin
gertips, height sitting. length of head,
width of head, length of right ear,
width of right ear. length Of left foot,
length of left middle finger. length of
left little finger and length of left
forearm
This case is particularly interesting"
the bureau announced, "as indicating
the fallacies in the Bertillon system,
which necessitated the adoption of the
fingerprint system as medium of iden-
tiflcation."