Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-07-13
FBfs Identification Division Can Name Anyone
Of 81 Million People Through Fingerprint CARDS

On September IA, 1914, 20 persons
were killed in train wreck at Terre
Haute, Ind. Twenty or more were
army air corps men returned from
overseas. Difficulty was experienced
in identifying the bodies, but finger
prints were sent to the FBI. Ex-
perts carefully checked the incom-
ing fingerprints and identified eight
of them under names sent in from
Indiana. Two other prints, however,
were not identical with those of mil
itary personnel whose names were
given, but were identified as two 9TH
er soldiers whose names had not
been furnished.
So not all identifcations are GRIM
inal identifcations. Missing persons
have been found, amnesia victims
identified, traffic accident victims
identified :. for instance
Fingerprints of an amnesia victim
from Fresno county general hospital
in California were received. The VIC
tim had been asked to write on her
fingerprint card any names which
came to her mind. She listed seven
names and addresses in Gary, Ind,
Seattle, Wash, and Charleston, w.
Va. AS soon as the prints were re-
ceived by FBI they were found to
be identical with set of prints re-
ceived from Portland, Ore, from a
company doing war work. In max
ing the application the woman, of
course, had given her correct name
and this information was furnished
the police in Fresno. The woman
had no criminal record in the FBI
files.
Importance of fingerprint identifi-
cation of non-criminals is pointed
out when the department shows that
in the past year alone 5000 bodies
were taken to morgues and nearly
1000 doomed to burial in potter's
fields because of inability of authori-
ties to identify them. During the
same year more than 100000 persons
disappeared in this country and were
sought by relatives and friends. Fin
gerprinting has solved thousands of
these tragedies and returned many
lost folks to their loved ones.
Records Benefit Everyone.
The department in this connection
points out the advantage of volun-
tary, widespread fingerprinting. AS
permanent seal of personal iden-
tity these fingerprint records offer in
dubitable benefits to those who take
advantage of the service.
According to Mr.. Hoover, it ap-
pears to him as ridiculous that if a
victim of amnesia or of a disaster
has prior criminal record, his fam
lily will be Immediately notified,
while if he has lived within the law,
his family, ignorant of his trouble,
can render no aid. This is an
overcoming paradox because fin
gerprinting of the criminal is the
rule, while fingerprinting of the law
abiding citizen is still the exception.
All civil personal Identification
prints are kept in files separate
and apart from the criminal records
and are there available in case the
individual meets with any mishap
which makes it necessary to deter
mine his identity.
One interesting sidelight on the
criminal Identification side is the
maintenance in conjunction with it's
regular alias name file, an addi-
tional file of nicknames. This nick
name file now includes approximate
ly 285,O00 cards and is of value in
establishing the identity of criminals
who are known only by aliases
and nicknames.
1t sometimes occurs that the only
clue to particular crime is nick
name used unconsciously during the
crime. Many of these names are
descriptive and amusing such as Ash
Pan Slim, Dill Pickle, Cream Puffs,
Ant Eater, Bughouse Bill, etc. A
number of cases have been solved by
coordinating these names with fin
gerprints.