In Paris a public house or saloon was broken into one morning, and it
was found that the owner had been murdered and that apparently there
was no clew to the murderer.
On arriving at the saloon they found a table on which drinks had
been served, and on which were found a number of glasses. On close
investigation finger prints were discovered on each. Finger prints
were also found on a knife by the side of the body and on a decanter.
On comparison it was found that the prints were made by the same
person. On causing the arrest of the different people who had been
seen to visit the saloon they were finger-printed and a comparison
made, with the result that the murderer was arrested and a confession
obtained within ten days, followed by conviction.
At New Scotland Yard, London, a little boy was brought in and two sets
of his finger prints taken and filed away in separate steel deposit
vaults. The boy was an orphan and an heir to a very large fortune
in Africa. His finger prints were taken as a protection, so that if
anything happened to him, or he disappeared, or he had to prove his
identity to claim his estate, or provided he died and proof of the
identity of the body was required, such proof could be shown with
absolute certainty.
An interesting case nearer home is that of a recent arrest in Chicago
of a man that the authorities were convinced was a professional
criminal, and from his accent and other indications they believed him
to be an English professional crook.
His Bertillon measurements and finger prints were taken at the Bureau
of Identification by Captain M. P. Evans, superintendent of the
bureau, and a copy of the photograph and finger prints given to Mr.
William A. Pinkerton, of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
Mr. Pinkerton, who is a personal friend of Frank C. Froest,
superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department of New
Scotland Yard, London, mailed the finger prints to him without any
other memorandum, data or the picture, simply making the test on the
finger prints. He received a reply from Inspector Frank C. Froest,
giving the name of the criminal, and a long record of some fourteen
arrests and the picture, so as to authenticate the identification, and
also a statement from Superintendent Froest that the identification
was made inside of three minutes from a collection of over 70,000
records.
The identification was absolutely correct. The prisoner, on being
shown the letter, admitted his guilt.
If a clerk handles papers or letters on his employer's desk, it is a
very easy matter of detection. By means of a little syringe filled
with a powder blown on the paper, the finger prints are reproduced
with startling clearness.