Recently in London a murder was committed, and in order to destroy any
chance of detection, the murderer took the tin of his shoe lace and
cut the tips of his fingers in all directions. He was suspected of the
crime and arrested. The officers found blood prints on the furniture
and other things in the house where the murder was committed, and
when the man's fingers healed his prints were taken and corresponded
exactly with those discovered by the officers; conviction followed.
Where large bodies of Chinese or negroes are employed on government
or public work it is often difficult to stop men from representing
themselves as being other men and signing the pay roll to obtain the
wages due others. Nowadays the thumb print of each employee is taken
and when he comes up to draw his money and there is any doubt as to
his identity he makes a fresh imprint, which easily disposes of the
matter. Rich men disposing of their property by will, in addition to
their regular signature, also place the finger prints of both hands on
the paper, thereby insuring the authenticity of the document. An easy
way to protect a check is to put the thumb print where the figures are
written in.
Among the most noted of these is the case of Thomas Wilson, who a few
years ago committed a burglary and most atrocious murder near Windsor,
England.
Besides the bludgeon with which he felled his unsuspecting victim,
Wilson carried a lantern which was blackened by smoke, and, after
accomplishing his design of robbery, the fiend took his departure.
As he made his escape after the foul murder, Wilson picked up the
smoke-begrimed lantern and left upon it an imprint of a thumb wet with
the blood of his victim.