A jewelry store was entered and valuable diamonds that were on display on glass trays in the windows were stolen. In doing this the thieves left the imprints of their fingers on the glass. An expert, on making investigation with a powerful magnifier, discovered the imprints and by a careful photographic process was able to reproduce them on paper. A research being made among a collection of 20,000 finger-print records revealed the fact that the prints left on the glass tray were those of a well-known professional burglar, whose record had been taken some two years previously, while undergoing sentence in State prison. As a result the man was arrested and, through him, his partner in the crime, resulting in a conviction and the recovery of most of the goods.
The London police in investigating a burglary discovered in the pantry of a house a partly empty bottle of ale, which had been full the previous day. There were finger prints on the bottle, which was protected by a cardboard shield and taken to Scotland Yard, where the prints of the photograph, afterwards, were found to correspond with those of McAllister, who had just previously been released from jail. McAllister, on his arrest, in some way learned that they had his finger prints, and, realizing their value as evidence, made a circumstantial admission which led to the recovery of the goods and the conviction of his partner, Alexander Harley, on whose premises the property was found.
A half-empty bottle of wine was discovered in the room of an old woman at Asnieres, France, she having been murdered. A close examination of the bottle revealed finger prints, which were submitted to M. Bertillon, the great identification expert, who caused large photographs to be made, and who, after research, declared they were the imprints of a hospital attendant named Gales, who has since been arrested, charged with the murder, and convicted.
Murder Revealed by Finger Prints.
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.