Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the WorldWooldridge, Clifton R. (Clifton Rodman)
History
Twenty Years a Detective in the Wickedest City in the World
Wooldridge, Clifton R. (Clifton Rodman)
Crime -- Illinois -- Chicago; Police -- Illinois -- Chicago
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.
SENT TO GALLOWS BY BLOODY THUMB PRINT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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