FINGER PRINTS BY WIRE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 September 1923, Page 4

FINGER PRINTS BY WIRE

. • SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 21. A new system of sending fingerprint information by wire has been tried in \ ancouver. Washington. with reiuurkable success. according to DeputySheriff ,J. Al. Roberts, finger-print expert. and the system is said to be similar somewhat to the recently developed plan of sending photographs by wire.

In the course of an interview in the Pacific Coast city. Deputy-Sheriff Roberts said: “Identification officers have worked from time to time and studied the problem of quicker identification through fingerprints titan the routine method of mailing them." It seems that a suggestion evolved from the extensive employment of

code, especially in trans-Atlantic messages, where, hy means of duplicate lists in the possession of both sender and receiver a single meaningless word may have the value of an entire phrase or sentence.

If a single code word could express a special type and variety of linger patterns, the ten words employed to describe an entire set ol fingerprints would come within the limit of the minimum telegraph rate, added the Deputy-Sheriff, who further staled: “A few days ago a person was arrested in Vancouver. Washington, by the Sheriff's oiiiee. Ilis action made me believe he was an ex-eouvict. so in ten words I mt this man's proper fingerprint classification by wire to Fort beavenwortb. which is a < lea ring-house for criminal records through the 1 nited States.

“The jollov. mg morning 1 received a message telling me that our man had served live terms in various prisons for burglary. A letter to all prisons in regard to this man resulted in the telegroin from 1 .oavenvorth being verified in every detail.